The domesday book provides an invaluable insight into the economy and society of 11th century norman england. The last column presents the number of entries in domesday book for each. Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. The domesday book records that mimmine had land for ploughs. The first draft of the domesday book was completed in 1086, twenty years after the defeat of the anglosaxons by the normans. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. Domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. Lewisham was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of greenwich and the county of kent. 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. Or, the great survey of england of william the conqueror a.
What can we learn about england in the 11th century. Domesday book wordreference english dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. New cross is an area of south east london, england, 4. You can download both a colour facsimile of the folio on which your entry. On their home page, select domesday book tab, enter judith in names box, and countess in description box. 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 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. After the norman invasion and conquest of england in 1066, the domesday book. The domesday book was commissioned at christmas 1085 by william i usually known as william the conqueror. The domesday book early englands most important document.
Domesday book extracts makes available over 8,500 fascinating extracts featuring the actual page entry for your town, a translation and glossary. It was written in medieval latin, which was the form of latin used in. Domesday book is the most famous english public record, and it is probably the most remarkable statistical document in the history of europe. 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. Aug 04, 2006 11thcentury domesday book goes online. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. The information collected was recorded by hand in two huge. This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
There were no windmills in england for another 100 years. This research guide explains how to access and understand the information within domesday book. It was to be a survey of the wealth and assets of his kingdom and the survey covered most of england. 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. Finn, an introduction to domesday book london, 1963, and h. 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. A complete translation is not light reading, but jonathan sumption is fascinated by the first record of all property held in britain. 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. 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 some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england.
It is also the starting point for most local historians researching the history of their area. It had a recorded population of 62 households in 1086. 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 1086, king william i the conqueror wanted to find out. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. It is a valuable resource for subjects related to theology, philosophy. 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. At over 900 years old, domesday is the earliest surviving public record and the foundation document of the national archives. 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. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. 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. 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. Domesday book images kindly made available by professor j. The first draft was completed in august 1086 and contained records for,418 settlements in the english counties south of the rivers ribble and.
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. Probably, there was no great distinction between steeple and guilden morden both villages being thinly populated and spread out. There were 377 places in the county of kent in domesday book. No other western european state produced anything even broadly comparable in its scope until several centuries later. 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. The two and a half centuries extending from edward the confessors reign to the last years of edward i form a period of growth. The survey could not have been made without the machinery of government that the anglosaxons bequeathed to the normans. There are a number of entries which apply to guilden morden in the domesday book 1086.
To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a. 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. Archaeological evidence indicates earlier roman occupation in the area, although the name of this settlement is lost. 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. 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. 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. What are some examples of questions asked in the domesday. 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. 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. The domesday book is one of medieval england s greatest treasures. Domesday book, or simply domesday, the record of the great survey of england executed for william the conqueror. Media in category domesday book the following 38 files are in this category, out of 38 total.
The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. Domesday book the name given to the record of the great survey of england made by order of william the conqueror in 108586. 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. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name. It had a recorded population of 62 households in 1086, putting it in the largest 20% of settlements recorded in domesday. The outcome of that speech was the mission throughout all england of barons, legates or justices. Until it was rebound in 1986, domesday book consisted of two volumes, distinctive in appearance and content, each of different origin. This is an entry for dunwich, suffolk, in the domesday book. 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 record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. Peters of ghent at the time of domesday book, was the remish manor closest to the continent. Little domesday contained the three counties of essex, norfolk and suffolk. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge authority in england. Domesday book also proves england was tightly governed.
The domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by william the conqueror, who invaded england in 1066. The original folios of domesday book, a complete survey of england written in ad 1086. 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. 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. 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. There is a super website called the prosopography of anglosaxon england database project by kings college london and cambridge university. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. A silver mark was worth s 4d, a gold mark was worth. A useful reference with short entries of the towns, villages and hamlets of the country.
Domesday book domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. The mimmine domesday book entry continues with more detail, recording that. Domesday book appears to me, not indeed as the known, but as the knowable. 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. 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. Domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. Either king william himself, or one of around 1,400 people who held land directly from the crown, mostly norman knights. The national archives education service domesday book. 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. At lewisham in kent the abbot of gand has a manor valued at. The alphabetised list on the following pages contains brief notes on almost 200 of the most wellknown landholders at the time.
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. 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. Domesday series by edward marston goodreads share book. Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater. Introduction to the somerset domesday british history online. Ralph delchard, a soldier and gervase bret, a lawyer, in 11th century england, in the domesday series. The domesday book is a great land survey which was compiled in 1086. The first of these is known as the exon domesday, the other as the geld inquest or inquisitio geldi. Foy chichester, 1992, has comprehensive listings of all subjects, with their. 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. 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.
Domesday book is a detailed survey and valuation of landed property in. The project gutenberg ebook of domesday book and beyond, by. Domesday book is our oldest and most famous public record. 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.
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. 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. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history. N ewbury was recorded in the domesday book as a town with 22 households in 1086. The following line shows the name of lewisham also with a red line through it. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. In 1086, king william i the conqueror wanted to find out about all the land in his new kingdom. It was compiled by the norman invaders shortly after their conquest of england, to ensure that they were collecting all the.
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. Domesday book home the domesday book one of the most valuable records of the uks past history. The domesday book was a catalog of all the real estate in england. The domesday book portrays a fascinating account of the landholdings and resources of the people living in late 11thcentury england. 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. For a more detailed introduction to domesday, and england at the end of the 11th century. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a. Domesday book gloucestershire entry for lasborough the main unit of measurement used in the domesday book as a whole was the hide. It is not surprising that so many scholars have felt. 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. 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.
The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. Domesday series 11 book series kindle edition from book 1. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. What was the domesday book and why is it important answers. 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. 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 project gutenberg ebook, domesday book and beyond, by frederic william maitland. In entry after entry and county after county the servi are kept well apart from the villani, bordarii, cotarii.
Jan 25, 2019 if the book is so wellknown as a name why is it not read more widely. The domesday book online frequently asked questions. In entry after entry and county after county the servi are kept well apart from the. Either king william himself, or one of around 1,400 people who held. The following pages include domesday placenames and landowners, and beneath some are links to websites containing the local history of that place. 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. It details the entries in the domesday book relating to the town of witham, in the county of essex, in the uk. Consisting of 9 pages, and 2 million words, the book mentions more than,000 place names in england and some parts of wales. 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. Find out how it was compiled, and what it reveals about life in. Produced at amazing speed in the years after the conquest, the domesday book provides a vivid picture of late 11thcentury england.
In fact there are two domesday books little domesday and about england in the 11th century. 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. Catholic answers is pleased to provide this unabridged entry from the original catholic encyclopedia, published between 1907 and 1912. Nearly everyone in the englishspeaking world has heard of the domesday book, along with many others who do not even. 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 domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. 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. Darby, domesday england cambridge, 1977, provide examples and definitions of most domesday terms and concepts. According to the entry in the domesday book hatchams assets were. What are some examples of questions asked in the domesday book.
Original folio of kent, page 1 in domesday book domesday. 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. Buy the domesday geography of southeast england domesday geography of england on free shipping on qualified orders. Domesday book of 1085 badequella bakewell, derbyshire. The entry relating to the ownership of land in the parish of aston cantlow and the surrounding area is shown below. Domesday book, our earliest public record, is a rare and remarkable survey which details landholding and resources in late eleventhcentury england. Domesday book is preserved in the national archives tna, previously named the public record office. The majority of these still exist in some form today.
620 37 383 810 812 1450 803 57 589 933 225 340 301 1125 1388 848 236 793 58 396 2 1528 684 1169 1121 1521 910 574 1019 619 868 384 1163 256