The Hundreds may well have existed in the 10th century, and were thought to have been set up as taxation units, based upon the value of one hundred hides. Each hide represented the living that could be derived from an average holding of 120 acres. The much older "vills" were basically spatial units, representing an area of land holding under a single Lord, whereas Hundreds were value units, set up by the national fiscal authority.

The farm now known as Gatesbury's was located in Risbridge Hundred, in the vill of Stansfield, later to be called the parish of Stansfield. Gatesbury's was located at the extreme north-west of Stansfield, and was always much closer geographically to Depden than to Stansfield's main settlement.

The map of Risbridge in 1086, shown here, includes the modern county boundary shown as red dashes. From this we can see that Exning and Newmarket were in Cambridgeshire in 1086, while parts of modern Haverhill were in Essex in 1086.

Each Hundred had its own court under the Hundred Bailiff, second only to the County or Shire Court. They dealt with folk rights, and might be called "Things" or "Moots". These met at long established open air meeting places originally set up by the early Anglo- Saxons, probably before the Hundreds were established. These meeting places were held at well known landscape features, such as meres, fords, prominent mounds, or important boundary markers.

The old meeting place names seem to have been used to name the Hundreds, and even as late as 1894, many of the Hundred names were still significant enough to be inherited by the newly established Rural District Councils. A few names even survived the 1974 reorganisation of local government, notably Babergh District Council, but with a different geographical area.

The Domesday Book of 1086 concentrates upon lordship and feudal relationships since the Norman Conquest. However, in some places it also gives the names of the Saxon Lords who had held their lands in the years before 1066. Examples from Stansfield are as follows:-

• One estate of 75 acres now in the hands of the Abbot of St Edmunds had belonged to 7 unnamed freemen before 1066.
• A carucate of land now in the hands of Count Roger Gilbert de Clare belonged to an unnamed socman.
• Two carucates of land had been held by the Saxon Edric Spucla, but by 1086 belonged to Count Gilbert.
• Another carucate of land had been held by the freeman Ulflet, who had Robert over him by 1086.
• A block of 60 acres had belonged to the freeman Crow, but by 1086 he also had Roger placed over him.

The landholder number and land parcel number used in the Phillimore edition of the Domesday Book for Suffolk have been retained as an aid to cross referencing to that written text.

The translated entries shown are also deliberately laid out differently from the original for clarity. The original entries were in one continous line of text, and contained many abbreviations, which are shown here in extended and translated form. It is possible that some abbreviations have been mistaken by modern translators in one or two places.

Most of our modern day villages have entries in Domesday, but do not equate exactly to modern boundaries. Contemporaries might have recognised these as names of "vills", rather than villages. A vill might roughly coincide with our own ideas of a parish area, rather than just the built up part of the village sharing the parish name.

All the Domesday entries for Stansfield are gathered here in one place, but in the original Domesday Book the holdings were described under each landholder.

SUF 14, 155
Lands of the Abbey of St Edmunds

Overlord in 1066: (Bury) St Edmunds, abbey of.
Lord in 1066: free men, seven.

Households: 7 freemen.
Annual value to lord: 11 shillings and 2 pence in 1086.

SUF 25, 11
Land of Richard son of (Count) Gilbert

Lord in 1086: Roger.
Lord in 1066: Wihtgar (son of Aelfric).

Households: 1 freeman. 2 smallholders.
Ploughland: 1 men's plough teams.
Other resources: Meadow 3 acres.
Livestock in 1066: 3 cobs. 4 cattle. 7 pigs. 40 sheep.
Livestock in 1086: 3 cobs. 6 cattle. 30 pigs. 80 sheep.
Annual value to lord: 1 pound 10 shillings in 1086; 1 pound in 1066.

SUF 25, 78
Land of Richard son of (Count) Gilbert

Tenant-in-chief in 1086: Richard son of (Count) Gilbert.
Lords in 1086: Gilbert; Robert; Roger.
Overlord in 1066: Wihtgar (son of Aelfric).
Lords in 1066: Crawa; Edric Spud; Wulffled.

Households: 2 smallholders. 4 slaves.
Meadow 10 acres. 1 mill. 1 church. 0.12 church lands.
Livestock in 1066: 4 sheep.
Livestock in 1086: 14 cattle. 25 pigs. 80 sheep
Annual value to lord: 5 pounds 5 shillings in 1086; 3 pounds 10 shillings in 1066.

Richard FitzGilbert held 170 lordships in Suffolk and Essex which soon became known as the Honour of Clare. An "Honour" was a collection of manors held by one landlord.

The early development and administration of these lay estates was complex. Richard fitzGilbert (or of Clare as Domesday occasionally refers to him, LDB 389v) advanced rapidly in William's service and probably gained his Suffolk lands after helping the king to suppress the Earls' Rebellion of 1075. By 1086 his demesne manors were valued at over £400, together with subinfeudated land at £185. The most valuable manors were kept under his direct control, although they were probably leased rather than exploited directly. The largest example was Hundon, which at 25 carucates was the highest rated, and therefore probably the largest manor in Suffolk (a carucate is 120 fiscal acres).

He noted that he published only details from existing sources.

He found three manors in Stansfield:-

• Stansfield Manor
• Gatesburies or Catesbye's Manor
• Manor of Priditon Hall - Probably later known as Purton Hall

• Philippa de Bolbee married Roger de Lancaster
• Margery married Nicholas de Corbet followed by William de Grimesthorpe
• Alice married Walter de Huntercombe
• Matilda married Hugh de la Val

Being a bomber station Chedburgh would have three runways made of concrete, the initial construction being one of 2,000 yards and two of 1,400 yards, all the standard 50 yards wide, as was the standard specification, class A, brought in during 1941. Later on, these would be extended giving Chedburgh much longer runways than many of its counterparts, one extended to 3,000 yards and two at 2,000 yards. Having runways this long, meant that heavy bombers could use the site when in trouble.

RAF Chedburgh was completed in September 1942 as a second satellite for RAF Stradishall and 214 Squadron arrived in October and flew the Short Stirling bomber until late 1943. Part of the 214 Squadron was split off as a nucleus for the new 620 Squadron in Summer 1943. They moved to Leicester East in November 1943 when 1653 Conversion Unit formed to become a Stirling training unit at Chedburgh.

1653 Conversion Unit stayed until December 1944 when they left for North Luffenham. It was replaced by 218 (Gold Coast) Squadron on the 5th December flying Lancasters as part of 3 Group's bomber offensive. They also dropped food in the relief of Holland but disbanded on 10th August 1945.

In September 1945 Polish Squadrons 301 and 304 arrived with Warwicks and some Wellingtons flying transports, mainly to the Middle East.

Halifaxes arrived in 1946 for 301 and 304 and were used on trunk routes overseas until December 1946.

RAF Chedburgh was now closed in December, 1946. It had been home to 1,600 RAF personnel and 240 WAAFs. Their accomodation huts are now removed as are the 36 hardstandings. The site was sold in 1952 and what was the technical area of the RAF station is now a light industrial estate where use can be made of buildings and hardstandings. The remainder is agricultural once again.

He also recalled that at Christmas it had been normal for turkeys to be driven to Bury market from Clare up through Purton Green, along the ancient trackway to Gatesbury's farm and thence to the Bury Road. This old trackway was also shown clearly on the 1836 OS map.

Meanwhile it seems that the buildings of the technical site of the RAF station were taken over by a small farmer called Mr Fred Blower, from Cornwall. He kept dairy cattle in some nissen huts, pigs in the MT Store, chickens in air raid shelters and Aylesbury ducks enjoyed the static water tank. He also kept hives of bees and lived in the office of the Flare Path Party. Apparently he paid rates but no rent.

Presumably Mr Blower or Blewitt lost his home when the site was sold in 1952.

British Pathe News have a short film about this farmer which can be found here:

The derelict Aerodrome Farm Chedburgh August 1950

This caused the farm to become much easier to access via Depden, and more isolated from Stansfield.

At some point, thought to be in the late 1950s, Gatesbury Farm was given a revised address when the boundary of Depden parish was moved to include that farmstead. The farm's association with the parish of Stansfield was now ended after perhaps 1,000 years.