Photo: Andrews, William / Wikipedia • Believed to be in the Public Domain
The Domesday Book
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Domesday is Britain’s earliest public record. It contains the results of a huge survey of land and landholding and was commissioned by William I in 1085. Domesday is by the far the most complete record of pre-industrial society to survive anywhere in the world and provides a unique window on the medieval world.
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It is a highly detailed survey and valuation of land holding and resources in late 11th century England. The survey was a massive enterprise, and the record of that survey, The Domesday Book, was a remarkable achievement. There was nothing like it in England until the censuses of the 19th century.
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After William the Conqueror defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings he 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.
Photo: Unknown / Wikipedia • Believed to be in the Public Domain
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 discover who owned what, how much it was worth and how much was owed to him as King in tax, rents, and military service. A reassessment of the tax known as the 'geld' took place at about the same time as Domesday and still survives for the south west. But Domesday is much more than just a tax record. It also records which manors belonged to which estates and gives the identities of the King’s tenants who owed him military service in the form of knights to fight in his army. It was also in the interests of his barons to co-operate in the survey since it recorded the gains they had made since 1066.
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Then, at the midwinter (1085), was the king in Gloucester with his council ... After this had the king a large meeting, and very deep consultation with his council, about this land; how it was occupied, and by what sort of men. Then sent he his men over all England into each shire; commissioning them to find out...
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"How many hundreds of hides were in the shire, what land the king himself had, and what stock upon the
land; or, what dues he ought to have by the year from the shire."
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The manuscript is held at The National Archives at Kew, London.
Source: Wikipedia / The National Archives ( Open Government Licence v3.0)
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