Its 888 leaves are made of parchment, or the skins of between 500 and 1,000 sheep. Domesday definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A prosopography of persons occurring in english documents 10661166. The domesday book legal definition of the domesday book. The grand and comprehensive scale on which the domesday survey took place see how it was compiled, 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. Incredibly the final version of the main domesday book volume, all 4 pages of it, was handwritten by one unnamed official scribe, and checked by one other. Domesday book woodbridge, 1999 a list of corrections to this and the companion volume, compiled by rosie bevan, is available on the foundation for medieval genealogy website. The domesday book synonyms, the domesday book antonyms. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesday offers a. Earnest and resourceful, william was not only one of the greatest of english monarchs but. Domesday book definition of domesday book by merriamwebster. 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.
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. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. The domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. May 21, 2016 this short three minute video covers what the domesday book is. It is not known when exactly domesday book was compiled, but the entire copy of great domesday appears to have been copied out by one person on parchment prepared sheepskin, although six scribes seem to have been used for little domesday. You can also access domesday classroom resources for teachers, suitable for key stage 3 and key stage 2. The domesday book online frequently asked questions. Domesday book a record of the great survey of england carried out in 1086 for william. You can also access the discover domesday exhibition, explaining why domesday. Domesday book 1086 the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history. 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. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday.
World wide words tries to record at least a part of this shifting wordscape by featuring new words, word histories, words in the news, and the curiosities of native english speech. The domesday book online compiling the domesday book. Produced at amazing speed in the years after the conquest, the domesday book provides a vivid picture of late 11thcentury england. Domesday is a corruption of doomsday the day of the final judgment. The survey is wonderfully complete, and was compiled in a very short time. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. Earl roger of shrewsbury bishop g eoffrey of coutances. This short three minute video covers what the domesday book is. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the domesday book. Domesday book a record of the great survey of england carried out in 1086 for william the conqueror. The domesday book article about the domesday book by the. The written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in. 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, they were protected.
Domesday book definition and meaning collins english. Galbraith pointed out that however the inquest was conducted, domesday book itself is organised on feudal principles which make it all but useless as a tax gathering or tax reforming document. 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. The anglosaxon chronicle states that planning for the survey was conducted in 1085, and the books colophon states the survey was completed in 1086. 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. While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over england to each shire to find. Winchester was the norman capital as it had been of the saxons, so the treasury was there at that time. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. Domesday book dictionary definition domesday book defined. May 09, 2017 the domesday book recorded 19,500 people and over,400 places, far more than in any previous document. While spending the christmas of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech. Domesday book definition is a record of a survey of english lands and landholdings made by order of william the conqueror about 1086.
The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. 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. Royal thanes were among the richest and most powerful men in the kingdom, and median middling thanes were prosperous landholders of local or even. Domesday book was a comprehensive survey and record of all the landowners, property, tenants and serfs of medieval norman england. In fact, more anglosaxon place names are recorded in domesday book than in all the anglosaxon documents put together. Little domesday records for essex, norfolk and suffolk which were the final locations for the commissioners work. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a. Domesday book in american english the record of a survey of england made under william the conqueror in 1086, listing all landowners and showing the value and extent of their holdings websters new world college dictionary, 4th edition. 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. In the eleventh century, part of the taxes raised went into a fund.
Find out how it was compiled, and what it reveals about life in. The pipe roll of cloyne, compiled by bishop swaffham in 64, is a remarkable record embracing a full account of the feudal tenures of the see, the nature of the impositions, and the duties the purl homines sancti colmani were bound to perform at a very early period. The domesday book shows how cosmopolitan the population of lincoln was. The information collected was recorded by hand in two huge books, in the space of around a year. Domesday book definition of domesday book by the free. The greatest threats came from king canute iv of denmark. Domesday book definition and meaning collins english dictionary.
Domesday book definition of domesday book by the free dictionary. It was commissioned by william the conqueror to assess the extent of the land and resources being owned in england at the time and therefore the extent of the taxes he could raise. The book of winchester was the domesday book compiled by officials of william the conqueror on his orders and published c1086. The domesday book offers great insight into life at the time of the norman conquest. This fiscal view of domesday held the field for almost half a century until v. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. 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. Synonyms for survey at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his. It consists of about 2 million words, written in black and red ink. The anglosaxon chronicle states that planning for the survey was conducted in 1085, and the book s colophon states the survey was completed in 1086. Domesday book definition, a record of a survey of the lands of england made by order of william the conqueror about 1086, giving ownership, extent, value, etc. Despite the speed at which the book was compiled the text was carefully written in a short form of latin.
The domesday book is a great land survey which was compiled in 1086. Mar 05, 2015 the domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. Doomsday book definition of doomsday book by the free dictionary. 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. David roffe asks why exactly domesday book, the oldest and most precious of the english public records, was compiled and for whom but because the domesday book can still be used in british courts for property disputes, online access is probably worth a whole lot more. During the last years of his reign, king william the conqueror had his power threatened from a number of quarters. Domesday book article about domesday book by the free. The domesday book was an incredibly useful resource and for many years, centuries, it was the final word on the title to land. In origin, the meaning of thane also translated as thegn was one who serves. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge authority in england. It has been cited as an example of digital obsolescence on account of the physical medium used for data storage. 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. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames.
The survey was executed for william i of england william the conqueror. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. Doomsday book synonyms, doomsday book pronunciation, doomsday book translation, english dictionary definition of doomsday book. Domesday book synonyms, domesday book pronunciation, domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of domesday book. Indeed this is the reason for its name domesday book. Use compiled in a sentence compiled sentence examples. One, known as little domesday, covers norfolk, suffolk and essex. The set of questions that these officers asked of the town and county representatives constituted the inquisitio eliensis. William the conqueror definition of william the conqueror. 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 written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in 10851086.
481 1034 129 724 1089 208 856 720 289 847 1276 1124 328 1541 531 1081 1499 95 1623 1032 106 1281 968 887 488 1302 639 76 557 1228 1344 1423 1218