Names in the domesday book

The earliest names accorded to it the kings book and the great book of winchester, where it was first kept, in the royal treasury, were displaced as early as the twelfth century by a title which recalled the wonder with which the subjugated english had seen their norman. The domesday book gave the names of king williams friends and even listed the number of pigs on a piece of land. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. This was the age of the county history, with many accounts of the english shires being published at this time, and domesday book, as a property record of early date that happened to be arranged by county, was a major source for the medieval history of all the. It listed the heads of each household, but left out londoners, monks, nuns, and anyone living in castles.

This interesting and unusual name, with variant spelling domesday, originated as an occupational name for a judges clerk or attendant. William commissioned the book because his power was being threatened. Produced under the supervision of the most renowned domesday scholars, this authoritative translation of the complete domesday offers a. Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in 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. The component elements of the name are the old english pre 7th century dema, a judge, plus daege, a servant, medieval english deme deye. The name domesday refers to the book of the day of judgment and as such refers to the reverence the book has always held. Asked in history of england, the battle of hastings, middle ages how many entries are in the domesday book. The domesday book was a complete written record of property ownership across england, and was completed in less than a year. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it.

William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. A prosopography of persons occurring in english documents 10661166. 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. He also wanted to discover how much tax he was owed and knew a. The domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge authority in england. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a surname. The text was written in an abbreviated and stylized clerical.

Indeed, it was noted by an observer of the survey that. Associated with the reign of william the conqueror, the domesday book was created to provide the king with a means of maintaining control over medieval england. The majority of landholders in england at the time of the domesday book had accompanied william the conqueror from france in 1066, and were granted areas of land previously held by english natives. Kivrin engle, the main character, says that her recording is a record of life in the middle ages, which is what william the conquerors survey turned out to be.

The most prominent was judith, countess of northumbria and huntingdon, who was king williams niece. When it was kept at the royal treasury, domesday book was called as roll of winchester or book of winchester. Domesday book sources for research in english genealogy. Great domesday book is the incomplete, last draft of the information collected by the domesday survey, commissioned by william the conqueror at christmas 1085 and using a detailed list of questions to record who owned which estate. 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. There are around 2 million words in the domesday book. Completed a mere seven months later, by 1 august 1086, the survey provided a detailed record of,418 settlements in england in thirtyfour counties.

An index of personal and place names in domesday book woodbridge, 1997 k. It is also the oldest public record to have survived through the ages. The english people said this name, domesday book, was given to it, because, like the day of doom, it spared no one. Handwriting analysis shows the domesday books records were all written down by one man, almost certainly an anglo saxon because place names and people names were spelled correctly normans tended to spell them incorrectly. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. Its name domesday, the book of the day of judgment, attests the awe with which the work has always been regarded. Doomsday book mass market paperback august 1, 1993. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. In 1085, king william i of england ordered a complete survey of all the land and property in the country. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. I have replaced the medial s with a short s to make the lists more readable. At the time it was called the winchester book, but later became better.

This first english census, considered by some as the most remarkable administrative accomplishment of the middle ages, provides a record of english social. 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. While spending the christmas of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech. In 1783, there were two volumes of domesday book published. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. It acquired the name domesday book because of the huge amount of information that was contained in it. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. The original 11th century ce name seems to have been more. As the anglosaxon chronicle indignantly declared, not a rood of land, not a peasants hut, not an ox, cow, pig, or even a hive of bees escaped. The domesday book was created around 20 years after the battle of hastings, when william i demanded information about the ownership status of the country he was now ruling. Abraham farleys edition 17731783 domesday book was an item of great interest to the antiquarian movement of the 18th century. Domesday book is the earliest, and by far the most famous, english public record. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england.

Domesday book is a manuscript record of the great survey of much of england. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name. Unlike the modern census records, the domesday book was designed not to count the numbers of the population. The majority of these still exist in some form today. The name domesday book, commonly applied from the 12th century ce, may derive from doom, the term for a customary law in anglosaxon england, or be a reference to the day of judgement, referred to in the bibles book of revelation, reminding that the records in domesday book were final and could not be disputed. You can also access the discover domesday exhibition, explaining why domesday. 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. Note that the same name is not necessarily the same person. T he domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086. In 1773, the government tried to publish domesday book for public. Its interest to genealogists, of course, arises because it names the tenants in. The name domesday book is therefore a function of its awesome reputation among the english.

Its a land survey, compiled in 1086, that covered much of england and parts of wales. The surname snelling was first found in cambridgeshire where the first recording of the family was found in the domesday book of 1086 as snellinc. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. In 1086 william made a land register of his territory to know how much money. Little domesday covering norfolk, suffolk, and essex, and great domesday covering much of the remainder of england except for lands in the north that later became westmorland, cumberland, northumberland, and the county palatine of durham and parts of wales bordering, and included within. 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. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk.

Domesday book is the name given to the record of the great survey of england made by order of william the conqueror in 108586. 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. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. I have transcribed all names exactly as they appear in my sources with one exception. The domesday book records details of a survey of land ownership and taxation that was completed in 1086 under the direction of william the. The domesday book provides extensive records of landholders, their tenants, the amount of. It invokes the day of judgment described in the book of. Random names domesday surnames 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. The novel won both the hugo and nebula awards, and was shortlisted for other awards. Snelling name meaning, family history, family crest. Would have been a very useful addition for research, although it is not a complete record. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. It came to be known as domesday as a metaphor for the last day of judgement. Another source confirms this entry and adds that this was in fact, an entry a tenant who held the lands before the conquest it is generally thought that the name was derived from the root surname snell which.

A brief guide to using the domesday book and associated documents to research. It recorded every piece of property and every particular concerning it. Known as the domesday book, this survey contained all the details of the names of places, the number of people, goods, and animals, and the use and the owners of the land. In both indexes the exact latin forms given in domesday book and all variant spellings have been retained. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. The title of the book refers to the domesday book of 1086. Female names in the domesday book nancys baby names. The exon domesday was a land and tax register set up for the domesday book and covered the counties of cornwall, devon, dorset, somerset and wiltshire. This page simply records all owner names mentioned 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. Great domesday covers parts of wales and most of modern england. We looked at names from king henry iiis fine rolls th century a couple of weeks ago, so now lets go back a bit further and look at names from the domesday book 11th century what is the domesday book. Doomsday book is a 1992 science fiction novel by american author connie willis.

The name domesday refers to the book of the day of judgment and as such refers to the reverence the book has always. The alphabetised list on the following pages contains brief notes on almost 200 of the most wellknown landholders at the time. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. The domesday book is one of the most renowned, respected and revered public records ever to have been published. The domesday book early englands most important document. It is the starting point of recorded history for the majority of english villages and towns which are organized by county. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday.

The index locorumlists all place names in domesday, except where linked to an institution. 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. 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. Please note that modern place names may cover land that belonged to more. He could collect in terms of taxes and the results of this survey were. Domesday book is a detailed survey and valuation of landed property in england. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. The name by which we know the extensive survey today domesday was not given to the book until almost 100 years after it was written.