England was now ruled by the Normans under William the Conqueror, but it is unlikely that life in Felpham was deeply affected by the change of ruler. Felpham is recorded in the Domesday book where it appears as Falcheham, and is recorded as belonging to the Abbey of St. Edward in Shaftesbury:
‘The land of St Edward of Shaftesbury in Benestede (Avisford) hundred..The Abbey of St Edward holds and did hole in the time of king Edward, Falcheham. Then it was assessed for 21 hides, now for 15 ½ hides. This is land for 12 ploughs. On the demesne is one plough and 48 villeins and 19 cottas with 15 ploughs. There is a church and a fishery yielding five shillings.’
Nb. ‘Then’ refers to the time before 1066 in the reign of Edward the Confessor; ‘now’ refers to 1086, when the book was compiled.
The church referenced is probably an early wooden construction which stood on the same site as the present church of St Mary, which was first built in stone around 1100. Some of the original Norman stonework can still be seen in the nave of the present day church.
Ditches dating from this period have been found across the Site 6 area, telling us that the area was still farmland at this time. The ditches were probably cut to mark property boundaries and also for drainage.