History of a village on an important road.
Colnbrook, its age and first records.
There are too many websites perpetuating the false history that Colnbrook appears in the Domesday Book. Many reference the Colnbrook and Poyle Parish Council website, in particular the Parish History page at http://www.colnbrookwithpoyle-pc.gov.uk/Parish_History_27125.aspx The second paragraph on the page is problematic due to the lack of references.
Colnbrook does not appear in the Domesday Book, Langley is not mentioned either. The source I used was a the Phillimore publication of John Morris's transcription made in 1978. The Domesday Book has been researched and published online at www.opendomesday.org with images of the book by Professor John Palmer and George Slater. The website was created by Anna Powell-Smith.
One name that does appear in Domesday is the D'Oilly. Nigel D'Oilly held the manor of Iver in 1086. There is a William D'Oilly mention in the 1107 charter that describes the gift of land to the monks of Abingdon. There is no association between the D'Oilly family and the manor of Horton.
There are many possibilities for the age of Colnbrook as a settlement. It was certainly known as Colnbrook or Colebrook by 1107 and could be much older. There is no proof for historians to use to give a definitive answer.
(Domesday Image CC-BY-SA licence, Credit Professor John Palmer, George Slater and opendomesday.org. )
