The Domesday Book
What is Domesday book?
It's a record of lands and goods possessed by landowners of England. It was full of social, economic,
historical information. It dates back to the Middle Ages and it was commisioned in December 1085 by
the order of King William the Conqueror, but it was compiled in 1086. The original Domesday Book has
survived over 900 years of English history and it is kept at The National Archives in Kew, London. It
describes in notable details, the landholdings and resources of late 11th-century England.
Domesday was never a single volume but originally it was two books, Great Domesday and Little
Domesday. Now it’s contained within five volumes.
Great Domesday was written by a single scribe. Little Domesday describes the counties of Essex,
Norfolk and Suffolk. “Little” refers to its physical size, not the content, as it is more detailed than Great
Domesday.
In the Dosmesday England of 1086 there were only 18 towns. The largest cities
were London e Winchester. Most of population lived in the south and east of
Domesday England.
Why was it written?
In 1066 William Duke of Normandy defeated the Anglo-Saxon King, Harold
II, in the Battle of Hastings and became King of England. In 1085 England
was again threatened with invasion, this time from Denmark. William had
to pay for the mercenary army he hired to defend his kingdom. To do this he
needed to know what financial and military resources were available to
him. At Christmas 1085 he commissioned a survey to discover the resources
and taxable values of all the boroughs and manors in England. He wanted to
exactly know who owned what, how much it was worth and how much was
owed to him as King in tax, rents, and military service. The King was
essentially interested in tracing, recording and recovering his royal rights
and revenues which he wished to maximise.
Death of King Harold II at the Battle of
Hastings, 1066. Detail of the Bayeux
Tapestry.
How was it used ?
For many centuries Domesday was used for administrative purposes, especially to
provide proof of landholding, tenures and boundaries. From the late 16th century
it was frequently used as a historical source. For the vast majority of places within
its pages, Domesday provides the first recorded description of their human and
natural resources. Over 90% of the towns and villages in Domesday still exist as
modern day communities.
The Book of Winchester.
In what language was it written?
Domesday is written in a heavily abbreviated Latin with small marks to show where a
letter or letters have been left out, to save space.
Domesday particular in
Latin.
Why is it called “Domesday”?
The nickname 'Domesday' may refer to “doomsday”, the day when Christ will
return to judge the living and the dead. It was called Domesday by 1180.
Before that date it was known as the Winchester Roll or King's Roll, and
sometimes as the Book of the Treasury.
Now you can watch a video about Domesday Book
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWPwnvYyAhc
SOURCES:
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/domesday-england.htm
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/domesday-terms.htm
http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/normans/doomsday_01.shtml
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/domesday/
http://www.youtube.com/
THANKS FOR WATCHING!
Written by:
Alberta Del Zoppo
Silvia Di Santo
Tiziano Fucci
Raffaele Maurizio
Giuseppe Rosati