Places in domesday book

This first english census, considered by some as the most remarkable administrative accomplishment of the middle ages, provides a record of english social. Domesday database launched online university of cambridge. Printed editions and translations of the work are widely available, as. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. As expected, the domesday book shows us that the areas where there is a greater number of occurrences of scandinavian place names elements are those within the danelaw, and, in general, where scandinavian settlement was the strongest, during the 8th, 9th and 10th century. Places described as being in craven in the domesday book fell later within the modern county of north yorkshire, as well as neighbouring areas of west yorkshire, lancashire and cumbria. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england.

For example, doncaster would probably have originated as a. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. For example, doncaster would probably have originated as a roman fort on a hill. Doomsday book is a 1992 science fiction novel by american author connie willis. Domesday book is a detailed survey and valuation of landed property in england at the end of the 11th century. 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. See more ideas about domesday book, william the conqueror and history. The novel won both the hugo and nebula awards, and was shortlisted for other awards. Sep 24, 2004 domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. Domesday book provides a vast amount of information for those who want. Domesday book provides a vast amount of information for those who want to build up a picture of life in england under the normans.

In fact, more anglosaxon place names are recorded in domesday book than in all the anglosaxon documents put together. Usage of craven in the domesday book is, therefore, circumstantial evidence of an extinct, british or anglosaxon kingdom or subnational entity such as a shire. May 09, 2017 the domesday book recorded 19,500 people and over,400 places, far more than in any previous document. The placenames found in the domesday book are township and estate names, and may include other villages and hamlets that receive no specific mention in the text. Domesday book sources for research in english genealogy. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday. Aug 14, 2010 about 90 per cent of places on the modern map of england south of the tees are recorded in domesday book. 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. Earl roger of shrewsbury bishop g eoffrey of coutances.

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. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. Together with the lesser domesday book, it was the foundation of. Thanks to the anglosaxon chronicle it is known that the census was planned in 1085, and it was completed in 1086. Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. It was moved to westminster and then to the national archives at kew. The domesday survey covered all of england as it existed in 1086, which included a small part of what is now wales, some of cumbria, but excluded the present day northumbria. The domesday book was created around 20 years after the battle of hastings, when william i demanded information about the ownership status of the country he was now ruling. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater.

Jun 05, 1992 doomsday book is the first book in the oxford time travel series. 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. The open domesday book is the first free online copy of the domesday book. The domesday book is a record of an enormous survey carried out in england for king william i the conqueror, and it was completed in the year 1086. The survey was ordered by william the conqueror at christmas 1085 and undertaken the following year. Indeed this is the reason for its name domesday book. 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. 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 main volume, great domesday, is written on sheepskin parchment using black and red ink only red used for the county titles atop each page, and corrections and alterations. Domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. Although domesday book, the most complete survey of any medieval landed society, has been intensively studied, the sheer logistical difficulty involved in assembling information from its own contents and other sources has prevented scholars from forming a complete picture of the aristocracy that was defeated by the normans at hastings. The history of most english villages begins with domesday book, as does the continuous history of the english countryside, of the landowning classes and of the peasantry.

The domesday book online frequently asked questions. What areas of britain did the domesday survey cover. Do any scottish places appear in the domesday book. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which. About 90 per cent of places on the modern map of england south of the tees are recorded in domesday book.

T he domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086. It has been cited as an example of digital obsolescence on account of the physical medium used for data storage. Scandinavian elements found in the domesday book english. The majority of these still exist in some form today. While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over england. In 1085, king william i of england ordered a complete survey of all the land and property in the country. 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. Domesday book facts, summary, composition, creation. For example, doncaster would probably have originated as a roman fort on a hill, from the roman caster and celtic don. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. Thorough and concise, the domesday book now provides historians with a detailed record of the state of the country during the mid1080s.

Even though connie willis 1992 doomsday book won both the hugo and the nebula awards and that many readers therefore do consider it mostly science fiction and fantasy, my personal reaction when i originally read doomsday book in 1998 right after having finished with my phd dissertation, and yes, as a bit of a treat and reward for myself for. Domesday book is the product of an extraordinary survey of england commissioned by king william the conqueror in 1085. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. Aug 09, 2010 for many places in england, the domesday book is the first mention of their existence, a starting point for their history. William was king of england and the book was a survey of his possessions. 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. Scotland was not included, although some eastern parts of wales were. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name. Domesday book was known as the book of winchester when it was housed in the royal treasury at winchester.

It records who held the land and how it was used, and also includes information on how this had changed since the norman conquest in. Though the domesday book gives historians a detailed picture of what life was like in england in 10851086, the book did miss out important cities such as winchester then a major english city and london. This page simply lists all places mentioned in domesday book. The domesday book was compiled for william the conquerer and completed in 1086. Mar 05, 2015 though the domesday book gives historians a detailed picture of what life was like in england in 10851086, the book did miss out important cities such as winchester then a major english city and london. 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.

The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. The domesday book was compiled on the orders of william the conquerer to catalogue the ownership and value of land in the newly conquered territories of england. For 99 per cent of the 15,000 places named there, domesday provides the first recorded description of their human and natural resources. Watermills were the most economically important machines in 11th. Questions ranged from the number of villagers in each village, the number of freemen and slaves living in each manor, the amount of woodland and pasture in each estate and even the number of ploughs owned by each landowner. For many places in england, the domesday book is the first mention of their existence, a starting point for their history. It contains the results of a huge survey of land and landholding commissioned by william i in 1085. 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.

For more than 99% of the 15,000 places named there, domesday provides the first recorded description of their human and natural resources. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. The great domesday book records information about over thirteen thousand places in england.

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. 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 history of most english villages begins with domesday book, as does the continuous history of the english countryside, of the landowning classes, of landed estates, of population, and of the economy. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it.

He also wanted to discover how much tax he was owed and knew a. Geograph images of places mentioned in the domesday book. The domesday book shows how cosmopolitan the population of lincoln was. Places domesday book into its wider historical, social, and economic contexts. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a. Virtually all of the place names decided on up to around the 14th century were due to the environment of the area. 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. In all,418 places were visited and the final record was produced in winchester by a monk.

The title of the book refers to the domesday book of 1086. It is the starting point of recorded history for the majority of english villages and towns which are organized by county. Associated with the reign of william the conqueror, the domesday book was created to provide the king with a means of maintaining control over medieval england. The domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. The survey was executed for william i of england 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. 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.