This was almost certainly a smithy (officina ferraria), as operated by a blacksmith (ferrarius, cf the modern 'farrier'). One or more of the standard analyses of Domesday will almost certainly contain information on the terminology as used in that context, e.g.:
The Domesday geography of South-East England, edited by
H.C. Darby and Eila M.J. Campbell
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1971
xvi, 658p ISBN/ISSN: 0521047706
The following is likely to give a definitive opinion on the various meanings of the word:
BRITISH ACADEMY. Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British
Sources. Fascicule IV; F*G*H
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.
ISBN: 0-19-726082-9
>>> <[log in to unmask]> 27/July/1999 10:28am >>>
The search for the location of the 'ferraria' mentioned for an unnamed manor
in the Domesday Book of Sussex in 1086 has prompted the question, what is a
ferraria?
I should be interested in the opinions of list members. Does it refer to an
ironworks, an iron mine or what? Does it have a different significance in
different places?
Jeremy Hodgkinson
Wealden Iron Research Group
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