Compiling the domesday book how the information was gathered and what can be found in the domesday volumes. This page simply records all owner names mentioned in domesday book. The detailed roles of this area for the domesday book, taken in 1086, have not. May 21, 2016 this short three minute video covers what the domesday book is. Examples such as aluuinus boi domesday book and ivo le boye lincolnshire 1232 support the view that it was a byname or even an occupational name. The written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in. As domesday book normally records only the christian name of an undertenant, it is not possible to search for the surnames of families claiming a norman origin. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. Uploaded by the open domesday project, released under ccbysa by professor john palmer and george slater. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. Abraham farleys edition 17731783 domesday book was an item of great interest to the antiquarian movement of the 18th century. Jenkins family crest, coat of arms and name history. Arpent arpent having french origin, the arpent is an area of land commonly used in reference to vineyards in domesday.
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. This ancient name found in the spellings of forst and frost, is of anglosaxon origin, and has the unusual distinction of being recorded as a surname as early as 1086 in the domesday book, and also of having retained its original forms through the millenium since. William camden suggested a derivation from old french picote meaning pockmarked, freckled. The domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. Either through false etymology or deliberate word play, the name also came to be associated with the latin phrase domus dei house. Notables there are hundreds of notable people with the jenkins surname. The domesday book compiled in 10856 is one of the few historical records whose name is familiar to most people in this country. I tested it with a number of surnames to see if i could trip it up.
Domesday book article about domesday book by the free. Measurement of an acre as a multiple of hides varies in domesday from region to region. It took two years to collect all the information for this survey. Of the various classes under which domesday book groups the rural population the largest was villeins. Ricky and ralfs very northern road trip starts tomorrow.
The domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Gladwin family crest, coat of arms and name history. The domesday book legal definition of the domesday book. Mar 05, 2015 the domesday book is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. For example, doncaster would probably have originated as a roman fort on a hill, from the roman caster and celtic don. Landowners information about the landowners featured in the records of the domesday book. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. Why it was written and what was involved in making it. I have transcribed all names exactly as they appear in my sources with one exception. It is interesting to note that the domesday book compiled by the commissioners of william the conqueror in 1086, is named from the old english domes daeg i. The history of boringdon hall stems from the domesday book, where one of the earliest.
The name domesday refers to the book of the day of judgment and as such refers to the reverence the book has always held. 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. It is about anglosaxon and early anglonorman society, as revealed by domesday book. This short three minute video covers what the domesday book is.
The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. Contents explore records for towns and villages from the domesday book. The domesday book article about the domesday book by the. Domesday book is a manuscript record of the great survey of much of england. Domesday history events in the domesday book s history. Domesday is by the far the most complete record of preindustrial society to survive anywhere in the world and provides a unique window on the medieval world. The place names found in the domesday book are township and estate names, and may include other villages and hamlets that receive no specific mention in the text. The english people said this name, domesday book, was given to it, because, like the day of doom, it spared no one. The following inscription underneath the tripp coat of arms emblazoned on an ancient escutcheon in the possession of reverend charles tripp, d. Domesday definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. The surname reynolds was first found in somerset where they were granted lands by william the conqueror after the norman conquest of england in 1066. Adewic adwick le street y 308a adewic adwick upon dearne y 319a.
Early records of the name mention willemus filius raunaldi who was listed in the domesday book of 1086. 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. Domesday extracts online service offering high quality prints and pdfs of domesday book for your chosen settlement. Walter reynolds died 27 was bishop of worcester, archbishop of canterbury 27. 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 continue reading domesday book. But saxon surnames remained, and the family name was noted at the taking of the domesday book 1086 as holding the estates since 1066 in that shire. Domesday book synonyms, domesday book pronunciation, domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of domesday book. Another possible derivation from is from pike, as in stick driven into the ground, originating from somerset.
It contains the results of a huge survey of land and landholding commissioned by william i in 1085. Domesday book 1178 in anglolatin, the popular name of great inquisition or survey 1086, a digest in anglofrench of a survey of england undertaken at the order of william the conqueror to inventory his new domain, from middle english domes, genitive of dom day of judgment see doom n. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. The saxon command of english history declined after the battle of hastings in 1066.
The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of william ingania of huntingdon, in the domesday book of 1086. The name boringdon comes from the saxon burthydon, meaning enchanted. The latter is recorded as a given name in the domesday book, but its origin is not clear. It recorded every piece of property and every particular concerning it. 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.
Based on extensive and wideranging research, the two volumes contain over eight thousand entries on persons occurring in the principal english administrative sources for the postconquest period domesday book, the pipe rolls, and cartae baronum. Commissioned by william the conqueror in the year 1085 and finished in 1086, the book is a superb example of thorough and speedy administration, unequaled by any other project undertaken during the middle ages. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. Noone can question maitlands scholarship, though his style of writing is somewhat discursive and academic for the modern taste. The domesday book is a record of an enormous survey carried out in england for king william i the conqueror, and it was completed in the year 1086. 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.
Where domesday book records that the same parcel of land was held by more than one person before 1066, a separate row in the database has been created for each landholder, and the name of their coowners or cotenants has been entered in a separate column. Origins of place names virtually all of the place names decided on up to around the 14th century were due to the environment of the area. Horrible histories measly middle ages new census for the. Three essays in the early history of england cambridge, 1897 archive for the history of economic thought, mcmaster university this is one of the great works on domesday, but its view of the survey as a purely fiscal exercise has since been modified in favour of political, feudal and legal aspects. This interesting and unusual name, with variant spelling domesday, originated as an occupational name for a judges clerk or attendant. Note that the same name is not necessarily the same person. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge. According to the anglosaxon chronicle, he mobilised the largest force of mounted men and infantry ever seen in england, compelled his vassals to provision the army each in proportion to his land, and scorched the coastline to prevent his enemies from gaining a foothold. The domesday book lists cotintone in nottinghamshire and cotingtune in herefordshire. In origin, domesday is just a middle english spelling of doomsday, a name which only came to be applied to the survey a century after its compilation, at first facetiously as being an unavoidable and final judgement contemporaries called it the description of england. The domesday book, our earliest public record, is a unique survey of the value and ownership of lands and resources in late 11th century england. Earnest and resourceful, william was not only one of the greatest of english monarchs but a pivotal figure in european history as well.
But before the name domesday, the book was called the kings book and the great book of winchester. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. The domesday book was an incredibly useful resource and for many years, centuries, it was the final word on the title to land. Finn, the domesday inquest and the making of domesday book 1961 and introduction to domesday book 1963. At the time it was called the winchester book, but later became better. This is the first of two volumes offering for the first time an authoritative and complete prosopography of postconquest england, 10661166. You can also access the discover domesday exhibition, explaining why domesday. While spending the christmas of 1085 in gloucester. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. Along with a string of castles throughout england, the domesday book was to give william huge authority in england. This first english census, considered by some as the most remarkable administrative accomplishment of the middle ages, provides a record of. 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.
Rename this file and keep as a backup, then place the downloaded version in the domesday explorer directory. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a. 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. T he domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086. It is not known when exactly domesday book was compiled, but the entire copy of great domesday appears to have been copied out by one person on parchment prepared sheepskin, although six scribes seem to have been used for little domesday. Domesday book definition of domesday book by merriamwebster. In 1085, king william i of england ordered a complete survey of all the land and property in the country. Whats the origin and meaning of ones surname, ones friends surname, ones. I have replaced the medial s with a short s to make the lists more readable. This web page shows only a small excerpt of our cothron research.
Domesday book sources for research in english genealogy. Domesday article about domesday by the free dictionary. The domesday book was a complete written record of property ownership across england, and was completed in less than a year. Domesday book definition of domesday book by the free. I presume that they made a side trip to waskada, for, a month later, my. See more ideas about domesday book, william the conqueror and history. It is the starting point of recorded history for the majority of english villages and towns which are organized by county. 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 advent of the tripp surname name in england is traced to henry vs renaming lord howards youngest son in 1415. Earl roger of shrewsbury bishop g eoffrey of coutances.
I am indebted to the publishers of the domesday book and members of the marc. It is our earliest public record, the foundation document of the national archives and a legal document that is still valid as evidence of title to land. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. Slaves formed the fourth largest group among the peasantry, over 10% of the recorded population and significantly higher than this if allowance is made for their almost complete omission from the counties of circuit 6. In shropshire, as in other counties, both the names and the bounds of forests altered with time, but the main. Domesday book definition is a record of a survey of english lands and landholdings made by order of william the conqueror about 1086. The original 11th century ce name seems to have been more mundane. Indeed this is the reason for its name domesday book. 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. The anglosaxon chronicle states that planning for the survey was conducted in 1085, and the book s colophon states the survey was completed in 1086.
The domesday book synonyms, the domesday book pronunciation, the domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of the domesday book. Investigating the origins of ones own surname is often a natural diversion for. The domesday book definition of the domesday book by the. 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.
This was during the reign of king william 1st, known as the conqueror, 1066 1087. Servus, translated as slave in the phillimore edition, is sometimes rendered as serf. An ancient record made in the time of william the conqueror, and now remaining in the english exchequer, consisting of two volumes of unequal sizes, containing surveys of the lands in england. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. The town is described in the domesday book, in 1086, as lothu wistoft, and. Chichester, 19741992 the english translations for the great domesday counties, together with images of the latin text, are available in searchable form on cd, known as domesday explorer, published by phillimore and co. The domesday book records details of a survey of land ownership and taxation that was completed in 1086 under the direction of william the conqueror. This easterly towns name is of viking origin, formed from the name hlothver and the. The name domesday is a variant of doomsday, meaning day of judgment. Domesday 1986 now available online, after a long effort to save it from outdated videodiscs, the bbc domesday project aimed to record the state of britain 900 years after the original domesday survey. The first, called little domesday, covers essex, norfolk, and suffolk. Take a trip into the past and explore the heritage of boringdon hall.
582 52 1542 949 1208 830 1488 1644 1573 858 1618 244 74 853 1505 1202 793 628 1090 932 653 659 968 446 1337 229 551 82 1239 271 908 967 127 1251 1195 156 72 65 55 60 58 322 844 48 440 621 51