Local places in the domesday book

Over a million people contributed to this digital snapshot of britain. 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. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. Photographic facsimiles of domesday book, for each county separately, were published in 18611863, also by the government. The extent of the medieval district of craven, in the north of england is a matter of debate.

This is the first free online copy of domesday book. But what william the conqueror didnt have in the domesday book was an easy way of searching its reams of data. How many of the places listed in the domesday book still exist. The pase domesday website includes masses of data from the saxon era, as well as material gathered for the domesday book. However, its usage continued following the ascendancy of the anglosaxons and the normans as was demonstrated by its many appearances in the domesday book of 1086. Bbc domesday was an ambitious attempt to capture the essence of the united kingdom. Doomsday book is a 1992 science fiction novel by american author connie willis. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. How many books make up the whole of the domesday survey. 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. Worcestershire the following pages include domesday placenames and landowners, and beneath some are links to websites containing the local history of that place.

Now available in one volume, here is the complete, authoritative translation from the original latin, together with an. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which. Questions domesdays purposes and priorities as well as the economy and society of the day, enabling readers to direct their own research in. The domesday book was published in 1086 by order of king william the conqueror who was a norman. 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.

By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater. The project explores how and why the domesday survey was made. Portsmouth was not yet a settlement let alone a city when the famous domesday book was penned. This omission was certainly a quirk of the return from the northern circuit. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. 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 national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. Some places now in modern day wales are listed under the nearest english county in the domesday book. In 1086 william the conquerer commanded a survey of the country for taxation purposes.

This first english census, considered by some as the most remarkable administrative accomplishment of the middle ages, provides a record of english social. Geograph images of places mentioned in the domesday book. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. The place names 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.

You can also access the discover domesday exhibition, explaining why domesday. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesday offers a. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday. Frequently asked questions the domesday book online. Domesday book was compiled in ad 1086 for william the conqueror. The domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. The discover domesday exhibition explains why domesday was created and how you can. The 19 places in the portsmouth area featured in the domesday. The name craven is either preceltic britain, britonnic or romanobritish in origin. A tree so old it was mentioned in the domesday book has been voted englands tree of the year. The domesday book is the national archives oldest and most famous public record. 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. Bbc cambridge university connects communities with domesday.

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. 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. 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. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name.

You can also read more about domesday in two exhibitions. Today, domesday book is available in numerous editions, usually separated by county and available with other local history resources. It is a highly detailed survey and valuation of all the land held by the king, william the conqueror, and his. The title of the book refers to the domesday book of 1086. T he domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086. Plans to allow an historic 10bed manor house on dartmoor once garrisoned for king charles i during the english civil war to be used as a holiday home are recommended for refusal. 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 novel won both the hugo and nebula awards, and was shortlisted for other awards.

For local historians it can reveal the history of a local settlement and its population and surroundings, whilst. It is the starting point of recorded history for the majority of english villages and towns which are organized by county. Exon domesday was created in 1086 as part of a vast survey of. 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. The outcome was a searchable database, containing biographical and genealogical information with supporting texts. 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. 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. The domesday survey of southwest england is an edition, translation, facsimile, description and resource for the study of exeter cathedral library ms 3500 exon domesday, the earliest extant manuscript of the conquerors survey. Doomsday book is the first book in the oxford time travel series. The majority of these still exist in some form today.

The domesday book is a manuscript that records a survey of much of england and wales completed in 1086 and naming a total of,418 places. 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 continue reading domesday book. Domesday book dartmoor manor holiday let plans recommended. 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. The domesday book one of the most valuable records of the uks past history. As such it is the greatest testimony to the genius and energy of norman government. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. The principal sources are domesday book itself and the associated documents, the pipe rolls, local surveys and the cartae baronum of 1166 see feudal surveys, and nearly 60 collections of charters. This page simply lists all places mentioned in domesday book. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. Domesday book sources for research in english genealogy. Anyone can key in the details of where they live to find out who the landowner would have been in 1066, the year of the norman conquest, and who it was by 1086. The return for each hundred was sworn to by 12 local jurors, half of them english and half of them. Domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history.

Used for many centuries for administrative and legal purposes, the domesday book is the starting point for most local historians researching the history of their area and there are several. The year old, gnarled, sprawling allerton oak in liverpool, will now represent the uk in the. The surveys main purpose was to determine what taxes had been owed during the reign of king edward the confessor, thereby allowing william to reassert the rights of the crown and assess where power lay after a wholesale redistribution of land following. 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 domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. The domesday book does not cover certain important cities, such as london. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england.

While spending the christmas of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech. In all,418 places were visited and the final record was produced in winchester by a monk. Gives many vivid and often moving illustrations from domesday book and contemporary sources to illustrate the analyses made. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. Domesday book life in towns and villages the national archives. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. In 1085, king william i of england ordered a complete survey of all the land and property in the country. Domesday book is a manuscript record of the great survey of much of england and parts of. Places domesday book into its wider historical, social, and economic contexts. Servus, translated as slave in the phillimore edition, is sometimes rendered as serf. 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.

This project website includes a complete digital facsimile and codicological and palaeographical. Domesday definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Since the 1700s, british local history societies have had active publishing programs and produced. An entry for lincoln details 970 occupied residencies in 1066. 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. Domesday reloaded the story of the domesday project the bbcs domesday project launched in 1986, 900 years after william the conquerors original domesday book.