Places named in the domesday book

Ruston parva in east yorkshire, recorded in domesday book as roreston, is named from the genitive. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the. This is a list of all the surnames mentioned in domesday which are still current in. The domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. Learn more about out why and how domesday was created, and how to interpret it, in discover domesday. Craven in the domesday book in the domesday book of 1086, which lists the lands ascribed to various lords, some pages have a subheading of in craven, suggesting that many places in northcentral england had previously belonged to an extinct geopolitical entity. Though the domesday book gives historians a detailed picture of what life was like in england in 10851086, the book did miss out important cities such as winchester then a major english city and london. The date of the compilation of domesday book is discussed by. Some places now in modern day wales are listed under the nearest english county in the domesday book. For example, doncaster would probably have originated as a. Of these towns, the two largest, london and winchester, were left out of the domesday book entirely. About 90 per cent of places on the modern map of england south of the tees are recorded in domesday book.

The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. Places listed in the domesday book has recently been created. Doomsday book is a 1992 science fiction novel by american author connie willis. How many places listed in the domesday book still exist. This page simply lists all places mentioned in domesday book. The day of judgement or doomsday after which domesday book may have been named. The site enables users to list, map and quantify the estates of all the landholders named in william the conquerors great domesday survey of 1086 at the click of a button. The 19 places in the portsmouth area featured in the domesday book and the names they appeared under. The main index personarumcontains all references to people. Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it.

Note that the same name is not necessarily the same person. For more than 99% of the 15,000 places named there, domesday provides the first recorded description of their human and natural resources. Its 888 leaves are made of parchment, or the skins of between 500 and 1,000 sheep. The survey was ordered by william the conqueror at christmas 1085 and undertaken the following year. The survey makes mention of over,000 places in all, most of which survive to the. Once there, use standard internet page search functions control f for windows, command f for macs, enter the place name and click search to locate the occurrences of the place in. From a late thcentury psalter bl additional ms 38116 f.

Presented here is the first complete, all latin index to the domesday book, comprising two indices personarum and one index locorum. Abington was first mentioned in the doomsday book recording the first. Domesday records around 112 towns or boroughs glossary icon, a term with its origins in the anglosaxon burh. The first, called little domesday, covers essex, norfolk, and suffolk. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name. The title of the book refers to the domesday book of 1086. The latter was a longer version that did not make it into the final edition. Though invariably called domesday book, in the singular, it in fact consists of two volumes quite different from each other. The year old, gnarled, sprawling allerton oak in liverpool, will now represent the uk in the. 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. 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. Achream akenham sf l352b achreham akenham sf l422b achum acomb y 303b achum whitely y 330b achum acomb y 379b acle ocle pychard he 184a acle oakley near alrewas st 249a. The domesday book does not cover certain important cities, such as london.

This page simply records all owner names mentioned in domesday book. Virtually all of the place names decided on up to around the 14th century were due to the environment of the area. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. Resources for scholars, students and anyone interested in domesday book. Oct 10, 2018 the domesday book was never meant to be singular, it was originally two books, great domesday and little domesday. May 27, 2018 throughout the years various historical books, such as the domesday book, published in 1086, named it cotingeham, with the 1156 charter listing it as cotingham. T he domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086. The activity involves students researching 15 places and 3 people in england that are mentioned in domesday book. It is principally, therefore, a research tool, but it has been published online in the belief that it will also prove useful to anyone who may be interested in. Kivrin engle, the main character, says that her recording is a record of life in the middle ages, which is what william the conquerors survey turned out to be. 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. Visitors can find out who owned their town or village, create maps and tables of the estates held by the same lords elsewhere in england, and examine the scale of the. The domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by william the conqueror, who invaded england in 1066. The novel won both the hugo and nebula awards, and was shortlisted for other awards.

Domesday book is a detailed survey and valuation of landed property in england at the end of the 11th century. Domesday book encompasses two independent works in, originally, two physical volumes. Once the table is filtered, click on the persons column to go directly to the profiles of people named in connection with the place in question in domesday book. What can domesday book reveal about the impact of the norman conquest. For 99 per cent of the 15,000 places named there, domesday provides the first recorded description of their human and natural resources.

The number of separate places named in the domesday book amounts to over,400. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. However, there are also many which we would now recognise. A map showing the major towns of england at the time of the domesday book. A tree so old it was mentioned in the domesday book has been voted englands tree of the year.

The majority of these still exist in some form today. Amazingly almost all of the places mentioned in the domesday book can be found on a present day map of england and wales, though many of their names have been altered over time from their 11th century versions. It is the starting point of recorded history for the majority of english villages and towns which are organized by county. Pase domesday forms part of a longterm research initiative which aims in due course to identify all the landholders named in domesday book and to produce a major study of landed society in england in 1066 and 1086. They are often mentioned more than once in different spellings, with the result that the number of entries in the index exceeds 36,000. It is principally, therefore, a research tool, but it has been published online in the belief that it will also prove useful to. While a few places still retain a sense of mystery, some of the secret origins of the names can be revealed. Name, type, places owned before the conquest, places owned after the conquest. What does domesday book reveal about the impact of 20. 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. 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 placenames 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. 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. The second, called great domesday, covers a further. Domesday book life in towns and villages the national archives.

Both domesday names and their modern equivalents are given, thus showing how the various domesday names have been identified. The history of most english villages begins with domesday book, as does the continuous history of the english countryside, of the landowning classes and of the peasantry. A series of subcategories has been created splitting the places into presentday counties. Earl roger of shrewsbury bishop g eoffrey of coutances.

Watermills were the most economically important machines in 11th. Many, like that possessed by the imaginatively named humphrey goldenbollocks, have been lost to the mists of time. The 19 places in the portsmouth area featured in the domesday. Winchester was the norman capital as it had been of the saxons, so the treasury was there at that time.

The placenames found in the domesday book are township and estate names. 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. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. 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. For example, doncaster would probably have originated as a roman fort on a hill, from the roman caster and celtic don. He could collect in terms of taxes and the results of this survey were. Most of the categories are not yet well populated, but clearly have the potential to grow. Nonetheless, the domesday book does record a significant number of people with surnames. The population of the entire country was probably between 1. For these three counties the full, unabbreviated return sent in to winchester by the commissioners is preserved in the second volume little domesday, which.

The extent of the medieval district of craven, in the north of england is a matter of debate. This first english census, considered by some as the most remarkable administrative accomplishment of the middle ages, provides a record of english social. It is currently contained in five volumes, after its rebinding in 1984 to improve its preservation. The book of winchester was the domesday book compiled by officials of william the conqueror on his orders and published c1086. 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 history of most english villages begins with domesday book, as does the continuous history of the english countryside, of the landowning classes, of landed estates, of population, and of the economy. Sep 11, 2008 the number of separate places named in the domesday book amounts to over,400. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i. Apart from the wholly rural portions, which constitute its bulk, domesday contains entries of interest concerning most of. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames.

In all,418 places were visited and the final record was produced in winchester by a. Domesday book is the earliest, and by far the most famous, english public record. It is the record of a survey which, according to the anglosaxon chronicle, william the conqueror ordered to be taken at christmas 1085. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. 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, english counties. From a late psalter bl additional ms 38116 permission british library the day of judgement or doomsday after which domesday book may have been named.

By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. Domesday book online the domesday book was commissioned in december 1085 by william the conqueror, who invaded england in 1066. The survey makes mention of over,000 places in all, most of which survive to the present day, volume 2, known as little domesday, covers essex, norfolk and suffolk. It consists of about 2 million words, written in black and red ink.

Domesday database launched online university of cambridge. While spending the christmas time of 1085 in gloucester, william had deep speech with. Domesday book covers all of england except the northern areas. In 1086 william made a land register of his territory to know how much money. The name craven is either preceltic britain, britonnic or romanobritish in origin. Domesday book was a comprehensive survey and record of all the landowners, property, tenants and serfs of medieval norman england which was compiled in 10867 ce under the orders of william the conqueror r. For 99 per cent of the 15,000 places named there, domesday provides the first. The precise purpose of the enterprise is not known but the most likely reason was to determine who legally owned what land, to settle disputes of ownership and to measure. Domesday book sources for research in english genealogy. Douglas, the domesday survey, history, xxi 19367, 24957. There were only 18 towns of over 2000 inhabitants in the domesday england of 1086. Students then collate their findings to arrive at an answer to the question. Sawyer, ma assistant in history in the university of edinburgh domesday book is important not only for historians but also for students of english placenames.