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The Finance (1909-1910) Act, 1910, introduced a new tax on land values and therefore to implement it a detailed survey of all land was carried out over the following few years.
All plots of land were identified and numbered, and both the occupiers and the owners were recorded, together with the valuation assessment. The Ordnance Survey maps that were current at the time (the 1900 1:2500 series) were marked up with the number of each plot of land and colour shaded to distinguish each plot and corresponding buildings. The names and valuation details, plus cross-references to the maps, were registered in Field Books. There are two sets of records:
- The first set consists of the maps and Valuation Books (also called the ‘Domesday’ Books) used to carry out the Survey itself, and the ones for Sherington are held at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies in Aylesbury.
- The second set of maps and Field Books are the formal records of the Survey for the Inland Revenue, and these are now held at the National Archives at Kew.
For the purposes of this survey, Sherington was included with Chicheley in a single area. The survey was carried out by David Feasey of Sherington. The first data is dated 28 March 1913, but it then took several months to complete the details for all entries.
There are 270 entries. They follow the same order as used for the Poor Rate, but the numbering is different. Numbers 1 to 60 and 255 to 262 relate to land in Chicheley, the rest being in Sherington. Most of the parish is covered by four Ordnance Survey sheets – the corner where these sheets join being just north of The Knoll. They extend from the west to the east parish boundaries, and from the Emberton boundary down to beyond Sherington Bridge. The extreme south of the parish, i.e. Far End Farm, is on a separate sheet.
The Census is well-known as a record of individuals, but the absence of house numbers in the village at the time has meant that it has not been possible to pinpoint where each family actually lived, except for a few in named buildings, as most addresses were simply recorded as ‘High Street’ or ‘Church End’. The 1910 Land Valuation Survey is therefore particularly interesting because it provides that missing link.
It is recommended that the information from the Domesday Books, the Field Books and the Survey Maps are all used in conjunction with the 1911 Census, to provide the fullest picture of Sherington just before the First World War.
Domesday Books – 1910 Land Valuation Survey – Domesday Book Introduction
Field Books – 1910 Land Valuation Survey – Field Book Introduction
Survey Maps – 1910 Land Survey Mapping – Introduction
1900 Ordnance Survey Maps (1:2500 and 1:10,560) – 1900 Ordnance Survey Maps
1911 Census – 1911 Census Introduction