This is the first free online copy of domesday book. It enables us to reconstruct the politics, government, society and economy of 11thcentury england with greater precision than is possible for almost any other premodern polity. Its the oldest farm thereabouts and is even listed in the domesday book, that great 11thcentury survey commanded by william the conqueror. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history. Apr 06, 2012 most of the names in the domesday book are male, as most landowners were men.
There were 357 places in the county of staffordshire in domesday book. Depicts domesday book as the written evidence of a potentially insecure conquest successfully transforming itself, by a combination of administrative insight and military might, into a permanent establishment. What can we learn about england in the 11th century. The various inquiries instituted during the middle ages, such as the domesday book and the breviary of charlemagne, were so far on the roman model that they took little or no account of the population, the feudal system probably rendering information regarding it unnecessary for. Domesday book is the most complete survey of a preindustrial society anywhere in the world. 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. Domesday definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Domesday explorer is the electronic version of great domesday book, the culmination of twenty years research and development 19802000 by the domesday explorer team.
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. Domesday book is the earliest, and by far the most famous, english public record. As the only surviving source for great domesday book for anywhere in england, it also provides vital clues to help us understand the workings of that great campaign. Domesday book contains fascinating information such as land ownership, livestock and even local customs. Domesday chest, the germanstyle ironbound chest of c. It can be incorporated in to a lesson on the domesday book as an opportunity for pupils to see how it may have worked in practice. He removed bishops from their sees and abbots from their offices, and he imprisoned thanes, and at length he spared not his own. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. Its name domesday, the book of the day of judgment, attests the awe with which the work has always been regarded. William i, nearing the end of his reign, found himself in a difficult position. 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. Englands heritage then and now, edited by thomas hinde coombe books 1996. When it was kept at the royal treasury, domesday book was called as roll of winchester or book of winchester.
William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. At christmas, 1085, whilst staying at goucester, william the conqueror decided to conduct a far ranging survey of his kingdom, its boroughs and manors, for tax purposes, becoming known as the domesday book, from the old english dom, meaning reckoning, due to the exacting and invasive nature of its questions, the survey was completed in 1086. It is also the starting point for most local historians researching the history of their area. Its purpose was to maximize the revenues from the land tax and it caused resentment and even riots. Witton was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of coleshill and the county of warwickshire it had a recorded population of 5 households in 1086, putting it in the smallest 20% of settlements recorded in domesday. 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. The 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 i of england. Places domesday book into its wider historical, social, and economic contexts. This is an entry for dunwich, suffolk, in the domesday book. The domesday book online frequently asked questions. Domesday, the earliest public record and perhaps the most famous book in english history, is to be lent to the british library for a landmark exhibition on. The various inquiries instituted during the middle ages, such as the domesday book and the breviary of charlemagne, were so far on the roman model that they took little or no account of the population, the feudal system probably rendering information regarding it unnecessary for the purposes of taxa.
Or the great survey of england of william the conqueror, 1086 1862. The domesday book one of the most valuable records of the uks past history. Sprattc data have been assembled on distribution, type, lithology, size, shape, quality of sculpture and dating of some 120 beehive querns and bases in northeast yorkshire. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. Volume one, known as great or exchequer domesday, is an abbreviated version of the returns from 32 counties. Our narrator, returning for a funeral to the neighborhood of his childhood feels compelled to drive down to the end of the lane. Tr introduction the first approach to a modern assessment roll or cataster is the well known. 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. In 1773, the government tried to publish domesday book for public. Domesday book is the product of an extraordinary survey of england commissioned by king william the conqueror in 1085. 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. After the death of edward the confessor, there was a bloody fourway battle for the throne. The little domesday book covers the territory of norfolk, suffolk, and essex.
Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. Jan 12, 2015 a ks3 roleplay covering the domesday book. Why it was written and what was involved in making it. Prior to the mid eighteenth century it often listed as barnardiston otherwise chilbourne, and it is listed as cileburna in the domesday book the first domesday listing is of the lands of earl ralph, which goodrich the steward kept in suffolk in the kings hand. Like none of the things one frets about ever happen. Produced at amazing speed in the years after the conquest, the domesday book provides a vivid picture of late 11thcentury england.
The following pages include domesday placenames and landowners, and beneath some are links to websites containing the local history of that place. Domesday book wilhelm erobrerens jordebog var normannernes grundlag for skatteopkr. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name. The information from the little domesday book may not have been included in the main book because william died before it could be done. Servus, translated as slave in the phillimore edition, is sometimes rendered as serf. Slaves formed the fourth largest group among the peasantry, over 10% of the recorded population and significantly higher than this if allowance is made for their almost complete omission from the counties of circuit 6.
What is known as domesday book is in fact a composite work in two volumes. Where was the domesday book kept in th middle ages answers. The barons went and asked the villages about how much land they had, price when king edward was alive and the price now. Wooden chest, cased, lined and bound in iron and secured by three different locks, in which domesday book was kept stored from about 1600. It contains the results of a huge survey of land and landholding commissioned by william i in 1085.
For most english villages and towns but not, unfortunately, london and winchester, for which no domesday records survive, domesday is the starting point of their history. The distribution and lithology of beehive querns in. It has been cited as an example of digital obsolescence on account of the physical medium used for data storage. Domesday book was kept in the royal treasury in winchester until the th century ce, when it was moved to london. A book william of normandy kept to survey england and record everything in. How useful is domesday book as a source for the impact of the norman conquest upon england. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. The name has an older form of bernardeston means farmstead of a man called beornheard. 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. It is important simply as the first record of thousands of settlements.
Domesday book was ordered by william the conqueror william i in 1085. Domesday was not for this span of time to pass between issues. Full text of the archaeological journal internet archive. But from the early th century, when it was not travelling around with the king, it was housed in westminster at first in the palace and then in the abbey. Domesday book is a public record and its information has always been made available. The earliest names accorded to it the kings book and the great book of winchester, where it was first kept, in the royal treasury, were displaced as early as the twelfth century by a title which recalled the wonder with which the subjugated english had seen their norman. I am honored to be here looking at the newest issue. It was named after the day god made his judgement and you had no right to argue.
Could be followed by a brief q and a on the experiences of the roleplaya small worksheet to discuss the different conversations and meetings had during the roleplay. I have got the domesday book for kent but where is the big one kept. Domesday book, compiled in 1086 at the behest of william the conqueror, has been described as the most valuable piece of antiquity possessed by any nation david hume and viewed by historians as the final act of the norman conquest. 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. For many centuries individual entries from domesday were copied as evidence of ancient demesne and land title. Domesday book was compiled by a team of inspectors acting for king william i in 1086, taking only months to gather the information. This short three minute video covers what the domesday book is.
Historythe domesday book history flashcards quizlet. Domesday book is kept at the national archives in london. William the conqueror, in an attempt to find out how much he owned and was owed in taxes, set about commissioning the domesday book in 1085 ad, and unwittingly created an iconic document. The larger, great domesday, is the digest of the survey ordered by william i at gloucester at christmas 1085. The female names below appeared in the open domesday database just once, except where noted. The domesday book does not cover certain important cities, such as london, winchester, bristol and the borough of tamworth. 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. The great domesday book is the biggest and covers the most territory. One, known as little domesday, covers norfolk, suffolk and essex. The majority of these still exist in some form today. The officials took over a year to visit,000 villages.
Domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. Tr introduction the first approach to a modern assessment roll or cataster is the well known domesday book. 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. For a while, it seemed that domesday was dead and had passed into history. Discover how william the conqueror defeated the last of the viking kings, and one of the richest men in. This omission was certainly a quirk of the return from the northern circuit. Over time, i have grown to not see this as issue number five of the old domesday book but, the first issue of a new. Female names in the domesday book nancys baby names. Exon domesday contains unique information about politics, society, and the landscape of southwest britain a thousand years ago. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. A highly detailed survey and evaluation of all the land kept by the king and his chief. Originally the books were kept in winchester, which was the capital of england in norman times. Doomsday book quotes showing 112 of 12 i wanted to come, and if i hadnt, they would have been all alone, and nobody would have ever known how frightened and brave and irreplaceable they were.
It is the record of a survey which, according to the anglosaxon chronicle, william the conqueror ordered to be taken at christmas 1085. Domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. Its purpose was to find out what or how much each landholder had in land. So also was he a very stern and wrathful man, so that none durst do anything against his will, and he kept in prison those earls who acted against his pleasure. Today the domesday book is kept at the national archives in kew. Because of its importance many copies have been made including at least three from the th century including the exchequer abbreviation, domesday abbreviatio catalogue reference. Despite having conquered england and successfully settled there with an abundance of the norman elite, a. 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.
The site was built as a nonprofit project by me, anna powellsmith, using data created by professor j. 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. William the conqueror created the domesday book, to keep a record of all the land in england, when the danish army were going to invade england. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Powerpoint presentation on the domesday book as part of the way in which william the conqueror gained control of england after the battle of hastings. Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. The domesday book is a list and survey of english towns, settlements, people, land and animals started in 1085 by william the conqueror. The domesday book provides a fascinating insight into the 11thcentury norman takeover of anglosaxon. Conceived by william i, but probably to some extent based on preconquest administrative records, it was the most comprehensive assessment of property and land ever undertaken in medieval europe. Domesday book lent to british library for anglosaxon. Whatever was recorded in domesday book was legally binding.
The record was given its domesday nickname in the late 12th century, a reflection of the day of judgement awe it was held in. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. The record was kept secure as an official document in the kings treasury at winchester. The basis of this electronic edition of the text is the translation published by phillimore and edited by john morris 35 volumes, chichester, 197386, with the following modifications. Domesday book domesday book was unique in western europe and it set a standard. E 314 domesday was originally kept with the royal treasury at winchester. Soldiers threatened to kill people if they did not tell the truth. Find out how it was compiled, and what it reveals about life in. A most attractive overview is offered in the domesday book. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. The existing literature on this remarkable memorial is so extensive, that it has not appeared advisable to quote largely from it. Domesday book lent to british library for anglosaxon exhibition. This series contains the oldest of the public records, the two volumes which comprise domesday book, which were formerly in the exchequer treasury of receipt. At over 900 years old, domesday is the earliest surviving public record and the foundation document of the national archives.
How useful is domesday book as a source for the impact of the. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. Its original name was the winchester roll or kings roll, and sometimes as the book of the treasury. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. The twovolumed domesday book is currently housed in the uk national archives, london. After the norman invasion and conquest of england in 1066, the domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by order of william the conqueror. Domesday book 1086 the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history. Domesday was originally kept with the royal treasury at winchester. The domesday book recorded in two volumes the results of a great survey of the landholdings of england executed for william i of england, or william i the conqueror norman king of england.
Following the battle of hastings in 1066 and the defeat of the english king harold, william the conqueror became the new king and took away all the land from the english owners and distributed it amongst his. In 1783, there were two volumes of domesday book published. Its main purpose was to assess the wealth of england to aid the system of taxation. Domesday book is the oldest government record held. We are long overdue for a similar work to document life on the planet earth. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the domesday book. The book showed about 200 normans controlled all the land of england. The other, great domesday, covers much of the remainder of england and parts of wales, except for lands in the north that later became westmorland, cumberland, northumberland and the county palatine of durham. Journal of archaeological science 1980, 7, 297324 the distribution and lithology of beehive querns in northeast yorkshire r.
For historians of anglonorman england, the survey is of immeasurable importance. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. The information collected was recorded by hand in two huge books, in the space of around a year. All the information was written down in two big books, which still exist today at the national archives. Elizabethan and palladian hall restored by restauranteur robert carrier, 1972. Doomsday book quotes showing 112 of 12 i wanted to come, and if i hadnt, they would have been all alone, and nobody would have ever known how frightened and. The listing is certainly wideranging, but it has only a little in common with the original domesday book, which was ordered by william i in 1085 to assess the wealth of england for possible taxation purposes. England would not see another such detailed survey until the 19th century ce.
Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater. In 1086 william the conquerer commanded a survey of the country for taxation purposes. Here are some facts about domesday book, the great norman survey of the wealth of england. This led the book to be compared to the last judgement, or doomsday, described in the bible, when the deeds of christians written in the book of life were to be placed before god for judgement. It in fact comprises two volumes, now preserved at the national.
215 1356 1096 837 748 415 1182 1374 458 1530 579 571 1126 1495 1382 330 973 366 1419 1558 768 411 806 1304 99 1222 1001 1096 1190 870 863 1489