Domesday book is a manuscript record of the great survey of much of england and parts of. The national archives education service domesday book. The domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by william the conqueror, who invaded england in 1066. It has been cited as an example of digital obsolescence on account of the physical medium used for data storage. Domesday book reveals the rise of a norman abramovich. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesdayoffers a remarkable portrait of. Sources on the crown lands of charles i have been called a domesday of crown lands, or oliver cromwells surveys.
The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. The domesday book digital domesday addison publications. We are long overdue for a similar work to document life on the planet earth. In 1086 william the conquerer commanded a survey of the country for taxation purposes. 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.
He could collect in terms of taxes and the results of this survey were. No new domesday book was compiled, and many of the records of the survey have been dispersed and lost. 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 encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes.
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. The survey was executed for william i of england william the conqueror. 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. During the last years of his reign, king william the conqueror had his power threatened from a number of quarters. Asked in history of england, the battle of hastings, william the. Domesday book stands accused of isolation and its his torians stand. The existing literature on this remarkable memorial is so extensive, that it has not appeared advisable to quote largely from it. In 1986, on the 900th anniversary of the domesday inquest, the bbc undertook a new domesday survey. Searchable historical themes and world events from the last two thousand years. Domesday book placename forms all the original spellings of english placenames in domesday book link to pdf file. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the domesday book. Faced with the threat of foreign invasion, king william wants to know how much tax he can raise, so. Domesday book digital domesday enquire about this book this digital domesday is the only version of the domesday manuscripts to provide access to highresolution images of all folios from great and little domesday. However, domesday was probably the result of a geld land tax inquest to.
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. 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. The information collected was recorded by hand in two huge books, in the space of around a year. In fact there are two domesday books little domesday and about england in the 11th century. By contrast, the original domesday book an inventory of eleventhcentury england compiled in 1086 by norman monks is in fine condition in. It is interesting to note that the domesday book compiled by the commissioners of william the conqueror in 1086, is named from the old english domes daeg i. Our copy contains extensive annotations from an early owner, samuel burton, who inscribed the book in 1704. Generally around 120 acres, though the area varied depending on the quality of the land.
In 1086 william made a land register of his territory to know how much money. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. Now you have the opportunity to discover your town or villages distant. In 1086, king william i the conqueror wanted to find out about all the land in his new kingdom. Much of the data is numerical, and the whole is written in a highly abbreviated and shorthand latin. 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. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which. World wide words tries to record at least a part of this shifting wordscape by featuring new words, word histories, words in the news, and the curiosities of native english speech. The domesday book was a book made by william the conqueror. 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. William used this to create a central tax system for england. One, known as little domesday, covers norfolk, suffolk and essex. A ploughland terra carucis or carucata was the area that could be ploughed by eight oxen in a year. Digital domesday book lasts 15 years not uk news the.
The domesday book one of the most valuable records of the uks past history. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. Though banned for a time, not all copies of the first edition were destroyed, and the interpreter eventually came to be considered the best law dictionary until giles jacobs appeared in 1729 see the next exhibit case. Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater. In the eleventh century, part of the taxes raised went into a fund.
The domesday book stands out in comparison to all other sources from this time. Mar 03, 2002 by contrast, the original domesday book an inventory of eleventhcentury england compiled in 1086 by norman monks is in fine condition in the public record office, kew, and can be accessed by. Domesday book was compiled by a team of inspectors acting for king william i in 1086, taking only months to gather the information. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. The domesday book online compiling the domesday book. Domesday also shows that additional specifications could be charged. Bbc two the story of britain, the domesday book animation. Tr introduction the first approach to a modern assessment roll or cataster is the well known domesday book. The domesday book is a great land survey which was compiled in 1086. Apr 17, 2014 melvyn bragg and his guests discuss the domesday book, a vast survey of the land and property of much of england and wales completed in 1086. Pronunciation of domesday book with 3 audio pronunciations, 3 synonyms, 1 meaning, 5 translations, 6 sentences and more for domesday book. Bbc news technology digital domesday book unlocked. While spending the christmas of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech.
The greatest threats came from king canute iv of denmark. Great domesday contains most of the counties of england and was written by one scribe and checked by a second. It is not known when exactly domesday book was compiled, but the entire copy of great domesday appears to have been copied out by one person on parchment prepared sheepskin, although six scribes seem to have been used for little domesday. Domesday book domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. A page from the domesday book wikipedia amazingly, the domesday book has survived to this day.
Stage 4, all findings were written up into the two volumes of domesday book. The results of this survey were written into domesday book. The precise purpose of the enterprise is not known but the most likely reason was to determine who legally owned what land, to settle disputes of ownership and to measure. What is known as domesday book is in fact a composite work in two volumes. 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. Sep 24, 2004 domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesday offers a. Domesday book, which combines and crossreferences the. Domesday book digital domesday enquire about this book. Domesday book woodbridge, 1999 a list of corrections to this and the companion volume, compiled by rosie bevan, is available on the foundation for medieval genealogy website. This digital domesday is the only version of the domesday manuscripts to provide access to highresolution images of all folios from great and little domesday.
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. The domesday book online frequently asked questions. So inspirational is domesday book that in 1986, to mark its 900th anniversary, the bbc, with the help of thousands of schoolchildren and teachers across the country, compiled a domesday for the 1980s. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. Williams reasons for compiling the domesday book will never be known for certain. 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. 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. Domesday book domesday book was unique in western europe and it set a standard. While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his. Domesday book was a comprehensive survey and record of all the landowners, property, tenants and serfs of medieval norman england which was compiled in 10867 ce under the orders of william the conqueror r. By contrast, the original domesday book, an inventory of england compiled in 1086 by norman monks, is in fine condition in the public record office in kew, london. The domesday book is now held in the national archives at kew. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday.
It had a recorded population of 5 households in 1086, putting it in the smallest 20% of settlements recorded in domesday. Abraham farleys edition 17731783 domesday book was an item of great interest to the antiquarian movement of the 18th century. It thus bulks large in our information on early norman england. The high and late middle ages chapter 8 section 1,3,5. Twenty years after the battle of hastings, william the. There were 357 places in the county of staffordshire in domesday book. Dunscombe was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of budleigh and the county of devon. It is not known when exactly domesday book was compiled, but the entire copy of great domesday.
Youll have to pay to access the pdf files, however. The grand and comprehensive scale on which the domesday survey took place see how it was compiled, and the irreversible nature of the information collected led people to compare it 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. The findings may have been given to king william in august 1086. A prosopography of persons occurring in english documents 10661166. The anglosaxon chronicle states that planning for the survey was conducted in 1085, and the books colophon states the survey was completed in 1086. 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. It is a detailed statement of lands held by the king and by his tenants and of the resources that went with those lands. If you have contacts in the british national archives and a solid knowledge of latin, you can scroll through it and read the contents. The anglosaxon chronicle states while spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his counsellors and. Domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. Domesday book 1086 the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history.
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 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. It listed everyones wealth and money so william could tax them. Survey was ordered by william and results were compiled into this. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 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. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. Law dictionary and ancient english surnames elsewhere in the volume. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history.
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 within. The domesday book was compiled on the orders of william i, who became englands. The domesday survey is far more than just a physical record though. While this is mainly true, the domesday now has a mystical.
Harvey states in her paper domesday book and anglonorman governance, many of the nearcontemporary texts have suffered because all have been turned into domesday satellites. The software and hardware needed to access the domesday discs is to be deposited at the public record office once the project is completed. Dec 02, 2002 by contrast, the original domesday book, an inventory of england compiled in 1086 by norman monks, is in fine condition in the public record office in kew, london. Little domesday, which contains the information for essex, norfolk and suffolk, was probably written first and is the work of at least six scribes. 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 reputation of domesday book reached even the rural backwaters of the mississippi valley where, 800 years later, huck finn told the tale of henry viii and his many wives recorded there. Arable land was recorded in different units, including. Focus on domesday the national archives learning curve. Within 20 years of the norman conquest, england was dominated by a new class of super rich frenchmen gorging on their success. He also compiled lists of words omitted in this law dictionary and ancient english surnames elsewhere in the volume.
The images were taken from the 10 x 8 inch transparencies shot in 1985 at the time the 4 folios. Volume one, known as great or exchequer domesday, is an abbreviated version of the returns from 32 counties. Melvyn bragg and his guests discuss the domesday book, a vast survey of the land and property of much of england and wales completed in 1086. 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.