The book is also called as great survey for it covers the information in many parts of wales and england. Domesday records the heads of families, so the total population was probably around five times larger. Abraham farleys edition 17731783 domesday book was an item of great interest to the antiquarian movement of the 18th century. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which.
Interesting information about the history of the domesday book interesting information and important facts about the history of the domesday book. Little domesday, was probably meant to be reduced and its information. It was meant to be a showcase for britains electronic prowess a computerbased, multimedia version of the domesday book. How was the information for the domesday book collected. 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. How was the information in domesday book collected answers. Through the centuries the domesday book has also been used as evidence in disputes over ancient land and property rights, though the last case of this was in the 1960s.
The domesday book is actually not one book but two. Indeed, it was noted by an observer of the survey that. The domesday book also includes information about the value of the land, both before and after the norman conquest. On each manor visit owners would be questioned, followed by a type of farm manager known as the reeve and up to six peasants. This gives a clear indication of how badly the coastal area of sussex between pevensey bay and hastings. There is nothing like it in england until the censuses of the. Mar 05, 2015 the domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. The manuscript brings together the returns from two.
The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. 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. The domesday book gives a lot of information about norman england. Domesday book is a manuscript record of the great survey of much of england and parts of. The domesday book compiled in 10856 is one of the few historical records. The city was not included in the surveys that produced domesday book in 1086. The domesday book online frequently asked questions.
The problem is that its layout makes it a spectacularly unhelpful guide to the logistics of taxation. 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. For more information, see the hull domesday projects guide to the peasantry and occupations. Some examples of what can be learnt from the information in the domesday book can be found in life in the 11th century. 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. Unlike the modern census records, the domesday book was designed not to count the numbers of the population. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. Domesday book was known as the book of winchester when it was housed in the royal treasury at winchester.
Under the feudal system all manors had to provide taxes and soldiers to the king. The information collected was recorded in two huge books in around one year, but william died in 1087 before the domeday book was completed. Map of domesday book circuits illustration ancient. The domesday book, recording the first english census. Studies of its figures reveal, amongst many others, such insights as. Nov 19, 2018 domesday book is a treasure trove of information for historians and reveals much about 11th century ce england. Other households are sometimes noted, including priests, widows, burgesses townspeople, and frenchmen probably a local military presence. Domesday book was the result of the great survey commissioned by william the conqueror at gloucester at christmas 1085. 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. Domesday book was a comprehensive survey and record of all the. Aug 14, 2010 surely, therefore, domesday book was a tax book.
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 definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Domesday is our most famous and earliest surviving public record. It was moved to westminster and then to the national archives at kew. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. Frequently asked questions the domesday book online.
Aug 10, 2010 domesday book is the product of an extraordinary survey of england commissioned by king william the conqueror in 1085. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. The results were compiled into two books which are called the domesday book. Domesday book is the product of an extraordinary survey of england commissioned by king william the conqueror in 1085. Norman officials carrying out the survey took their job extremely seriously. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. It is also the oldest public record to have survived through the ages. The original domesday book has survived over 900 years of english history and is currently housed in a specially made chest at the national archives in kew, london. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a book be made containing information on who owned what throughout the country. 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. Based on extensive and wideranging research, the two volumes contain over eight thousand entries on persons occurring in the principal english administrative sources for the postconquest period domesday book, the pipe rolls, and cartae baronum. The survey provided the king with information on potential sources of funds when he needed to raise money.
This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. It acquired the name domesday book because of the huge amount of information that was contained in it. It is a highly detailed survey and valuation of land holding and resources in late 11th century england. Add details of domesday book entries to englishwelsh places mentioned in domesday, thus improving the historic information available for around 18,000 english places.
Facts about domesday book talk about a manuscript record created under the order of king william the conqueror. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sep 24, 2004 domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. 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 domesday book reveals that one brighton landowner did exactly that with 4,000 herrings to be precise.
Learn how to access and understand the information within domesday book. Indeed this is the reason for its name domesday book. 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. 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. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. Uploaded by mark cartwright, published on 16 november 2018 under the following license. This site has been set up to enable visitors to discover the history of the domesday book, to give an insight into life at the time of its compilation, and provide information and. 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. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a. It is preserved in the national archives of britain in richmond, greater london. The information was handwritten in the latin language. 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 grand and comprehensive scale on which the domesday survey took place, 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 domesday book s information was collected by surveyors going around door to door asking the people to answer the questions or be killed. Produced at amazing speed in the years after the conquest, the domesday book provides a vivid picture of late 11thcentury england. This is why the domesday book took such a long time to. Here are other interesting facts about domesday book. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. There are actually two separate domesday books, the little domesday and the great domesday book. The winton domesday or liber winton is a 12thcentury english administrative document recording the landholdings in the city of winchester together with their tenants and the rents and services due from them. The domesday book of 1086 lists in the following order the tenantsinchief in devonshire of king william the conqueror. The domesday book was an incredibly useful resource and for many years, centuries, it was the final word on the title to land. Add the folios of domesday book to wikisource currently on the internet archive. 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. Domesday book provides a vast amount of information for those who want to build up a picture of life in england under the normans. The survey was a massive enterprise, and the record of that survey, domesday book, was a remarkable achievement. Domesday is by the far the most complete record of preindustrial society to survive anywhere in the world and provides a unique window on the medieval world.
Mar 14, 20 the domesday book is one of the most renowned, respected and revered public records ever to have been published. This is the first of two volumes offering for the first time an authoritative and complete prosopography of postconquest england, 10661166. Every entry in domesday book supplies that information. 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 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. The domesday books information was collected by surveyors going around door to door asking the people to answer the questions or be killed. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge authority in england. Find out how it was compiled, and what it reveals about life in. It contains the results of a huge survey of land and landholding commissioned by william i in 1085. These were then sent to the city of winchester and recorded in the final great domesday book. The little domesday book s 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 purpose of the book was to count the land, livestock and worth of each landholder. It in fact comprises two volumes, now preserved at the national archives. Information was collected for seven large areas, or districts, in england. After compiling the domesday book, william knew how many manors there were.