When William I captured England in 1066 he became King of what was probably the wealthiest and most well-governed kingdom in western Europe. On inheriting the kingdom, William confiscated most of the land from the Anglo-Saxon
nobility and divided it up between Normanbarons and the church. At Christmas 1085, intent on knowing more about the land he had reigned over for nearly twenty years, William commissioned the survey that became known as Domesday Book. The survey was much more than a means to satisfy William’s fascination with his new kingdom. It recorded the value of land he held personally and that held by his tenants-in-chief. Where there were disputes over land it helped settle disagreements. At a time when England was again under threat of invasion, this time from Denmark, finances and men to support his campaigns were crucial. Domesday provided an estimate of the taxation William could expect to receive and the military service he could demand from his lords.
World of Domesday looks at what life was like in eleventh century England. The wealth of information that Domesday provides helps create a picture of the rich landscape that William inherited. The survey reveals what areas of the countryside were worked as ploughland, pasture, meadow or woodland, and suggests regional variations. It tells us something about the people who held or worked the land and the social relationships between them. As an Anglo-Saxon chronicler wrote, not “one ox nor one cow nor one pig which was there left out and not put down in his record”. In spanning twenty years, Domesday also tells of how the landscape changed as a result of activities aimed at protecting Norman England.
