Islip once held an important place in the county…
But before we get to that, let’s look at how Islip was formed.
: it held or was near the meeting place of Huxlow Hundred.
This means that every four weeks or so, officials such as local landowners or representatives from settlements would travel to Islip to discuss matters relating to the running of the Hundred.
What Was a Hundred?
From around the eleventh century, English counties were divided into units called Hundreds.
Whatever the origin of the term, by the time of the Domesday Book it was purely symbolic, as they rarely contained one hundred of anything; they didn’t tend to have 100 hides of land, households, settlements, fighting men…
Why Islip?
At a glance, it might seem strange that Islip was the Hundred’s meeting place; it was right near the edge of the Hundred, and it wasn’t a large or “important” town.
But this could have worked in its favour. Not being particularly close to some of the more prominent towns meant it could have been seen as “neutral ground”, with no particular bias.
Sources
Jack Preston 