while odda appears to have witnessed charters during the reigns of æthelred, cnut, harold harefoot and harthacnut, it was not until the reign of edward the confessor that he became a leading figure in the land. the evidence of domesday book suggests that during edward's reign odda held at least 167 hides of land, which placed him among the magnates and great landowners of england. he held half, some 60 hides, of estate of deerhurst, lying mainly in gloucestershire, and smaller estates in devon, herefordshire, warwickshire and worcestershire.