Mar 14, 20 the domesday book portrays a fascinating account of the landholdings and resources of the people living in late 11thcentury england. The domesday book of 1086 lists in the following order the tenantsinchief in devonshire of king william the conqueror. The original domesday book has survived over 900 years of english history and is currently housed in a specially made chest at the national archives in kew, london. It does not record names, nor does it give accurate population statistics, but it does give us an indication of the size of badsey, aldington and wickhamford. Domesday book etc description of class e 31 in the national archives online catalogue the domesday book alan stanier see the internet archives copy of this page, from november 2004. The domesday book or, colloquially, domesday is the expression used since the late twelfth century to refer to the record of the great inquisition or survey of the lands of england, their extent, value, ownership, and liabilities, made by order of william the conqueror in 1086. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. The domesday book is a great land survey from 1086, commissioned by william the conqueror to assess the extent of the land and resources being owned in england at the time, and the extent of the. The first draft was completed in august 1086 and contained records for,418 settlements in the english counties south of the rivers ribble and. The survey was a massive enterprise, and the record of that survey, domesday book, was a remarkable achievement.
The domesday book listed every piece of property in england so the new norman government could be sure that it was collecting all the property taxes due it. Important facts about the domesday book 1086 interesting information and important facts about the domesday book. There are actually two separate domesday books, the little domesday and the great domesday book. Domesday book was ordered by william the conqueror william i in 1085. Domesday book facts, summary, composition, creation. The domesday book also known as domesday, or book of winchester was a record of all taxable land in england, together with such information as would indicate its worth.
Volume i great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk. The domesday book is nother example of williams growing power over his conquered kingdom. The survey provided the king with information on potential sources of funds when he needed to raise money. Facts about domesday book talk about a manuscript record created under the order of king william the conqueror. Domesday book was a comprehensive survey and record of all the. Domesday book a brief material history in addition to enormous intangible and historical value, domesday is a precious object and work of art that elicits awe and curiosity. Studies of its figures reveal, amongst many others, such insights as. After the death of edward the confessor, there was a bloody fourway battle for the throne. Great domesday appears to have been largely written by the one scribe although some six scribes were used for little domesday. Formal sessions were apparently held in the chief county town, and the facts. Though invariably called domesday book, in the singular, it in fact consists of two volumes quite different from each other. The domesday book was a survey, or census, commissioned by the norman conqueror king william i, of his newly conquered lands and possessions in england. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes.
The bbc domesday project was a partnership between acorn computers, philips, logica and the bbc with some funding from the european commissions esprit programme to mark the 900th anniversary of the original domesday book, an 11thcentury census of england. Associated with the reign of william the conqueror, the domesday book was created to provide the king with a means of maintaining control over medieval england. The domesday book is the record of the great survey of much of england, and parts of wales, completed in 1086, done for william i of england, or william the conqueror. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. Kivrin engle, the main character, says that her recording is. How many hides are there what is its tax assessment. Doomsday book is a 1992 science fiction novel by american author connie willis. Sep 24, 2004 domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. This is why the domesday book took such a long time to. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge. The information from the little domesday book may not have been included in the main book because william died before it could be done. Arundel was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of binsted and the county of sussex. Compiled in 10867 ce by william the conqueror as a survey of land and property ownership across norman england. Interesting information about the history of the domesday book interesting information and important facts about the history of the domesday book.
Known as the domesday book, this survey contained all the details of the names of places, the number of people, goods, and animals, and the use and the owners of the land. In 1085, king william i of england ordered a complete survey of all the land and property in the country. The domesday book provides extensive records of landholders, their tenants, the amount of land they owned, how many people occupied the land villagers, smallholders, free men, slaves, etc. Media in category domesday book the following 38 files are in this category, out of 38 total.
Valuable as is the information which the domesday book supplies, many questions suggested by it remain obscure and are still keenly debated. Domesday book also known as domesday, or book of winchester was the record of the great survey of england completed in 1086, executed for william the conqueror. Great domesday contains most of the counties of england and was written by one scribe and checked by a second. Nov 19, 2018 domesday book is a treasure trove of information for historians and reveals much about 11th century ce england. The domesday book compiled in 10856 is one of the few historical records whose name is familiar to most people in this country. Here are some facts about domesday book, the great norman survey of the wealth of england. Through the centuries the domesday book has also been used as evidence in disputes over ancient land and property rights, though the last case of this was in the 1960s.
That 90% of the population then lived in the countryside. It was moved to westminster and then to the national archives at kew. Domesday book national archives information leaflet internet archive copy from august 2004 exchequer. Doomsday book is the first book in the oxford time travel series. The domesday book recorded who owned the land the landowners as well as the size of the land that they owned. The novel won both the hugo and nebula awards, and was shortlisted for other awards. Learn how to access and understand the information within domesday book. Its main purpose was to assess the wealth of england to aid the system of taxation. It was ordered by william the conqueror the winner of the recent battle of hastings so that william could determine how much money in taxes he could raise and to give william a better sense of the territory he had just conquered. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. The domesday book early englands most important document. Whatever was recorded in domesday book was legally binding. The domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by william the conqueror, who invaded england in 1066. Completed a mere seven months later, by 1 august 1086, the survey provided a detailed record of,418 settlements in england in thirtyfour counties.
Earnest and resourceful, william was not only one of the greatest of english monarchs but. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. The information in the survey was collected by royal commissioners who were sent out around england. Domesday book is actually composed of two volumes, with here shown the larger of the two, the great domesday book.
Huntington was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of bulford and the county of yorkshire it had a recorded population of 11. Some examples of what can be learnt from the information in the domesday book can be found in life in the 11th century. Domesday book covers all of england except the northern areas. The national archives education service domesday book. As the scribes went round england, they were protected by williams armed men. Domesday book is a manuscript that collects the results of a large census carried out in england and in wales in 1086. How was the information for the domesday book collected answers. The domesday book is the record of the great survey of much of england, and parts of wales, completed in 1086, done for william i of england, or william the conqueror the domesday book also known as domesday, or book of winchester was a record of all taxable land in england, together with such information as would indicate its worth. The domesday book was created around 20 years after the battle of hastings, when william i demanded information about the ownership status of the country he was now ruling. Aug 10, 2010 what dr baxter is saying, and as a historian who did their dissertation on domesday book and came to similar conclusions, is that the information to use domesday book as a tax book was collected.
The domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book. The main manuscript, socalled great domesday, written by a single scribe, contains the final version of the surveys of all english counties south of the rivers ribble and tees, with the exception of norfolk, suffolk, and essex. The problem is that its layout makes it a spectacularly unhelpful guide to the logistics of taxation. The results of this survey were written into domesday book. The little domesday book covers the territory of norfolk, suffolk, and essex. Another volume, containing a more detailed account of wilts, dorset, somerset, devon, and cornwall, is called the exon domesday, as it is in the keeping of the cathedral chapter of exeter.
How many plough teams on the demesne local lords own. Domesday is a corruption of doomsday the day of the final judgment. The survey was executed by groups of officers called legati, who visited each county and conducted a public inquiry. The country was split up into 7 regions, or circuits, with 3. Great domesday and little domesday, which was ironically the longer version.
There is nothing like it in england until the censuses of the. Little domesday, was probably meant to be reduced and its information. It was rebound in 1984 almost 900 years after its completion into five separate volumes, with the hope that this will improve its. To collect the landtax efficiently, royal officials needed information arranged in geographical order, hundred by hundred and village by village, so they would know exactly where to go and how. A facsimile of the whole record was brought out some years ago by photozincography, and at the end of the eighteenth century an edition was printed in type specially cast to represent the contractions of. It is our earliest public record, the foundation document of. Domesday book article about domesday book by the free.
It took two years to collect all the information for this survey. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving. This research guide explains how to access and understand the information within domesday. The results were compiled into two books which are called the domesday book.
These were little domesday covering norfolk, suffolk, and essex, and great domesday covering much of the remainder of england except for lands in the north which later became westmorland, cumberland, northumberland, and the county palatine of. Apr 04, 2020 domesday book was the result of the great survey commissioned by william the conqueror at gloucester at christmas 1085. Little domesday, which contains the information for essex, norfolk and suffolk, was probably written first and is the work of at least six scribes. Since then his thesis has been refined in various ways, but there has been no serious challenge to his central propositions. Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The domesday book, our earliest public record, is a unique survey of the value and ownership of lands and resources in late 11th century england. The chief interest of the domesday book for us here lies in the light which it throws upon church matters. The questions found in the ely inquest are as follows.
Domesday book provides a vast amount of information for those who want to build up a picture of life in england under the normans. Domesday article about domesday by the free dictionary. The little domesday books entries actually contain more information than the entries in the great domesday book which highlights. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. The title of the book refers to the domesday book of 1086. The name was apparently a popular one applied during the 12th century because the book was regarded as a final authority with allusion to doomsday the day of judgement. Domesday book a comprehensive record of the extent, value, ownership, and liabilities of land in england, made in 1086 by order of william i. The information collected was recorded in two huge books in around one year, but william died in 1087 before the domeday book was completed. Royal agents took the evidence of local men in each. In fact there are two domesday books little domesday and great domesday, which together contain a great deal of information about england in the 11th. The domesday book was also a clear message that signalled the power and strength of the government and its commitment to the hunt for useable data. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which, for some reason, was never summarized and added to the.
It is our earliest public record, the foundation document of the. Domesday book was known as the book of winchester when it was housed in the royal treasury at winchester. Now available in one volume, here is the complete, authoritative translation from the original latin, together with an index of places and a glossary of terms used. Domesday is our most famous and earliest surviving public record. It is preserved in the national archives of britain in richmond, greater london. Less than twenty years after his coronation william the conqueror ordered a survey and valuation to be made of the whole realm outside of london. The land was vexed with much violence arising from the collection of royal taxes during the process. The domesday book s information was collected by surveyors going around door to door asking the people to answer the questions or be killed.
Apr 11, 2020 it is now forty years since galbraith published the making of domesday book. Great domesday book is the incomplete, last draft of the information collected by the domesday survey, commissioned by william the conqueror at christmas 1085 and using a detailed list of questions to record who owned which estate. It is a highly detailed survey and valuation of land holding and resources in late 11th century england. If ownership of property was disputed, whatever was recorded in domesday was the final. The domesday book, recording the first english census. The domesday book compiled in 10856 is one of the few historical records.
Here are other interesting facts about domesday book. The document was first held in winchester and then moved to westminster. Under the feudal system all manors had to provide taxes and soldiers to the king. Domesday book is a treasure trove of information for historians and reveals much about 11th century ce england. It was intended to document what, or how much, each man had, who was an occupier of land in england, either in. Each group was led by a royal commissioner, who took a list of standard questions. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. The great domesday book records information about over thirteen thousand places in england.
After compiling the domesday book, william knew how many manors there were. The document is also known as the doomsday book, the book of winchester and the great survey. The investigation was carried out by order of william the conqueror. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. If youre looking for a free download links of the domesday book pdf, epub, docx and torrent then this site is not for you. Acklam was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of langbaurgh and the county of yorkshire it had a recorded population of 1. The set of questions that these officers asked of the town and county representatives constituted the inquisitio eliensis. The domesday book online frequently asked questions. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. Great domesday book illustration ancient history encyclopedia. Together with the lesser domesday book, it was the foundation of english property records through the middle ages.
The survey ascertained the economic resources of most of the country for purposes of more accurate taxation. This, as you would imagine covers the greater area of land. This site has been set up to enable visitors to discover the history of the domesday book, to give an insight into life at the time of its compilation, and provide information and. Every entry in domesday book supplies that information. How was the information in domesday book collected answers. The book is also called as great survey for it covers the information in many parts of wales and england. The domesday book the domesday book was a complete written record of property ownership across england, and was completed in less than a year. It had a recorded population of 4 households in 1086, putting it in the smallest 20% of settlements recorded in domesday. Domesday book is a manuscript record of the great survey of much of england and parts of. Frequently asked questions the domesday book online. It was produced as a result of the domesday survey, ordered by william in december 1085, and told william who held what land and what their obligations were to the king. The middle english spelling of domesday is doomsday. Aug 14, 2010 every entry in domesday book supplies that information.
48 754 954 1274 387 1245 860 1283 647 1477 1109 624 1151 1452 597 1389 218 1124 358 1308 1177 444 1464 594 1103 1300 373 391 829 963