Produced at amazing speed in the years after the conquest, the domesday book provides a vivid picture of late 11thcentury england. Visitbritain has apologised after publishing a map of british literature that. The bbc domesday project was a partnership between acorn computers, philips, logica and the bbc with some funding from the european commissions esprit. A map indicating in colours the various districts circuits which were surveyed by domesday book of 10867 ce in norman britain. A guide to modern domesdays the king held a large meeting, and very deep consultation with his council, about this land.
The population of the entire country was probably between 1. Domesday england map by david ross, editor there were only 18 towns of over 2000 inhabitants in the domesday england of 1086. The domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by william the conqueror, who invaded england in 1066. A street map made up from the titles of over 600 books from the history of english literature and a few favourites from further afield. To follow the investigation and help us fill in the gaps, visit the who owns england. England s heritage, then and now hardback book the fast free. Domesday book is the earliest, and by far the most famous, english public record. It has been around as a market town since the domesday book, but was developed as a new town, one of several constructed in the 1950s to accommodate overspill population from london. The first draft was completed in august 1086 and contained records for,418 settlements in the english counties south of the rivers ribble and tees the border with scotland at the time.
The main part runs along the northwestern coast of england. William the conqueror commissioned the domesday book after his conquest of england in 1066. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Visitbritain sorry for literary map ignoring wales and. It has been cited as an example of digital obsolescence on account of the physical medium used for data storage.
Who owns land is one of england s most closelyguarded secrets. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday. Access online databases and electronic books and journals. A list of where to find freetoaccess digitised british library maps. We are offering the domesday geography of midland england edited by h. This tube map replaces stations with famous novels based on the area they were set in london. 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.
This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. This book is hardbound in blue cloth, with giltstamping to the spine. Captions for the names of points on the map may be displayed by selecting captions on from the window menu or its icon from the toolbar. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a. It records the number of households, the economic resources, who owned the land, and the tax paid to the king, for almost every settlement in england. The book is one of the first and therefore oldest public records in england and therefore serves as a great.
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. Domesday book details made available in map form bbc news. Tracing the history of english villages or pieces of land is to become easier with a new online database that helps map out records from the domesday book. In 1086 william the conquerer commanded a survey of the country for taxation purposes. A very good and interesting introduction to english life of the ordinary people. For anyone interested in where they live now or where they come from, domesday reveals fascinating facts about customs, value and ownership of their village, town and county more than 900 years ago. Watermills were the most economically important machines in 11th. This map shows every place in domesday that can still be located today. Map of domesday book circuits illustration ancient. Maps, atlases, travel guides, travel books and globes.
Pathfinder, short walks and city walks overview map. The contents are bright and clean, with illustrated maps. When you have eliminated the javascript, whatever remains must be an empty page. Details about english history domesday book geography midland england illus. Or the great survey of england of william the conqueror, 1086 1862 by h. Lancashire is a county of england, in the northwest of the country. Its survey, completed in 1086, gave an overview of population and a breakdown of which lands were leased to whom as tenants under the new feudal system. This includes an indexed parish boundary map and general topographical maps for each county. 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. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page.
England in 1086 domesday book was compiled in ad 1086 for william the conqueror. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesdayoffers a remarkable portrait of. About 90 per cent of places on the modern map of england south of the tees are recorded in domesday book. It is the record of a survey which, according to the anglosaxon chronicle, william the conqueror ordered to be taken at christmas 1085. 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. Residents of hampstead might not be too pleased to learn that their exclusive london village once housed more pigs than people but this is just one of the fascinating insights to be gained from reading the domesday book. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. For over 160 years, explorers, travellers and adventurers have looked to us as map specialists to get.
Domesday is now available online, and you can search for your town or village, and download images of domesday along with an. Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. After the norman invasion and conquest of england in 1066, the domesday book. It was moved to westminster and then to the national archives at kew. Foy chichester, 1992, has comprehensive listings of all subjects, with their phillimore references. The first draft was completed in august 1086 and contained records for,418 settlements in the english counties south of the rivers ribble and. Domesday book provides a vast amount of information for those who want to build up a picture of life in england.
Az maps are one of the leading distributors of maps and atlases in the uk. An idea which grew to include video, images, maps, statistical data, etc. The worlds biggest and best map and travel bookshop. 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 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. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. Domesday book was compiled in ad 1086 for william the conqueror. The domesday book one of the most valuable records of the uk s past history. The majority of these still exist in some form today. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. The map that changed the world is a book by simon winchester about english geologist william smith and his great achievement, the first geological map of.
A national bestseller, a new york times notable book, and an entertainment. Domesday book extracts makes available over 8,500 fascinating extracts featuring the actual page entry for your town, a translation and glossary. The story of londons most terrifying epidemicand how it. Or, the great survey of england of william the conqueror a. Bates, a bibliography of domesday book woodbridge, 1986 v. Collins uk has been publishing educational and informative books for almost 200 years. The more important domesday terms and concepts are grouped. Of these towns, the two largest, london and winchester, were left out of the domesday book entirely. Domesday book county edition enquire about this book. The domesday book county edition addison publications.
The second volume, the little domesday book, contains information about three counties cited above. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. Domesday book was known as the book of winchester when it was housed in the royal treasury at winchester. He was a great a man who dominated england in middle ages, but vast sums of money were needed to rule such enormous lands. Volume one of the domesday book, the great domesday book, is a fifteen by eight inches, 764 pages 382 folios manuscript containing information about 31 of the 34 shires of medieval england.
Finn, an introduction to domesday book london, 1963, and h. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. 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. Sutherland the domesday book is closely related to william the conqueror or william the bastard, king of england and duke of normandy, ca. The scale at which captions are displayed may be set by selecting set at zoom from the window menu or its icon from the toolbar. 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. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. Maps and views the americas blog the british library. Then sent he his men over all england into each shire. Darby, domesday england cambridge, 1977, provide examples and definitions of most domesday terms and concepts. Find out how it was compiled, and what it reveals about life in. Uk walking guide books, walking guides, cycling guides, geology books and outdoor skills books from the ordnance survey shop with free uk delivery. The domesday book or, colloquially, domesday is the expression used since the late twelfth century to refer to the record of the great inquisition or survey of the lands of england, their extent, value, ownership, and liabilities, made by order of william the conqueror in 1086.
The county did not exist in 1086, for the domesday book, and was apparently first created in 1182, making it one of the youngest of the traditional counties the historic county consisted of two separate parts. The map will display all places named within hits in the active search of the searches window. It records the number of households, the economic resources, who. There were only 18 towns of over 2000 inhabitants in the domesday england of 1086. This formed the basis of the 1986 bbc domesday project. Great domesday covers parts of wales and most of modern england. 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. This map is a first attempt to display major landowners in england, combining public data with freedom of information requests. The modern domesday was compiled between 1984 and 1986 and published in 1986 with over a million people participating in the project. After the death of edward the confessor, there was a bloody fourway battle for the throne. Hallam, domesday book through nine centuries london, 1986 a survey of how the domesday book has been used since its composition, and how antiquarians and historians have viewed the record. These were little domesday covering norfolk, suffolk, and essex, and great domesday covering much of the remainder of england except for lands in the north which later became westmorland, cumberland, northumberland, and the county palatine of.