The Doomsday Book is the principle marker on the St Nicholas Time Line, detailing the people and production across all of England for taxation by William the Conqueror. 

 The 1086 version records ‘Tornei ’ (Isle of Thorns) as one manor of 12 hides on which 32 villeins (tied labourers) operate 8 ploughs. A tax of gold is paid on 8 of these hides (equivalent to 2 knights fees), though this may have been to the Bishop of Exeter, rather than William.  A hide is the amount of land needed to support a peasant family, probably about 30acres (12ha?) and depended on the quality of the land. 

The Doomsday Book records the name 'Osbern ..... de Bosham' with the land at 'Thornei' being held by Malgar, a monk. This strongly suggests an ecclesiastical site, perhaps the priory established by St Wilfred back in 683AD.  Malgar is mentioned, who may have been the leading monk/ prior in the more hierarchical society of the Norman church.   Included in Malgar’s dues was the provision of 700 oysters to be delivered for the bishop’s table mid-Lent.

The picture from the Doomsday Book is of a self-contained, rustic community, working industrially for the maintenance of a Saxon church under the protection of the Exeter Bishopric. Protected to some extent from the despotic feudal system on the mainland, where squabbling Norman lords vied for the kings favour by ruthless exploitation of their tied serfs.  

Thorney’s inhabitants were probably better-off than most serfs under Norman rule. William’s power between Normandy & England was likely to limit sea-borne raiders that would have plagued Celtic, then Saxon coastal communities of the previous 600 years. It is said that a massive gold and silver wedding ring was found in St Nicholas’ Chancel, possibly used as a communal wedding ring for the community before being hidden from raiders and forgotten?