Domesday Book

:This article is about the 11th century census. See BBC Domesday Project for the multimedia project and Doomsday Book (novel) for the Connie Willis novel.

Related Topics:
11th century - BBC Domesday Project - Doomsday Book (novel) - Connie Willis

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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, that was similar to a census by a government of today. He needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. Whilst spending the Christmas of 1085 in Gloucester, William "had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over England to each shire ... to find out ... what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock, and what it was worth." One of the main purposes of the survey was to find out who owned what so they could be taxed on it, and the judgment of the assessors was final -- whatever the book said about who owned the property, or what it was worth, was the law, and there was no appeal. When the book took the name "Domesday" (Middle English spelling of "Doomsday") in the 12th century, it was to emphasize its definitiveness and authority (the analogy refers to the Christian notion of a Last Judgement).

Related Topics:
England - 1086 - William the Conqueror - Census - Gloucester - Middle English - Doomsday - 12th century - Christian - Last Judgement

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