The famous Roll of Battle Abbey is believed to have been compiled in obedience to a clause in the Conqueror's foundation charter, that enjoined the monks to pray for the souls of those "who by their labour and valour had helped to win the kingdom." The great Sussex Abbey that was "the token and pledge of the Royal Crown," had been intended to be not only a memorial of his victory, but a chantry for the slain; and the names of his companions-in-arms, enshrined on this bede-roll, might thus be read out in the church on special occasions, and notably on the anniversary feast of St. Celict. It was most likely originally copied from the muster-roll of the Norman knights, that had been prepared by the Duke's orders before his embarkation, and was called over in his presence on the field of battle, the morning after it had been fought. The list, thus composed, was inscribed on a roll of parchment, and hung up in the Abbey Minster, with this superscription:
This is a primarily collection of articles about various branches or people within the Fifield Family. It is still under construction as more information is discovered.
There are various possible spellings of his family's surname, including Fyfielde, Fyfield, Fifeilde, Fiffielde, Fiffield, FFiffield, FFifeld, Fifield and presumably many others. I have adopted Fifield as the collective name for all the variations.
Fifield Name Meaning English: habitational name from any of various places called Fifield or Fyfield, of which there are instances in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire, all so named from Old English fif ‘five’ + hid ‘hide’. (A hide was a measurement of land area.)
Death; January 1874 • Mile End Town, Middlesex, England
3rd great-grandaunt
DNA Connection
Synopsis from my Ancestry Family Tree;
When Martha Nash was born on 28th May 1797 in Canterbury, Kent, her father, Edward, was 37, and her mother, Elizabeth, was 37. She married Richard Eldridge on 25th December 1816 in her hometown. They had 12 children in 23 years. She died in January 1874 in Middlesex having lived a long life of 76 years.