Event

There is evidence that a prehistoric settlement once existed near Bottor Rock. As recorded by English Heritage.
"In a field called Brady Park, about 300 yards SW of Bottor Rock were two concentric stone circles.
W C Radly, in 1841, gave the following measurements. Diameter of the inner circle 24 feet. Distance between the walls 18 feet.
The outer wall was 4 feet thick and the inner stronger, wall 5 feet but much had been thrown away and about 3 feet remained.
The area in the centre had been hollowed out. The circles were destroyed in 1842. "
Neolithic flint scatter has been discovered in what is now the allotments, these are now in the Royal Albert Museum in Exeter.

A Saxon settlement existed here at the time of the Norman Conquest because Hennock (Hanoch) is mentioned in the Doomsday Book, so clearly there must have been a settlement here large enough to make it worth recording. It's exact location is unknown possibly somewhere on the lower ploughable slopes below the site present village. Although to my knowledge no Saxon remains have ever been found.

The entry for Hennock in the Doomsday Book of 1086:

Roger holds Hanoch (Hennock) from Baldwin. Alnoth held it T.R.E. (before the conquest?), and it paid geld for 1 hide. There is land for 13 ploughs. In demesne are 2 ploughs, and 5 slaves; and 9 villans and 6 bordars with 6 ploughs. Formerly 10s. ; now it is worth 30s.
Reproduced by kind permission of The National Archives, Kew, London ref. E31/2/1/4186 (folio number, 108r Great Doomesday Book).

The Doomsday Book was all about taxation and it enabled William to know what his income was, it was possibly the Norman equivalent of today's income tax records.
Roger Fitz Payne (son of Payne who was a Norman) was lord of the Manor in 1086, Alnoth (a Saxon) was lord in 1066 and has lost his land, Baldwin was the Sheriff presumably also a Norman.
Hanoch comprised 20 households (9 villagers, 6 smallholders and 5 slaves) this was just a count of heads of households, so the total population would have been about 100 to 150 (based on 20 households comprising husband, wife and 3 or 4 surviving children).
Taxable value 1 geld (a very small amount, below the national average).
Value in 1086 £1.50, value in 1070 £0.50.
There were 13 ploughable lands (fields), 2 plough teams belonging to the lord and 6 belonging to the villagers.
There were 60 sheep and one cob.

A note about slavery in Medieval England.
Firstly it had nothing to do with the colour of your skin.
The Saxons had a system of slavery, as did the Romans before them.
A person could become a slave in a number of ways:

• An enemy soldier captured in battle.
• The child of a woman who was a slave.
• Someone who was in debt and could not pay the debt could 'sell' themselves (and their family) into slavery to pay off the debt.
• Parents who were poor could also sell a child into slavery for money.

At the time of the doomsday book it is estimated that as much as 10% of the population were classed as slaves.

Philip de Salmonville gives Hennock to the Abbots of Torr, in the reign of Richard I.