Domesday Book - Online
The Doomsday Book is England's oldest and most important public document. Normally housed at the National Archive, today it becomes available in an online searchable edition. You can search by the names of places or people, or by page reference. There is also an online Doomsday Research Guide.
At Christmas 1085 William the Conqueror commissioned a great survey to discover the resources and taxable values of all the boroughs and manors in England. He wanted to discover who owned what, how much it was worth, and how much was owed to him as King.
"He has become known as Scribe A and was, by the standards of the 11th century, an educated man who could read and write Latin. Deduced from his writings, Scribe A was English, but probably worked for the Bishop of Durham, one William of St Calais, a member of what was the French elite ruling England. He was almost certainly a monk or held some other religious office, but little else is known about Scribe A, such as his real name, title, or status.
Most modern historians believe that in the late summer of 1086, Scribe A sat down and wrote the bulk of what was then called the Book of Winchester, now known as the Domesday Book. And despite the lack of detail about the man himself, Scribe A, with the dedication to detail worthy of any contemporary civil servant or accountant, gave succeeding generations an astonishing window into life in early medieval England. "The Independent
It was a massive enterprise, and the record of that survey, Domesday Book, was a remarkable achievement. The book earned its name because the huge scope of the survey evoked a sense of Judgment Day, or Doomsday as described in the Bible.
So now, it is online, for genealogists & family historians of today to search to their hearts content for their connection to the past or for a greater understanding of life in that period of time. Here's hoping your search is rewarded.
Links In This Article:
The Doomsday Book
National Archive
Online Searchable Edition
Doomsday Research Guide
William the Conqueror
The Independent
National Archives Guide For Genealogists & Family Historians
At Christmas 1085 William the Conqueror commissioned a great survey to discover the resources and taxable values of all the boroughs and manors in England. He wanted to discover who owned what, how much it was worth, and how much was owed to him as King.
"He has become known as Scribe A and was, by the standards of the 11th century, an educated man who could read and write Latin. Deduced from his writings, Scribe A was English, but probably worked for the Bishop of Durham, one William of St Calais, a member of what was the French elite ruling England. He was almost certainly a monk or held some other religious office, but little else is known about Scribe A, such as his real name, title, or status.
Most modern historians believe that in the late summer of 1086, Scribe A sat down and wrote the bulk of what was then called the Book of Winchester, now known as the Domesday Book. And despite the lack of detail about the man himself, Scribe A, with the dedication to detail worthy of any contemporary civil servant or accountant, gave succeeding generations an astonishing window into life in early medieval England. "The Independent
It was a massive enterprise, and the record of that survey, Domesday Book, was a remarkable achievement. The book earned its name because the huge scope of the survey evoked a sense of Judgment Day, or Doomsday as described in the Bible.
So now, it is online, for genealogists & family historians of today to search to their hearts content for their connection to the past or for a greater understanding of life in that period of time. Here's hoping your search is rewarded.
Links In This Article:
The Doomsday Book
National Archive
Online Searchable Edition
Doomsday Research Guide
William the Conqueror
The Independent
National Archives Guide For Genealogists & Family Historians
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