Resources for scholars, students and anyone interested in domesday book. In other words, this was a way of dividing the tax. Thus, land for half a plough or for four oxen means half a plough land. The relationship of the geld to the domesday survey has since been central to most of the controversies surrounding the making of domesday book. It was traditionally taken to be 120 acres 49 hectares, but was in fact a measure of value and tax assessment, including obligations for foodrent. Below are some of the terms that appear regularly throughout the domesday book, their 11th century. At over 900 years old, domesday is the earliest surviving public record and the foundation document of the national archives. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. 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. An overview of how the normans started to control britain, starting with the domesday book. If you are a raving enthusiast of the photozincography process, you may like this, although it is mostly 1800s marketing rather than useful description. Domesday book domesday book was unique in western europe and it set a standard.
Darby, domesday england cambridge, 1977, provide examples and definitions of most domesday terms and concepts. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history. Following the norman conquest of england, the hidage assessments were recorded in the domesday book and there was a tendency for land producing. Danegeld an anglosaxon tax that could be levied across england, so called because the. The actual domesday book is in the public domain, though, so you can probably find it online for free. Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater. The norman kings continued to use the unit for their tax assessments until the end of the 12th century.
The domesday survey and domesday book have generally been seen as the culmination of the norman conquest, and show the results of a great investigation, commissioned by. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. The following pages include domesday placenames and landowners, and beneath some are links to websites containing the local history of that place. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Organizing a vast kingdom the greater domesday book was written, for the most part, by a single scribe with.
Sally harvey depicts the 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. 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. A standard unit of assessment sometimes used for tax purposes in northern. Domesday was not for this span of time to pass between issues. The domesday book entry for tarentfort dartford provides a snapshot view of dartford in 1086. I am honored to be here looking at the newest issue. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. A glossary of terms used in the domesday book, william the conquerors census of norman. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. References to tax occur in the great majority of domesday entries. The hide was an english unit of land measurement originally intended to represent the amount of land sufficient to support a household. Book of judgement provides a unique study of the extraordinary eleventhcentury survey, the domesday book.
Domesday book extracts makes available over 8,500 fascinating extracts featuring the actual page entry for your town, a translation and glossary. Domesday book refers to the census or survey of englands landholdings, buildings, people and livestock. 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. What is known as domesday book is in fact a composite work in two volumes. It had a recorded population of 1 household in 1086, putting it in the smallest 20% of settlements recorded in domesday, and is listed under 19 owners in domesday book. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. The assessors reckoning of a mans holdings and their values, as recorded in domesday book, was dispositive and without appeal. The domesday book definition of the domesday book by the. But what william the conqueror didnt have in the domesday book was an easy way of searching its reams of data. Record created by government in the normal course of its business. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions.
Williams curiosity led to the compilation of the most detailed survey of society in western europe at that time. The material contained here is the work of the research and development team, and is licensed for use under a creative commons attribution 4. The name domesday book middle english for doomsday book came into use in the 12th century. The domesday book provides extensive records of landholders, their tenants, the amount of land they owned, how many people occupied the land villagers, smallholders, free men, slaves, etc. The record of landownership is far from complete, but it is clear that dartford was a thriving agricultural community in norman times.
Foy chichester, 1992, has comprehensive listings of all subjects, with their phillimore references. The domesday book offers great insight into life at the time of the norman conquest. When you read through the records contained in the domesday book, you run across a great many terms which may be confusing, such as bordars, geld, hundreds, and so on. William the conqueror, in an attempt to find out how much he owned and was owed in taxes, set about commissioning the domesday book in 1085 ad, and unwittingly created an iconic document. Whilst use of this data is free within the terms of the creative commons licence detailed with each item, we would appreciate knowing who you are and, briefly, what you are going to do with it. In the winter of 10834 he raised a geld of 72 pence 6 norman shillings.
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. 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 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 synonyms, the domesday book pronunciation, the domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of the domesday book. Volume one, known as great or exchequer domesday, is an abbreviated version of the returns from 32 counties. Domesday book money is a crossword puzzle clue that we have spotted 16 times. When domesday refers to number of ploughs it is referring to the taxable amount of land that can be ploughed by a team of eight oxen. The more important domesday terms and concepts are grouped under the following headings. It was meant to be a showcase for britains electronic prowess a computerbased, multimedia version of the domesday book.
The dataset was originally lodged in the repository by professor john palmer in 2008. Disputes over this right arose with the normans after the conquest as their system of landholding obliged tenants to hold land under a tenantinchief lord or institution. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesday offers a. Er het sich druf bezooge, ass d grundbsitzverheltniss. A collection of data about and around the 1086 domesday book. The domesday book is actually not one book but two.
Addison publications limited freepost pam 5296 london w14 8br. Domesday book synonyms, domesday book pronunciation, domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of domesday book. The existing literature on this remarkable memorial is so extensive, that it has not appeared advisable to quote largely from it. Organizing a vast kingdom the greater domesday book was written, for the most part, by a single scribe with some additions and corrections made by others. Domesday book definition is a record of a survey of english lands and landholdings made by order of william the conqueror about 1086. This site contains resources for students, scholars, or anyone interested in exploring domesday book. For a while, it seemed that domesday was dead and had passed into history. The written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in. Domesday book, or, the great survey of england of william the conqueror a. The standard unit of land measure, used to assess geld tax. This is an entry for dunwich, suffolk, in the domesday book. 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.
Tr introduction the first approach to a modern assessment roll or cataster is the well known. Domesday book law and legal definition uslegal, inc. It is also the starting point for most local historians researching the history of their area. 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. Facsimile of the part relating to norfork by james, henry, sir, 18031877. Land was the main source of wealth, and the tax was called geld. The high and late middle ages chapter 8 section 1,3,5. Exeter was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of wonford and the county of devon it had a recorded population of 1 household in 1086, putting it in the smallest 20% of settlements recorded in domesday, and is listed under 19 owners in domesday book. Finn, an introduction to domesday book london, 1963, and h. The domesday survey and domesday book have generally been seen as the culmination of the norman conquest, and show the results of a great investigation, commissioned by william the conqueror, of. Geldum, translated as tax in the phillimore edition, is more commonly if inaccurately known as the danegeld. It was traditionally taken to be 120 acres 49 hectares, but was in fact a measure of value and tax assessment, including obligations for foodrent feorm, maintenance and repair of bridges and fortifications, manpower for the army, and. 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.
You can also access the discover domesday exhibition. 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. The geld originated as an armytax, instituted by aethelred the unready to pay scandinavian mercenaries employed against the. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Domesday book definition of domesday book by the free. Frederic william maitlands domesday book and beyond, which has been reis sued by. Go where he will one of many synonyms used in domesday for the anglosaxon landholder who had freedom of jurisdiction over his land.
Harvey, royal finance and domesday terminology, economic history. Aug 27, 2016 an overview of how the normans started to control britain, starting with the domesday book. The term manor itself was also connected with the geld. Domesday book definition of domesday book by merriamwebster. The attempt to base taxation on an agricultural fiscal unit. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which. The survey was ordered and taken during the time of william the conqueror. Whether or not contemporary chroniclers were guilty of repeated, wanton, and circumstantial lying remains a controversial issue, recently debated at length by m. 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. Exeter was a settlement in domesday book, in the hundred of wonford and the county of devon. The great domesday book, which records 31 of these counties, ends abruptly at east anglia, perhaps due to the death of the king in 1087. These were little domesday covering norfolk, suffolk, and essex, and great domesday covering much of the remainder of england. Domesday book home the domesday book one of the most valuable records of the uks past history.