Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater. 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 written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in. This page simply records all owner names mentioned in domesday book.
Slaves formed the fourth largest group among the peasantry, over 10% of the recorded population and significantly higher than this if allowance is made for their almost complete omission from the counties of circuit 6. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesdayoffers a remarkable portrait of. Domesday book definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge authority in england. The site was built as a nonprofit project by me, anna powellsmith, using data created by professor j. Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. A story in blank verse poems addeddate 20110503 11.
Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesday offers a. 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. For a while, it seemed that domesday was dead and had passed into history. What is known as domesday book is in fact a composite work in two volumes. Domesday book definition of domesday book by merriamwebster. Domesday book definition is a record of a survey of english lands and landholdings made by order of william the conqueror about 1086. Information and translations of domesday book in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. 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 domesday book shows how cosmopolitan the population of lincoln was.
Rename this file and keep as a backup, then place the downloaded version in the domesday explorer directory. This circuit covered cornwall, devon, dorset, wiltshire and somerset, and exon provides the original recordings of the commissioners responsible for this area, which were then abbreviated into domesday. Commissioned by william the conqueror in the year 1085 and finished in 1086, the book is a superb example of thorough and speedy administration, unequaled by any other project undertaken during the middle ages. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a. This first english census, considered by some as the most remarkable administrative accomplishment of the middle ages, provides a record of english social. This short three minute video covers what the domesday book is. Definition of domesday from the collins english dictionary. Proper usage and audio pronunciation of the word domesday book.
The domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. Birmingham appears in the domesday book among the lands belonging to william fitz ansculf, a major local landholder based at dudley castle. The domesday book online frequently asked questions. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. 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. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. Domesday book synonyms, domesday book pronunciation, domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of domesday book. There were 357 places in the county of staffordshire in domesday book. Note that the same name is not necessarily the same person. Domesday book sources for research in english genealogy. Domesday was not for this span of time to pass between issues. 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.
As this page also shows, there were still pockets of continued saxon landholding in the area around birmingham, notably under godmund of. 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. May 21, 2016 this short three minute video covers what the domesday book is. The doomsday book legal definition of the doomsday book. Media in category domesday book the following 38 files are in this category, out of 38 total. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history.
What constituted a burgess is unclear, as it is thought some of those townspeople may have been rural labourers resident close to towns. 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 twovolumed domesday book is currently housed in the uk national archives, london. I am honored to be here looking at the newest issue. May 09, 2017 the domesday book recorded 19,500 people and over,400 places, far more than in any previous document. 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.
Find out how it was compiled, and what it reveals about life in. Domesday book domesday book was unique in western europe and it set a standard. Domesday it was first mentioned in the domesday book of 1086, has a population of around 140 and was designated as a conservation area back in 1993. Domesday book the name usually appears without an article reveals exactly what happened to the anglosaxon nobility of england in the two decades following the battle of hastings in 1066 ce and the subsequent norman conquest. Domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. The domesday book lists numbers of burgesses in some settlements but not others.
Volume one, known as great or exchequer domesday, is an abbreviated version of the returns from 32 counties. The existing literature on this remarkable memorial is so extensive, that it has not appeared advisable to quote largely from it. Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about the domesday book please read the information before you contact us with a. 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. Mar 05, 2015 the domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. Reviewed in the united states on february 25, 2019. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. In fact, more anglosaxon place names are recorded in domesday book than in all the anglosaxon documents put together.
Faced with the threat of foreign invasion, king william wants to know how much tax he can raise, so. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. 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. 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. Domesday book definition of domesday book by the free.
Domesday book is our oldest and most famous public record. 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. This omission was certainly a quirk of the return from the northern circuit. Domesday definition of domesday by the free dictionary. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. Doomsday book quotes showing 114 of 14 i wanted to come, and if i hadnt, they would have been all alone, and nobody would have ever known how frightened and brave and irreplaceable they were. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a surname. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Domesday book 1086 day of reckoning solar navigator.
Why it was written and what was involved in making it. This is the first free online copy of domesday book. Domesday book dictionary definition domesday book defined. The written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in 10851086. A highly detailed survey and evaluation of all the land kept by the king and his chief. Like none of the things one frets about ever happen. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday. The domesday book is a detailed survey of the land held by william the conquerer and his people, published in 1806. Exon liber exoniensis, or exeter domesday the only surviving circuit return from the places in great domesday. 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.
Bbc two the story of britain, the domesday book animation. Very well taken care of, no damage, especially with it being dated in 1998. It has been cited as an example of digital obsolescence on account of the physical medium used for data storage. Pages in category domesday book the following 15 pages are in this category, out of 15 total. You must there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one thats only in the merriamwebster unabridged dictionary. 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. 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.
May 20, 2014 1085 and the compilation of the domesday book. There are also no surveys of london, winchester and some other towns. Information about domesday book in the dictionary, synonyms and antonyms. 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. Doomsday book quotes showing 114 of 14 i wanted to come, and if i hadnt, they would have been all alone, and nobody would have ever known how frightened and. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes.
Tr introduction the first approach to a modern assessment roll or cataster is the well known. The domesday book records details of a survey of land ownership and taxation that was completed in 1086 under the direction of william the conqueror. 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. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. Domesday book definition of domesday book by the free dictionary. Places domesday book into its wider historical, social, and economic contexts. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the domesday book. The only thing missing, i think, are quality reproductions of the actual pages themselves to read alongside the translations, but im sure there are other books which do this and the domesday book itself is now online. The domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by william the conqueror, who invaded england in 1066. 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. 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 national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. T he domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086.
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. The first, called little domesday, covers essex, norfolk, and suffolk. In 1086 the domesday book mentioned the land in the village was worth ten. We are long overdue for a similar work to document life on the planet earth. It was made for william the conqueror in order to calculate the size and value of the kings property and the tax value of other land in the country. Domesday book 1086 the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history. William was a norman, but had settled in england before the conquest.
328 959 271 821 580 1247 395 1449 1002 276 1539 574 1058 1201 72 44 1234 87 299 1377 1366 594 392 296 176 1666 1212 777 725 164 239 373 1057 457 540 174 279