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. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the domesday book. Facsimile of the part relating to norfork by james, henry, sir, 18031877. Doomsday book is the first book in the oxford time travel series. Here is subscribed the inquisition of lands as the barons of the king have made inquiry into them. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history. Jun 05, 1992 doomsday book is the first book in the oxford time travel series. Domesday book domesday book was unique in western europe and it set a standard. Historic byways and highways of old england 1900 author. This book was digitized and reprinted from the collections of the university of california libraries. 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.
It is a highly detailed survey and valuation of all the land held by the king, william the conqueror, and his. 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 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. It was produced from digital images created through the libraries mass digitization efforts. 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. They were handtyped on an ibm selectric typewriter, then photocopied for distribution. The problem is that its layout makes it a spectacularly unhelpful guide to the logistics of taxation. In fact, more anglosaxon place names are recorded in domesday book than in all the anglosaxon documents put together. 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. Faced with the threat of foreign invasion, king william wants to know how much tax he can raise, so. Faced with the threat of foreign invasion, king william wants to know how much tax he can raise, so sets out to record every person, every manor. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i.
I am honored to be here looking at the newest issue. The domesday book for the county of derby, reprinted from. 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 is actually not one book but two.
May 20, 2014 1085 and the compilation of the domesday book. The national archives education service domesday book. The domesday book does not cover certain important cities, such as london, winchester, bristol and the borough of tamworth. Bbc two the story of britain, the domesday book animation. 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.
While spending the christmas of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech. Places domesday book into its wider historical, social, and economic contexts. 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. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes.
Find out how to search for your town or village, and how to access images of domesday along with an english translation, using our research guide. The domesday book is the national archives oldest and most famous public record. In 1085, king william i of england ordered a complete survey of all the land and property in the country. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge authority in england. The domesday book for the county of derby, reprinted from the feudal history of the county of derby, chiefly during the 11th, 12th, and th centuries. Kivrin engle, the main character, says that her recording is a record of life in the middle ages, which is what william the conquerors survey turned out to be.
Domesday book, or, the great survey of england of william the conqueror a. The novel won both the hugo and nebula awards, and was shortlisted for other awards. 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. The domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. This page simply lists all places mentioned in domesday book. The results of this survey were written into domesday book. Historythe domesday book history flashcards quizlet. 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. Mar 05, 2015 the domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. The domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which. Full text of the domesday book for the county of derby. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday. 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.
Facsimile of the part relating to norfork by james, henry, sir. Scandinavian elements found in the domesday book english. The domesday book early englands most important document. 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. For a while, it seemed that domesday was dead and had passed into history. Its a record of a survey of english properties, their landlords, who their superiors were, the number and type of residents, livestock, ploughs, mills etc, tax assessments and rental valuations. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a.
The doomsday book starts with an intriguing idea, but misses the opportunity to truly entertain. The existing literature on this remarkable memorial is so extensive, that it has not appeared advisable to quote largely from it. Sussex the following pages include domesday placenames and landowners, and beneath some are links to websites containing the local history of that place. 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. This is extremely frustrating for a reader to encounter, over and over. Domesday was not for this span of time to pass between issues. Indeed this is the reason for its name domesday book. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. 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. Tr introduction the first approach to a modern assessment roll or cataster is the well known. In 1086 william made a land register of his territory to know how much money. Assuming fifty working weeks in a year and six working days a week 300 workdays a year, our erstwhile laborer must earn just under 9sp per.
The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. It was rebound in 1984 almost 900 years after its completion into five separate volumes, with the hope that this will improve its chances for preservation for another years. The title of the book refers to the domesday book of 1086. Domesday definition and meaning collins english dictionary.
By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. The phillimore translation 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. The domesday book was an incredibly useful resource and for many years, centuries, it was the final word on the title to land. 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. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesday offers a. May 09, 2017 the domesday book recorded 19,500 people and over,400 places, far more than in any previous document. Volume one, known as great or exchequer domesday, is an abbreviated version of the returns from 32 counties. Historic byways and highways of old england 1900 isbn 9781406797541 date 1900 source. He could collect in terms of taxes and the results of this survey were. Rename this file and keep as a backup, then place the downloaded version in the domesday explorer directory. The most substantial change in this revised version of the original dataset 1a, 2007 is the addition of a single file ids. Domesday book 1086 the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history. The domesday book penned by brandon blackmoor, based on medieval demographics made easy by s.
Little domesday, which contains the information for essex, norfolk and suffolk, was probably written first and is the work of at least six scribes. 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. Issue v page 4 the adding up these costs, we get 266gpyear as minimum subsistence wages. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today.
The alphabetised list on the following pages contains brief notes on almost 200 of the most wellknown landholders at the time. Great domesday and little domesday, which was ironically the longer version. 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. Tr introduction the first approach to a modern assessment roll or cataster is the well known domesday book. What is known as domesday book is in fact a composite work in two volumes. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. Great domesday contains most of the counties of england and was written by one scribe and checked by a second. Full text of the domesday book for the county of derby, reprinted from the feudal history of the county of derby, chiefly during the 11th, 12th, and th centuries see other formats. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesdayoffers a remarkable portrait of.
Little domesday, which contains the information for essex, norfolk and suffolk, was. It came from the word doomsday which was the day when christ judged you and you had no right to argue. The anglosaxon chronicle states while spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his counsellors and. A book william of normandy kept to survey england and record everything in.
277 838 1333 1568 603 1386 1152 989 1311 1213 160 1214 1285 420 56 444 1553 224 242 684 1084 631 640 875 1257 923 1049 1347 731 738