Interesting information about the history of the domesday book interesting information and important facts about the history of the domesday book. The domesday book shows how cosmopolitan the population of lincoln was. The national archives learning curve focus on domesday. What role did surviving anglosaxon institutions play in its make up. What are some interesting facts contained in the book. Domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. They were told exactly what important details to include. Why it was written and what was involved in making it.
Frequently asked questions the domesday book online. Mar 14, 2019 the name domesday book, commonly applied from the 12th century ce, may derive from doom, the term for a customary law in anglosaxon england, or be a reference to the day of judgement, referred to in the bibles book of revelation, reminding that the records in domesday book were final and could not be disputed. 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. Great domesday was written by one scribe and checked by a second. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. If you have contacts in the british national archives and a solid knowledge of latin, you can scroll through it and. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. This was the age of the county history, with many accounts of the english shires being published at this time, and domesday book, as a property record of early date that happened to be arranged by county, was a major source for the medieval history of all the. Domesday book provides a vast amount of information for those who want. Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about the domesday book please read the information before you contact us with a question, it may be answered here. Domesday chest, the germanstyle ironbound chest of c.
It is our earliest public record, the foundation document of. The survey was executed for william i of england william the conqueror. They had to try and make sure that the same type of information was recorded for each place. Chichester, 19741992 the english translations for the great domesday counties, together with images of the latin text, are available in searchable form on cd, known as domesday explorer, published by phillimore and co. Little domesday covering norfolk, suffolk, and essex and great domesday covering much of the remainder of england and parts of wales except for lands in the north which later became westmorland, cumberland, northumberland, and the county palatine of durham.
The domesday books information was collected by surveyors going around door to door asking the people to answer the questions or be killed. What information does the domesday book contain answers. The domesday book recorded the names of traitors to be executed. Facts about domesday book talk about a manuscript record created under the order of king william the conqueror. What does the domesday book contain national churches trust. This gives a clear indication of how badly the coastal. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. Domesday book was known as the book of winchester when it was housed in the royal treasury at winchester. Volume i great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the. It came from the word doomsday which was the day when christ judged you and you had no right to argue. The little domesday books entries actually contain more information than the.
Then, at the midwinter 1085, was the king in gloucester with his council. 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 as the scribes went round england, they were protected. The collection of information by the commissioners took place probably in. The little domesday books entries actually contain more information than the entries in the great domesday book which highlights the amount of information that had to be cut out in order to complete the book. The passage in the anglosaxon chronicle, which tells us why it was ordered, the list, of questions which the jurors were asked, as preserved in the inquisitio eliensis, and the contents of domesday book and the allied records mentioned above. Domesday book national archives information leaflet internet archive copy from august 2004 exchequer. Historythe domesday book history flashcards quizlet. May 09, 2017 the domesday book recorded 19,500 people and over,400 places, far more than in any previous document. 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 are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. The domesday book is one of the most renowned, respected and revered public records ever to have been published. This included all the information from the original survey plus modern spellings of the place names, maps, and many color photos.
The normans took over most of the english land and set up. Most historians believe that this was the circuit summary for the southwest. The name domesday book middle english for doomsday book came into use in the 12th century. Domesday book provides a vast amount of information for those who want to build up a picture of life in england under the normans.
Little domesday, which contains the information for essex, norfolk and suffolk, was. The cookie settings on this website are set to allow cookies to give you the best browsing experience possible. 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. Domesday book is a treasure trove of information for historians and reveals much about 11th century ce england. Domesday book was preserved from the late 11th to the beginning of the th centuries in the royal treasury at winchester the norman kings capital.
The domesday book provides extensive records of landholders, their tenants, the amount of land they owned, how many people occupied the land. For sussex in particular, the domesday book contains some interesting information about the area around pevensey and hastings fifteen manors were attacked so badly that they were described as waste as in waste land by the men sent out to gather information for the domesday book. It has been cited as an example of digital obsolescence on account of the physical medium used for data storage. Abraham farleys edition 17731783 domesday book was an item of great interest to the antiquarian movement of the 18th century. The domesday book s information was collected by surveyors going around door to door asking the people to answer the questions or be killed. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. The book is also called as great survey for it covers the information in many parts of wales and england. The assessors reckoning of a mans holdings and their values, as recorded in domesday book, was dispositive and without appeal. The domesday book compiled in 10856 is one of the few historical records whose name is familiar to most people in this country. Earl roger of shrewsbury bishop g eoffrey of coutances. Domesday book is the product of an extraordinary survey of england commissioned by king william the conqueror in 1085. The entry for derbyshire in an abbreviated version of the domesday book the domesday abbreviato seems to contain the image of a black man this image invites many questions, including.
Not all dblocks contain the maximum amount of information some, in more sparsely populated areas contain almost no information at all. Taunton was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of taunton and the county of somerset it had a recorded population of 479 households in 1086, putting it in the largest 20% of settlements recorded in domesday, and is listed under 8 owners in domesday book. That is why we have called the book the book of judgement. How useful is domesday book as a source for the impact of. The domesday book online frequently asked questions. That a woman, countess eadgifu the fair and rich, was the seventh wealthiest landowner in the last year of king edward the confessor. This information was sent to king williams advisors. The information from exon domesday did get written up into great domesday, unlike that in little domesday. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information.
Scandinavian elements found in the domesday book english. The entries generally contain more detailed information than the entries in great domesday. The census was therefore ordered by william in order to have precise information. 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 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. The little domesday book covers the territory of norfolk, suffolk, and essex. Domesday definition and meaning collins english dictionary. It is the most important document in english history because of the large amount of information it contains about the whole country. Little domesday covering norfolk, suffolk, and essex, and great domesday covering much of the remainder of england except for lands in the north that later became westmorland, cumberland, northumberland, and the county palatine of durham and parts of wales bordering, and included. 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.
A page from the domesday book wikipedia amazingly, the domesday book has survived to this day. She was much wealthier than for example earl gyrth, earl of east anglia, and brother of harold godwinson who w. Domesday book, or simply domesday, the record of the great survey of england executed for william the conqueror. The domesday book reveals that one brighton landowner did exactly that with 4,000 herrings to be precise. This short three minute video covers what the domesday book is. The domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people.
For the object of the survey we have three sources of information. In 1086, king william i the conqueror wanted to find out about all the land in his new kingdom. Brighton residents may enjoy fishing but how many catch enough to pay their taxes. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. The domesday book is a manuscript that collects the results of a large. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. It acquired the name domesday book because of the huge amount of information that was contained in it. Domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national. It was moved to westminster and then to the national archives at kew. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. The process of collecting the information to make domesday book was done in stages. Dec 25, 2012 domesday book, or simply domesday, the record of the great survey of england executed for william the conqueror. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which. While spending the christmas of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. The domesday book has been an important source of information for historians, demographers, geographers, archaeologists and genealogists over the centuries, who have all gleaned valuable insights from its parchment pages. In the one thousand and eightysixth year from the incarnation of our lord and in the twentieth year of the reign of king william, this survey descriptio was made, not only through.
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 also the oldest public record to have survived through the ages. The domesday book is a record of an enormous survey carried out in england for king william i the conqueror, and it was completed in the year 1086. A book william of normandy kept to survey england and record everything in. It is known that the survey did generate information set out in ways that were useful for the management of taxation. Since then his thesis has been refined in various ways, but there has been no serious challenge to his central propositions. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name. The atmosphere of england in 1085 must have resembled 1588 with. The information from the little domesday book may not have been included in the main book because william died before it could be done. The 1985 project to mark the 900th anniversary of the domesday book in 1985, a new multimedia edition of domesday was compiled and published in 1986. Indeed, it was noted by an observer of the survey that.
Unlike the modern census records, the domesday book was designed not to count the numbers of the population. The purpose of the book was to count the land, livestock and worth of each landholder. He needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. All findings were written up into the two volumes of domesday book. The little domesday book s entries actually contain more information than the entries in the great domesday book which highlights. The little domesday books entries actually contain more information than the entries in the great domesday book which highlights. Stage 1 all norman lords who had been given land by king william were asked to gather details about their lands. While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over england. It is an investigation of land ownership across the whole kingdom. Oct 26, 2011 what information does the domesday book contain. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england. 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. Apr 26, 2020 it is now forty years since galbraith published the making of domesday book.
It is now forty years since galbraith published the making of domesday book. This gives a clear indication of how badly the coastal area of sussex between pevensey bay and. Nov 19, 2018 domesday book is a treasure trove of information for historians and reveals much about 11th century ce england. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. 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. Similarly, information recorded in the domesday book, which determines the taxes you owe, would be final and could not be challenged. Domesday book facts, summary, composition, creation.
Mar 05, 2015 for sussex in particular, the domesday book contains some interesting information about the area around pevensey and hastings fifteen manors were attacked so badly that they were described as waste as in waste land by the men sent out to gather information for the domesday book. Studies of its figures reveal, amongst many others, such insights as. Each dblock was allocated space for up to 3 photographs and 20 text articles. 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. 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. Mar 14, 20 how accurate the domesday book was will be impossible to prove, however, it can and should be recognised that the domesday book was a huge undertaking, taken on by a very limited group of people that ultimately did the best they could with the resources, technology and personal that was available at the time. Domesday book was the result of the great survey commissioned by william the conqueror at gloucester at christmas 1085. Domesday book the domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history and definitely the largest. Another related document, called exon domesday, survives at exeter cathedral. In fact, more anglosaxon place names are recorded in domesday book than in all the anglosaxon documents put together.