Domesday Book Flashcards
(9 cards)
Why did William commission the Domesday Book?
-To record every piece of land and property in England — who owned it, what it was worth, and who lived there.
What was the context for the Domesday survey?
-William feared invasion by the King of the Danes and Count of Flanders.
What two volumes were created?
‘Little Domesday’: Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk
‘Great Domesday’: Rest of England
What were alternative names for Domesday Book?
King’s Book, Book of Winchester, Book of the Treasury.
How many manors were surveyed?
-Over 13,400 manors in just six months.
What questions did commissioners ask?
-Name of manor, land area
Resources (ploughs, mills, fisheries)
Land type (meadow, woodland, pasture)
Who lived there (freemen, villeins, slaves)
Land value now and before Edward died
What were inquests?
- Special courts held in 1086 to settle land disputes using sworn local juries.
What do historians think Domesday was for?
Some say it was about taxes and controlling money.
Others say it was to prove William’s right to rule and control landowners.
