Either king william himself, or one of around 1,400 people who held. 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. Mar 30, 2008 domesday book was a major survey of almost the whole of england it did not include london, winchester and a few other places completed in just a few months in 1086 by order of king william i. These pages give an overview of the domesday inquest, great domesday, and the purpose, structure, and terminology of domesday book, with references for further study. Domesday book domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. Introduction to the somerset domesday british history online.
Lewisham was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of greenwich and the county of kent. It is a valuable resource for subjects related to theology, philosophy. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name. At over 900 years old, domesday is the earliest surviving public record and the foundation document of the national archives. The first draft was completed in august 1086 and contained records for,418 settlements in the english counties south of the rivers ribble and tees. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. The project gutenberg ebook, domesday book and beyond, by frederic william maitland. In 1086, king william i the conqueror wanted to find out about all the land in his new kingdom.
Domesday book appears to me, not indeed as the known, but as the knowable. Domesday explorer the text has been tagged with over 500,000 codes, and a powerful search engine lets you easily find entries of interest, map them, display the facsimile and the. Domesday book at midwinter in the year 1085 william the conqueror wore his crown at gloucester and there he had deep speech with his wise men. There are a number of entries which apply to guilden morden in the domesday book 1086. We learn from the english chronicle that the scheme of this survey was discussed and determined in the christmas assembly of 1085, and from the colophon of domesday book that the survey descriptio was completed in 1086. Hallam, domesday book through nine centuries london, 1986 a survey of how the domesday book has been used since its composition, and how antiquarians and historians have viewed the record. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. There were no windmills in england for another 100 years. If you have a local history site that you would like to be included on these pages please get in touch via the contact page. The first draft was completed in august 1086 and contained records for,418 settlements in the english counties south of the rivers ribble and tees the border with scotland at the time. Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england.
The domesday book was a record of the survey of england carried out in 1086 by william the conqueror in order to assess taxes and find out other details of. Although scholars have adduced carolingian, byzantine and islamic parallels, no document of such an early date is so comprehensive in its account of a realm 1. The domesday book was commissioned at christmas 1085 by william i usually known as william the conqueror. Domesday is now available online, and you can search for your town or village, and download images of domesday along with an english translation of the entry. Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater. The alphabetised list on the following pages contains brief notes on almost 200 of the most wellknown landholders at the time. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a. The domesday book provides an invaluable insight into the economy and society of 11th century norman england. Domesday book is the most famous english public record, and it is probably the most remarkable statistical document in the history of europe. William needed to raise taxes to pay for his army and so a survey was set in motion to assess the wealth and and assets of his subjects throughout the land. Archaeological evidence indicates earlier roman occupation in the area, although the name of this settlement is lost. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. A useful reference with short entries of the towns, villages and hamlets of the country. 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.
After the norman invasion and conquest of england in 1066, the domesday book. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. No other western european state produced anything even broadly comparable in its scope until several centuries later. A silver mark was worth s 4d, a gold mark was worth. 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 following line shows the name of lewisham also with a red line through it. Domesday book is a manuscript record of the great survey of much of england and parts of wales completed in 1086 by order of king william the conqueror.
There were 377 places in the county of kent in domesday book. It calls itself merely a descriptio and it acquired its name in the following century because its authority seemed comparable to that of the book by which one day all will be judged revelation 20. 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 century. Domesday book is our oldest and most famous public record. The project gutenberg ebook of domesday book and beyond, by. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. It is also the starting point for most local historians researching the history of their area. Either king william himself, or one of around 1,400 people who held land directly from the crown, mostly norman knights. It was to be a survey of the wealth and assets of his kingdom and the survey covered most of england. London the middle ages met the internet age friday when the domesday book a survey of england conducted almost 1,000 years ago went online. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history. Entries for croydon and cheam, surrey, in the 1783 edition of domesday book the project to publish domesday was begun by the government in 1773, and the book appeared in two volumes in 1783, set in record type to produce a partial facsimile of the manuscript. 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. The domesday book was compiled on the orders of william the conquerer to catalogue the ownership and value of land in the newly conquered territories of england.
It was commissioned by william the conqueror to assess the extent of the land and resources being owned in england at the time and therefore the extent of the taxes he could raise. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. The domesday book records that mimmine had land for ploughs. The national archives education service domesday book. The fact is that 14 men from randers and an abbey established themselves in england and survived as tenantsinchief until 1086, when their achievements were perpetuated in domesday book. Domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. Domesday book extracts makes available over 8,500 fascinating extracts featuring the actual page entry for your town, a translation and glossary. The domesday book is a great land survey which was compiled in 1086. New cross is an area of south east london, england, 4. 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, that was like a census by the government today. Domesday book, our earliest public record, is a rare and remarkable survey which details landholding and resources in late eleventhcentury england. Or, the great survey of england of william the conqueror a. Foy chichester, 1992, has comprehensive listings of all subjects, with their.
Domesday series by edward marston goodreads share book. Aug 04, 2006 11thcentury domesday book goes online. You can download both a colour facsimile of the folio on which your entry. Also known as the carucate or carrucate, the term plough was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. The mimmine domesday book entry continues with more detail, recording that. By studying individual entries it is possible to discover that upmarket hampstead in london had woodland containing 100 pigs and was assessed as being worth. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a. What are some examples of questions asked in the domesday. The domesday book, the oldest and most famous public record, was based on the 1086 great survey of england which investigated how the country was. At lewisham in kent the abbot of gand has a manor valued at. The entry relating to the ownership of land in the parish of aston cantlow and the surrounding area is shown below.
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. The first draft of the domesday book was completed in 1086, twenty years after the defeat of the anglosaxons by the normans. N ewbury was recorded in the domesday book as a town with 22 households in 1086. The domesday book was a catalog of all the real estate in england.
In entry after entry and county after county the servi are kept well apart from the. Original folio of kent, page 1 in domesday book domesday. The domesday book was a record of the survey of england carried out in 1086 by william the conqueror in order to assess taxes and find out other details of the country he conquered 20 years earlier. Media in category domesday book the following 38 files are in this category, out of 38 total. It confirms that england possessed a sophisticated system of coinage, an effective system of taxation, a hierarchy of public courts and a robust system of justice. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england.
What are some examples of questions asked in the domesday book. Jan 25, 2019 if the book is so wellknown as a name why is it not read more widely. For a more detailed introduction to domesday, and england at the end of the 11th century, when domesday was compiled, consult our online domesday exhibition the original domesday book itself can no longer be consulted except in very rare circumstances. Little domesday contained the three counties of essex, norfolk and suffolk. Domesday book also proves england was tightly governed. For historians it can be used, amongst other things, to discover the wealth of england at the time, information about the feudal system existent in society the social hierarchy from the king down to villagers and slaves, and. Peckham is a saxon place name meaning the village of the river peck, a small stream that ran through the district until it was enclosed in 1823. The majority of landholders in england at the time of the domesday book had accompanied william the conqueror from france in 1066, and were granted areas of land previously held by english natives. 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. Peters of ghent at the time of domesday book, was the remish manor closest to the continent.
The domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. The last column presents the number of entries in domesday book for each. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book.
Find out how it was compiled, and what it reveals about life in. The domesday book was compiled somewhere between 1085 and 1086 ad on the command of king william i of england, and is the result of a painstaking economic and social survey that was undertaken at that time. Residents of hampstead might not be too pleased to learn that their exclusive london village once housed more pigs than people but this is just one of the fascinating insights to be gained from reading the domesday book. The first of these is known as the exon domesday, the other as the geld inquest or inquisitio geldi. The original folios of domesday book, a complete survey of england written in ad 1086. The two and a half centuries extending from edward the confessors reign to the last years of edward i form a period of growth. Domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. Until it was rebound in 1986, domesday book consisted of two volumes, distinctive in appearance and content, each of different origin. It surveys england south of the river tees, recording data for both 1066 and 1086, thus documenting the norman conquest, one of the greatest upheavals in english history. Domesday book, or simply domesday, the record of the great survey of england executed for william the conqueror. The following pages include domesday placenames and landowners, and beneath some are links to websites containing the local history of that place.
This is an entry for dunwich, suffolk, in the domesday book. Domesday book is a detailed survey and valuation of landed property in. Domesday book wordreference english dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. Domesday book gloucestershire entry for lasborough the main unit of measurement used in the domesday book as a whole was the hide. Domesday book the name given to the record of the great survey of england made by order of william the conqueror in 108586. It had a recorded population of 62 households in 1086, putting it in the largest 20% of settlements recorded in domesday. It details the entries in the domesday book relating to the town of witham, in the county of essex, in the uk. Domesday book is preserved in the national archives tna, previously named the public record office. The saxon hide was a theoretical unit of land required to support a family farmstead, but by the late saxon period, it had become a unit of taxation and hence was a fiscal unit rather than signifying a specific area. The domesday book early englands most important document. For a more detailed introduction to domesday, and england at the end of the 11th century. In fact there are two domesday books little domesday and about england in the 11th century.
Produced at amazing speed in the years after the conquest, the domesday book provides a vivid picture of late 11thcentury england. The domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by william the conqueror, who invaded england in 1066. The domesday book portrays a fascinating account of the landholdings and resources of the people living in late 11thcentury england. Catholic answers is pleased to provide this unabridged entry from the original catholic encyclopedia, published between 1907 and 1912. Probably, there was no great distinction between steeple and guilden morden both villages being thinly populated and spread out. Finn, an introduction to domesday book london, 1963, and h. Lincolnshire index ah the following pages include domesday placenames and landowners, and beneath some are links to websites containing the local history of that place. The murder of a wealthy miller beckons two of king william the conquerors cleverest men to the town of bedwyn to uncover dark secrets and find a twolegged killer more savage than any beast. Ralph delchard, a soldier and gervase bret, a lawyer, in 11th century england, in the domesday series. After the norman invasion and conquest of england in 1066, the domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by order of william the conqueror. The domesday book is one of medieval england s greatest treasures.
It was compiled by the norman invaders shortly after their conquest of england, to ensure that they were collecting all the. The survey could not have been made without the machinery of government that the anglosaxons bequeathed to the normans. It is not surprising that so many scholars have felt. In entry after entry and county after county the servi are kept well apart from the villani, bordarii, cotarii. It had a recorded population of 62 households in 1086. While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over england to each shire to find. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge authority in england. Domesday book images kindly made available by professor j. There is a super website called the prosopography of anglosaxon england database project by kings college london and cambridge university. On their home page, select domesday book tab, enter judith in names box, and countess in description box. The outcome of that speech was the mission throughout all england of barons, legates or justices. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames.
Consisting of 9 pages, and 2 million words, the book mentions more than,000 place names in england and some parts of wales. A complete translation is not light reading, but jonathan sumption is fascinated by the first record of all property held in britain. The detailed picture of the english landscape it offers has no equal in any country, while it is valuable not only in the picture it allows local historians to construct of their area in the eleventh century but also as the foundation document of the national archives. Buy the domesday geography of southeast england domesday geography of england on free shipping on qualified orders. 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. Bakewells entry in the domesday book 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 taxes he could raise. Domesday series 11 book series kindle edition from book 1. What was the domesday book and why is it important answers.
You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. Domesday book of 1085 badequella bakewell, derbyshire. In 1086, king william i the conqueror wanted to find out. Darby, domesday england cambridge, 1977, provide examples and definitions of most domesday terms and concepts. This research guide explains how to access and understand the information within domesday book. What can we learn about england in the 11th century.
The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. Nearly everyone in the englishspeaking world has heard of the domesday book, along with many others who do not even. According to the entry in the domesday book hatchams assets were. The majority of these still exist in some form today. Happily, however, we possess for the southwest of england, including the county of somerset, two auxiliary sources of information which supplement, on certain points, the evidence of domesday book. The information collected was recorded by hand in two huge. Domesday book home the domesday book one of the most valuable records of the uks past history.
1425 132 476 1381 1606 1597 422 1669 111 842 1498 717 98 1399 1515 739 191 602 1446 628 690 1030 149 690 294 1640 1652 834 284 1270 427 1547 474 1157 1573 627 1287 1011 1607 996 1166 527 1049 932 29 548 650 547 1444