The Domesday Book

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1085: The Domesday Book

The Domesday Book was a nationwide census. A census is a record of all the details of people and land in a country.

Why commission the Domesday book?

William ordered the Domesday survey in December 1085.
Some historians believe that William wanted to work out how many knights were in the country, out of fear of an invasion by the Vikings and King Cnut IV of Denmark. Cnut was killed by Danish rebels before he could invade.
Alternatively, the Domesday book could have been a tool to increase control and centralisation for the purpose of controlling earls and England's taxes. William wanted to know which assets and land the Church had too.
The book recorded who owned which bits of land and if there were any debts owed to the King.

Findings

The book estimated that 10% of the 2 million population were slaves and surveyed 13,418 different places.
But the book excluded some areas, where different nobles had exclusive tax rights (and weren't relevant for the King's taxation purposes).
The book did not cover the entire country, so these figures cannot be fully confirmed.

Statistics

The book was 913 pages long.
It was the first census or survey of its kind.
The book didn't include London or Winchester in the survey.
Questions included 'Who owned the estate at the time of King Edward?' and 'Who owns the estate now?' and 'What is it worth now?'.
Bishops and abbots were found to own 26% of England's land.

1Anglo-Saxon England & The Norman Conquest, 1060-66

1.1Anglo-Saxon Society

1.1.1The Monarchy & Government

1.1.2Edward the Confessor (1003-1066)

1.1.3The Legal System

1.1.4Local Government

1.1.5The Economy & Social Structure

1.1.6Towns

1.1.7The Church

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Anglo-Saxon England

1.1.9Grade 9 - Anglo-Saxon Society

1.2Edward the Confessor & The Succession Crisis

1.2.1The House of Godwin

1.2.2Harold Godwinson's Succession

1.2.3The Rebellion Against Tostig

1.2.4Edward the Confessor's Death

1.2.5End of Topic Test - Edward the Confessor

1.3The Rival Claimants for the Throne

1.3.1William of Normandy, Harald Hardrada & Edgar

1.3.2The Witan & the Reign of Harold Godwinson

1.3.3The Battles of Gate Fulford & Stamford Bridge

1.3.4Grade 9 - Anglo-Saxon & Norman England

1.4The Norman Invasion

1.4.1The Battle of Hastings

1.4.2Reasons for William's Victory

1.4.3End of Topic Test - Rival Claimants for the Throne

2William I in Power: Securing the Kingdom, 1066-87

2.1Establishing Control

2.1.1The Submission of the Earls

2.1.2Getting Control of England

2.1.3Reasons for Building Castles

2.2Causes & Outcomes of Anglo-Saxon Resistance

2.2.1The Revolts against William

2.2.2End of Topic Test - William I in Power

2.3The Legacy of Resistance to 1087

2.3.1Harrying of the North, 1069-70

2.3.2Changes in Land Ownership 1066-1087

2.3.3William I Maintains Royal Power

2.4Revolt of the Earls, 1075

2.4.1The Revolt - 1075

2.4.2End of Topic Test - Legacy of Resistance

2.4.3Grade 9 - Legacy of Resistance

3Norman England, 1066-88

3.1The Feudal System & the Church

3.1.1The Norman Feudal Hierarchy

3.1.2The Nature of Feudalism & Forfeiture

3.1.3The Role of the Church in England

3.1.4The Extent of Change to Anglo-Saxon Society

3.1.5End of Topic Test - The Feudal System

3.2Norman Government

3.2.1Norman Government - Regents

3.2.2The Sheriff & the Forest

3.2.3The Domesday Book

3.3The Norman Aristocracy

3.3.1Aristocratic Culture & Language

3.3.2Bishop Odo

3.4William I & His Sons

3.4.1William I

3.4.2William's Death & the Succession

3.4.3End of Topic Test - Norman Government

3.4.4Grade 9 - Norman Government

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