The Domesday Book
How this centuries-old tome reveals a crucial chapter in England’s history
After William of Normandy conquered England in 1066 he possessed one of the wealthiest realms in medieval Europe — however, the new king did not yet know exactly how wealthy it was. After nearly 20 years establishing control of his kingdom, William commissioned a great survey to discover exactly what it was worth. Importantly, he wanted to learn how much tax could be raised from it.
The work was no small undertaking — a total of 13,418 settlements were surveyed across the country. Beginning in 1086, royal commissioners travelled from village to village recording who owned what and crucially its value. Every possession was counted, no matter how big or small, from the number of chickens kept to the size of workable fields. This wasn’t just a Medieval ‘Rich List’ either, as all landowners and tenants were accounted for, from modest farmers to wealthy nobility.
All this information was painstakingly noted down in a huge tome called the Domesday Book, nicknamed after the Christian day of judgement. King William never saw the work completed as he died in 1087, but for historians it provides a valuable insight into 11th-century England.