In fact there are two domesday books little domesday and great domesday, which together contain a great deal of. Domesday book is a public record and its information has always been made available. Domesday book food and drink the national archives. The national archives permits registered users to order and download a reasonable number of documents for free and has set a maximum order limit of 50. 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. In fact there are two domesday books little domesday and great domesday. As the government s national archive for england, wales and the united kingdom, the national archives hold over 1,000 years of the nations records for everyone to discover and use. The most recent and radical reassessment of the survey and domesday book itself is in d roffe, domesday. Domesday book nobles and knights the national archives. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror.
This series contains the oldest of the public records, the two volumes which comprise domesday book, which were formerly in the exchequer treasury of receipt. Because of its importance many copies have been made including at least three from the th century including the exchequer abbreviation, domesday abbreviatio catalogue reference. Domesday book, shakespeares will, tweets from downing street and war time records. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes.
The national archives recently announced that we are going to be loaning our earliest public record, domesday book, to the british library for the librarys forthcoming anglosaxon kingdoms exhibition. The national archives is the official archive of the uk government for england and wales and the sector leader for archives in england. E records of the exchequer, and its related bodies, with those of the office of first fruits and tenths, and the court of augmentations. Actor andrew ashmore gives a possible 11th century saxon view of william the conquerors domesday survey. Domesday book great domesday the national archives. Join us here and help create a modern national archive that makes our history even more accessible. Our main duties are to preserve government records and to set standards in information management and reuse. The domesday book or, colloquially, domesday is the expression used since the late twelfth century to refer to the record of the great inquisition or survey of the lands of england, their extent, value, ownership, and liabilities, made by order of william the conqueror in 1086. Visit our website to access the full range of our resources, from domesday to britain in the 1960s, and find out about more about our schools programme. Explore the history of the archival crown jewel that is domesday book the national archives is the uk government s official archive. It is a wellillustrated overview of the domesday book and perfec. Domesday book domesday legacy the national archives. It was written over nine hundred years ago under the orders of king william the conqueror. As the government s national archive for england, wales and the united kingdom, the national archives hold over 1,000 years of the.
The national archives who do you think you are magazine. Domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. Find out how to search for your town or village, and how to access images of domesday along with an english translation, using our research guide. Domesday book discover domesday the national archives. Every purchase supports the work of the national archives. For many centuries individual entries from domesday were copied as evidence of ancient demesne and land title. Secrets of the domesday book the national archives shop. You can also access the discover domesday exhibition, explaining why domesday. Now, the oldest public record held by the national archives can be searched online at. We are the government s knowledge and information champions. 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. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. Domesday book is one of the most famous historical records held by the national archives. The detailed picture of the english landscape it offers has no equal in any country, while it is valuable not only in the picture it allows local historians to construct of their area in the eleventh century but also as the foundation document of the national archives.
Domesday book survey and making of domesday the national. You can also see this iconic document in the first episode of cunk on britain, the new series on bbc2. It records who held the land and how it was used, and also includes information on how this had changed since the norman conquest in. William wanted to know how much his kingdom was worth and how much taxation he could command. Little domesday is the draft, uncondensed survey for norfolk, suffolk, and essex. 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. Short film describing the reaction of a saxon village reeve to the process of collecting information for domesday. A county by county edition of the farley transcript, together with a translation, can be found in domesday book, ed j morris and others phillimore, chichester, 19751986. The national archives learning curve focus on domesday. The national archives education service the education service provides free online resources and taught sessions, supporting the national curriculum for history from key stage 1 up to alevel.
Secrets of the domesday book this 20 page guide uses an equal mix of text and illustrations to give a glimpse into the history of this national treasure. Domesday book not by dan brown digitised by national archives. Free digital downloads while our kew site is closed, signedin users can download digital records for free. In fact there are two domesday books little domesday and great domesday, which together contain a great deal of information about england in the 11th century. The 920yearold domesday book ranks as britains oldest public record, and. Domesday book interpreting domesday the national archives. The larger, great domesday, is the digest of the survey ordered by william i at gloucester at christmas 1085. Domesday book world of domesday the national archives. A complete translation domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english history. These are just some of the 11 million items held by the national archives. Great domesday covers parts of wales and most of modern england.
It contains the results of a huge survey of land and landholding commissioned by william i in 1085. It is a wellillustrated overview of the domesday book and perfect for school project work. The survey was ordered by william the conqueror at christmas. The survey was ordered by william the conqueror at christmas 1085 and undertaken the following year. Abraham farleys edition 17731783 domesday book was an item of great interest to the antiquarian movement of the 18th century. The national archives is the uk government s official archive. 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 domesday survey was commissioned by william the conqueror at christmas in 1085. We hold 11 million records from domesday book to the most recent government papers. Little domesday covering norfolk, suffolk, and essex, and great domesday covering much of the remainder of england except for lands in the north that later became westmorland, cumberland, northumberland, and the county palatine of durham and parts of wales bordering, and included.
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