The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record. Domesday book dictionary definition domesday book defined. 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. Devall also devall is a surname of norman origin with both english and french ties.
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 main purpose of the domesday book was to raise taxes and william the conqueror who had conquered england in the battle of hastings in 1066 had ordered its creation, he wanted to know exactly who held the land and wealth in england so that he could decide how much he could tax each person throughout england. A family name capable of being traced back to this document, or to hastings, was a signal of honor for most families during the middle ages, and even to this day. However, its usage continued following the ascendancy of the anglosaxons and the normans as was demonstrated by its many appearances in the domesday book of 1086. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 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.
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 i of england. Scandinavian elements found in the domesday book english. Servus, translated as slave in the phillimore edition, is sometimes rendered as serf. This page simply records all owner names mentioned in domesday book. Many historians have argued it was all about the landtax, known as the geld. He offer no explanation for its origin, as the material is not adequate for any certain etymology, alas. The extent of the medieval district of craven, in the north of england is a matter of debate. The domesday book and john understanding the jones surname, begins with the understanding of the use of the christian name john. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a. Most of the names in the domesday book are male, as most landowners were men. All of the products sold by were researched and created by swyrich corp. Halsted family crest, coat of arms and name history. Some places now in modern day wales are listed under the nearest english county in the domesday book.
Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. Another source confirms this entry and adds that this was in fact, an entry a tenant who held the lands before the conquest. The component elements of the name are the old english pre 7th century dema, a judge, plus daege, a servant, medieval english deme deye. Domesday book facts, summary, composition, creation. Feb 09, 2008 well, for starters its actually called the domesday book although doomsday is quite common. The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. Domesday chest, the germanstyle ironbound chest of c. Earnest and resourceful, william was not only one of the greatest of english monarchs but. 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. Galbraith, the making of domesday book oxford, 1961 e.
Either through false etymology or deliberate word play, the name also came to be associated with the latin phrase domus dei house of god. This unusual name, of anglosaxon origin, is a locational name from any one of the various places in durham, norfolk or north yorkshire, which are first recorded as clachestona 1091, clakestona 1086, domesday book and claxtorp 1086, ibid, respectively. In origin, domesday is just a middle english spelling of doomsday, a name which only came to be applied to the survey a century after its compilation, at first facetiously as being an unavoidable and final judgement contemporaries called it the description of england. 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. Either through false etymology or deliberate word play, the name also came to be associated with the latin phrase domus dei house. The name craven is either preceltic britain, britonnic or romanobritish in origin.
Domesday definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The earliest written records of the norman conquest, give a resource to explore this name among the culture of the day. Note that the same name is not necessarily the same person. The name domesday book is therefore a function of its awesome reputation among the english. Domesday book synonyms, domesday book pronunciation, domesday book translation, english dictionary definition of domesday book. Domesday book 1086 the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history. Since the domesday book generally shows only the first name for each small owner, it is not possible to reconstruct from the surnames which families were of norman descent.
The domesday book came of the norman conquest of 1086, the redistribution of land that it brought and the disordered state of the royal finances which must have resulted from the dispossession of the vast majority of the ruling class, and the loss of their knowledge of the land and of the taxes it. Oct 10, 2018 the name domesday was not adopted fully until the 12th century. In 1086, william i ordered a survey of his conquered lands. But before the name domesday, the book was called the kings book and the great book of winchester. For example, doncaster would probably have originated as a roman fort on a hill, from the roman caster and celtic don. The surname snelling was first found in cambridgeshire where the first recording of the family was found in the domesday book of 1086 as snellinc.
Either through false etymology or deliberate word play, the name also came to be associated with the latin phrase domus dei house of. Domesday book definition is a record of a survey of english lands and landholdings made by order of william the conqueror about 1086. It was first recorded in england in the domesday book. It acquired the name domesday book because of the huge amount of. The domesday book is closely linked with william the conquerors attempt to dominate medieval england. 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. Domesday book online simple to use directory with interactive map of england in norman times commercial site with extracts from domesday book domesday book entries including translations for each settlement. Female names in the domesday book nancys baby names. From a late thcentury psalter bl additional ms 38116 f. The female names below appeared in the open domesday database just once, except where noted. 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. First recorded in 1086 in the domesday book as tornesete, then as thorneshete 1285, tharset 1577 and thorsett 1695.
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 name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. The hermitage in snow the origin of the name hanewelle or hanwell is possibly saxon, with the word han meaning cockerel, or hana a saxon name and welle meaning spring. See more ideas about domesday book, william the conqueror and history. This omission was certainly a quirk of the return from the northern circuit. The first, called little domesday, covers essex, norfolk, and suffolk. The part dom is an old english word meaning accounting or reckoning, therefore it literally means day of reckoning book. The origin of the name is likely to be a combination of the anglosaxon hroca burh or similar rook fort, where rook may refer to the bird, or it could be a mans name. But before that it was mentioned in the domesday book and sits in 12 acres of land. 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. William the conqueror took a census of most of england in 1086, and recorded it in the domesday book.
By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. Domesday book place name forms all the original spellings of english placenames in domesday book link to pdf file. Rugby originally a small anglosaxon farming settlement, recorded in the domesday book as. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england. To further extend his grip on england, william i ordered that a. Bates, a bibliography of domesday book woodbridge, 1986 v. Domesday book definition of domesday book by merriamwebster. Still, the fact that the name is essentially iron age in origin is quite important. The domesday book gave the names of king williams friends and even listed the number of pigs on a piece of land. 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. Its meaning is derived from french the town of deville, ardennes. The domesday book is actually not one book but two. It recorded every piece of property and every particular concerning it.
Definition of domesday from the collins english dictionary. The domesday book compiled in 10856 is one of the few historical records whose name is familiar to most people in this country. Domesday definition is archaic variant of doomsday. 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.
However much has been done to identify the individual owners, and the majority of them bore names of foreign origin. Domesday book definition of domesday book by the free. You can also access domesday classroom resources for teachers, suitable for key stage 3 and key stage 2. Domesday book article about domesday book by the free. The english people said this name, domesday book, was given to it, because, like the day of doom, it spared no one.
Domesday book 1178 in anglolatin, the popular name of great inquisition or survey 1086, a digest in anglofrench of a survey of england undertaken at the order of william the conqueror to inventory his new domain, from middle english domes, genitive of dom day of judgment see doom n. Hallam, domesday book through nine centuries london, 1986 a survey of how the domesday book has been used since its composition, and how antiquarians and historians have viewed the record. The name domesday was subsequently adopted by the books custodians, being first found in an official document in 1221. This interesting and unique name of old english origin and is a geographical name from places so called in essex, kent, and leicester, and acquired from the old english components geheald, which means a shelter or place for animals, and stede, which means a region or building. The day of judgement or doomsday after which domesday book may have been named. This interesting and unusual name, with variant spelling domesday, originated as an occupational name for a judges clerk or attendant. 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. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name.
It invokes the day of judgment described in the book of revelation. 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 is one of medieval englands greatest treasures. Another source confirms this entry and adds that this was in fact, an entry a tenant who held the lands before the conquest it is generally thought that the name was derived from the root surname snell which. Davolls, deavall, devile, devill, deville, divall, divell and evill. Domesday book the name usually appears without an article reveals exactly what happened to the anglosaxon nobility of england in the two. It was mentioned in the domesday book of 1086ad and still has a village and community feel. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. 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. The written record of a census and survey of english landowners and their property made by order of william the conqueror in. This place, in domesday book called roolfestone, belonged in the 15th century to a family of the local name, and, after passing through several other families. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the domesday book. Origins of place names 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 came of the norman conquest of 1086, the redistribution of land that it brought and the disordered state of the royal finances which must have resulted from the dispossession of the vast majority of the ruling class, and the loss of their knowledge of the land and of the taxes it was to bring in.
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