Names mentioned in domesday book

Scandinavian elements found in the domesday book english. The survey was executed for william i of england william the conqueror. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. We looked at names from king henry iiis fine rolls th century a couple of weeks ago, so now lets go back a bit further and look at names from the domesday book 11th century what is the domesday book.

The latter reference was coined because of the aforementioned location at winchester. The great domesday book is the biggest and covers the most territory. The humbler classes, as a rule, were counted but not named. The word domesday is a middle english spelling of doomsday, a day of judgment. Sawyer, ma assistant in history in the university of edinburgh domesday book is important not only for historians but also for students of english place names. The investigation was carried out by order of william the conqueror. Domesday chest, the germanstyle ironbound chest of c. It was rebound in 1984 almost 900 years after its completion into five separate volumes, with the hope that this will improve its chances for preservation for another years. This is probably not a book you will read from cover to cover, but its certainly one you can pick up again and again to learn what life was really like over 900 years ago. Accompanied by indexes of the tenants in chief, and undertenants, at the time of the survey. Apr 06, 2012 these names are most numerous in the eastern half of the country, particularly yorkshire and lincolnshire.

By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. 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. The survey was ordered by william the conqueror at christmas 1085 and undertaken the following year. 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. This omission was certainly a quirk of the return from the northern circuit. While spending the christmas of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech. I have transcribed all names exactly as they appear in my sources with one exception. Note that the same name is not necessarily the same person. This first english census, considered by some as the most remarkable administrative accomplishment of the middle ages, provides a record of english social. The domesday book early englands most important document. Doom, which is the true root of domesday, is an old english word of germanic origin meaning statute, judgement. Atleast 80% of the place names mentioned in domesday for these two counties still remain,and the parish boundaries have not changed much either. 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.

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, they were protected. 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 within. The component elements of the name are the old english pre 7th century dema, a judge, plus daege, a servant, medieval english deme deye. If you have a local history site that you would like to be included on these pages please get in touch via the contact page. As well as of the holders of lands mentioned in domesday anterior to the formation of that record. The domesday book records details of a survey of land ownership and taxation that was completed in 1086 under the direction of william the. The record was compiled in 10861087, a mere twenty years after the norman conquest, at the order of william the conqueror. Maitland, domesday book and beyond university of tulsa. Female names in the domesday book nancys baby names. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century 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. The outcome of that speech was the mission throughout all england of barons, legates or justices charged with the duty of collecting from the.

Settlement name grid reference notes references babingley. A comprehensive guide to the origins, meanings, etymologies and distribution of thousands of british surnames. See more ideas about domesday book, william the conqueror and history. This led the book to be compared to the last judgement, or doomsday, described in the bible, when the deeds of christians written in the book of life were to be placed before god for judgement. Its a land survey, compiled in 1086, that covered much of england and parts of wales. The problem is that its layout makes it a spectacularly unhelpful guide to the logistics of taxation. But the shirleys are one of the few families in england can trace their line back to norman times. This is precisely where, as we know from other evidence, there was a substantial settlement of scandinavian immigrants. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Domesday book is the earliest, and by far the most famous, english public record. Sep 24, 2004 domesday book is one of the most famous documents in english historyand arguably in world history. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. The result is a long and detailed work, listing the various duties and payments that had to be made to the crown as well as the names and holding of landowners living in 1086.

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. Of course we dare not say dogmatically that all the names mentioned in domesday book were the names of vills. Domesday book at midwinter in the year 1085 william the conqueror wore his crown at gloucester and there he had deep speech with his wise men. Since the domesday book isnt just about houses, this makes sense. It is the record of a survey which, according to the anglosaxon chronicle, william the conqueror ordered to be taken at christmas 1085. Little domesday so named because its format is physically smaller than its companions is the more detailed survey, down to numbers.

Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. The written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in. The alphabetised list on the following pages contains brief notes on almost 200 of the most wellknown landholders at the time. A complete list can never be drawn up due to fact that many of those mentioned in the domesday book have vanished into obscurity. Domesday book placename forms all the original spellings of english placenames in domesday book link to pdf file. Philip shirley still owns land in the very same manor of ettington mentioned in the domesday book. The domesday book first mentions this as berchelei, meaning a clearing in a woodland of birch trees. Jan 11, 2017 the domesday book great survey of much of england and parts of wales is one of englands greatest treasures of medieval times was a nationwide inventory of property landlords and property of the people, indispensable for taxes he planned to introduce. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial reasons, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. Nonetheless, the domesday book does record a significant number of people with surnames. The book also mentions various occupations such as beekeepers, a vine dresser someone who grows vines, and a female jester. I have replaced the medial s with a short s to make the lists more readable. It is not a census of the population, and the individuals named in it are almost exclusively landholders. For some parts of the country, the domesday survey has left behind more detailed records still.

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. Crossreferences to other counties have also been included. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the domesday book. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk.

Possibly the site at which st felix of burgundy landed in england in about 630 baconsthorpe, near attleborough. 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. Domesday book definition of domesday book by the free. Domesday book 1086 the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history. The domesday book is more than just a list of statistics. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. Again, the latin form in the domesday text is given exactly. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of aluric pic, which was dated 1086, the domesday book of devonshire, during the reign of king william 1, known as william the conqueror, 1066 1087. 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. 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. Dec 21, 2018 the book was originally a set of two volumes. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book.

Domesday book synonyms, domesday book pronunciation, domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of domesday book. Find out where in the world your surname originated, what it originally meant and how many other people you share it with. Queen edith, widow of edward the confessor, had extensive estates in rutland and elsewhere. The domesday book early englands most important document dec 21, 2018 patricia grimshaw the battle of hastings in 1066 marked the start of william the conquerors rule over england when he defeated the anglosaxon king harold ii on the battlefield. Where a landholder is mentioned more than once in a single entry in the same landholding context, the appropriate code is used only on the first occurrence of the name. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. May 02, 2018 aston is first mentioned in the domesday book of 1086 as estone, meaning east farm. Of these towns, the two largest, london and winchester, were left out of the domesday book entirely. The domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. The first mention of crawley now a major town is in 1203 about 120 years after the domesday book. The personal names and status of all landholders are coded. This indicates it was the new eastern offshoot of a larger town somewhere to the west, possibly oldbury or. Unknown deserted village mentioned in the domesday book and known to be north of attleborough. While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over england.

Little domesday so named because its format is physically smaller than its companions is the more detailed survey, down to. Domesday book facts, summary, composition, creation. It is the starting point of recorded history for the majority of english villages and towns which are organized by county. The population of the entire country was probably between 1. Its name domesday, the book of the day of judgment, attests the awe with. We can learn from it that most people in sussex lived in the south of the county and fewer people lived in the north.

The following pages include domesday place names and landowners, and beneath some are links to websites containing the local history of that place. The domesday, or doomsday book is named after the biblical day of judgement probably because it represented the final authority for property litigation and tax assessment. The domesday book records that his lands were granted to an ernwine with a less unfortunate byname. Domesday book is a manuscript that collects the results of a large census carried out in england and in wales in 1086. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which.

Domesday book is a detailed survey and valuation of landed property in england at the end of the 11th century. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. The survey was conducted in 1085 or 1086 and took less a year to complete. Can i buy a copy of the british 1086 domesday book of. As mentioned earlier, the domesday book was not, by any means, a complete survey of britain. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. Random names domesday surnames 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. 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.

This page simply lists all places mentioned in domesday book. The domesday book seems so remote now but its hard to imagine that anyone could have a direct connection with it. 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. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. Servus, translated as slave in the phillimore edition, is sometimes rendered as serf. One of the main aims of the investigation was to quantify the assets of each individual and the taxes on these assets imposed during the reign of edward the. Great domesday and little domesday, which was ironically the longer version. This page simply records all owner names mentioned in domesday book. Map of domesday book circuits illustration ancient.

While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over england to each shire to find. To collect the landtax efficiently, royal officials needed information arranged in geographical order, hundred by hundred and village by village, so they would know exactly where to go and how. There were only 18 towns of over 2000 inhabitants in the domesday england of 1086. By 1657, it had its current name, with green a medieval. The other important woman landholder mentioned is countess judith, a niece of king william. But before the name domesday, the book was called the kings book and the great book of winchester. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. The shambles, one of britains best preserved medieval. T he domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086. Remember that domesday book is actually a 12th century name for william the conquerors survey, not what it was originally called.

The streets long existence has been confirmed by its first mention in the domesday book of 1086, a manuscript ordered by the william the conqueror besides being the name of the popular york street, the word shambles is a term describing a multitude of. Which cheese is mentioned in the doomsday book answers. 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. Uploaded by mark cartwright, published on 16 november 2018 under the following license. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name.

Many, like that possessed by the imaginatively named humphrey. The above mentioned elements can all be found in the domesday book, some more overtly, others in a form yet to be fully developed records from the 12th and 14th century in particular seem to have chiseled out the ambiguous features of a place name, and it then became more clear whether an element stemmed from oe or on. The year old, gnarled, sprawling allerton oak in liverpool, will now represent the uk in the. The name domesday refers to the book of the day of judgment and as such refers to the reverence the book has always held. 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. It recorded every piece of property and every particular concerning it. Also, some individuals are simply mentioned in the book more than once. The majority of these still exist in some form today. Sussex and the domesday book history learning site. Domesday book was preserved from the late 11th to the beginning of the th centuries in the royal treasury at winchester the norman kings capital. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. A tree so old it was mentioned in the domesday book has been voted englands tree of the year. Domesday book sources for research in english genealogy.

The domesday book survey would clarify and confirm the ownership of land and resources, and this information would be extremely beneficial for both financial and militant purposes. The fact that the domesday survey was a multilingual exercise involving the collection of information supplied orally and in writing in several vernaculars and written up in latin further complicates the records of personal names in domesday book. This interesting and unusual name, with variant spelling domesday, originated as an occupational name for a judges clerk or attendant. Some places now in modern day wales are listed under the nearest english county in the.