A guide to the Domesday Book, including articles, books and other resources about the eleventh century records.
In the year 1085, King William I who had ruled England for almost twenty years after his victory at the Battle of Hastings, was holding a meeting his officials and the bishops. According to the words of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, ‘the king had great thought, and very deep conversation with his council about this land; how it was occupied, or with which men. Then sent he his men over all England into each shire; commissioning them to find out “How many hundreds of hides were in the shire, what land the king himself had, and what livestock upon the land; or, what dues he ought to have by the year from the shire.” Also he commissioned them to record in writing, “How much land his archbishops had, and his bishops, and his abbots, and his earls;” and though I tell at too great length, “What or how much, each man had, who was an occupier of land in England, either in land or in livestock, and how much money it were worth.” He had it investigated so very narrowly that there, was not one single hide, nor a yard of land, not even an ox, not one cow, not one pig was there left, that was not set down in his record.’
The record the chronicle spoke of is the Domesday Book, a great survey carried out by the officials of the Norman king, which allowed him to understand which land and resources he owned, and what was owed to him by other landowners and people. Two volumes were produced, providing over 832 folios of information that is astonishingly comprehensive for its time.
In parts of it you do learn about the landowners and the lands in England, where they explain what property was being held, down to the number of oxen and pigs one had. You also learn about over thirteen thousand places, including castles, markets, monasteries and towns. Some portions of the work are more detailed than others, and some places, like London and sections of northern England are not included in the records.
Still, for any historian of medieval England, the Domesday Book is an invaluable resource, which can be used to study the economics and social history of the period, how the royal government operated, and understand how various nobles built up their fortunes. For many places in England, the Domesday Book is the first mention of their existence, a starting point for their history.
Here are some recent books about the Domesday Book, along with links to their pages on Amazon.com
Domesday Book: A Complete Translation – Domesday Book has been described as ‘the most valuable piece of antiquity possessed by any nation.’ But a complete translation has never been available before at an affordable price. Penguin’s edition will change that. Compiled in a matter of months in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror, Domesday quickly established itself as document of immense legal importance. It was last consulted for legal precedent in 1982. It is also the most remarkable portrait of England in thelate eleventh century. The publication of a complete translation of Great and Little Domesday is already being eagerly anticipated by historians.
Decoding Domesday – The Domesday Book is one of our major sources for a crucial period of English history; yet it remains difficult to interpret. This provocative new book proposes a complete re-assessment, with profound implications for our understanding of the society and economy of medieval England. In particular, it overturns the general assumption that the Domesday inquest was a comprehensive survey of lords and their lands, and so tells us about the economic underpinning of power in the late eleventh century; rather, it suggests that in 1086 matters of taxation and service were at issue and data were collected to illuminate these its concerns. What emerges from this is that Domesday Book tells us less about a real economy and those who sustained it than a tributary one, with much of the wealth of England being omitted. The source, then, is not the transparent datum that social and economic historians would like it to be. In return, however, the book offers a richer understanding of late eleventh-century England in its own terms; and elucidates many long-standing conundrums of the Domesday Book itself.
The Survey of the Whole of England: Studies of the documentation resulting from the survey conducted in 1086 – The manuscript which eventually came to be called “Domesday Book” is a product of the enterprise originally known as the “Descriptio totius Angliae”, the survey carried out in 1086, twenty years after the Norman Conquest, by order of King William I. This manuscript does not stand alone. It is the latest of four successive versions of the written record of the survey. Intrinsically the least valuable, it has gained in value over time, as the earlier versions have dropped out of existence. But they have not disappeared completely. Part of the immediately preceding version survives as the companion volume to “Domesday Book”; part of the version preceding that survives, for some unknown reason, in the library of Exeter Cathedral, even though it was, without any doubt, written in the king’s treasury at Winchester. The earliest version of all – the only version in which the data were recorded cadastrally, county by county, hundred by hundred, village by village, manor by manor – has been entirely lost in the original; yet for most of one county a copy survives, in a late twelfth-century manuscript from Ely. This book begins with a sequence of chapters which analyse some aspects of the manuscript evidence, from a new angle, or in closer detail than before, working backwards from the latest version towards the earliest. The last two chapters reassemble the evidence to create a new picture of the conduct of the survey, in both its fieldwork and its post-fieldwork phases.
The Story of Domesday Book – Domesday Book, first published in 1086, has attracted intense scrutiny particularly since the ninth centenary celebrations and the publication of new editions and modern translations by both Alecto Historical Editions and Phillimore. Facsimiles, translations, maps and apparatus are now readily available on CD-ROM. Never before has it been possible to explore the intricacies of this infinitely detailed text so deeply, nor to extract from it such a wealth of information about medieval England. The Story of Domesday Book is a richly rewarding collection of special studies relating to Domesday Book by outstanding Domesday scholars of our time. The Story of Domesday Book throws new light on the dark corners of this extraordinary Survey, and is an indispensable aid to further understanding England’s most important public record.
Domesday: The Inquest and the Book – Domesday Book is the oldest and most precious of the public records, but historians still disagree on its purpose. In arguing that the writing of Domesday Book was no part of the Domesday survey, this book proposed a solution to a riddle that will change our perception of the Norman Conquest and Norman kingship.
Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066-1166 I: Domesday Book – This is the first of two volumes offering for the first time an authoritative and complete prosopography of post-Conquest England, 1066-1166. Based on extensive and wide-ranging research, the two volumes contain over eight thousand entries on persons occurring in the principal English administrative sources for the post-Conquest period —- Domesday Book, the Pipe Rolls, and Cartae Baronum. Continental origin is a major focus of the entries, as well as the discussion of family and descent of fees which characterise the whole work; genealogical tables are included. An introduction discusses Domesday prosopography; an appendix gives the Latin texts of the Northamptonshire and Lindsey surveys.
The history of this castle on the Italian island of Capri dates back to the Roman period, when the place served as one of the twelve villas built by Emperor Tiberius in the first century A.D. The villa was plundered and ruined by the early Middle Ages, but the strategic location of the site, which has a commanding view of most of the island, soon led to the construction of a medieval castle. Castiglione Castle has a quadrangular shape with crenellated walls reinforced with two towers on the corners, while in the middle there was more fortifications and a private chapel.
In the early 19th century the castle was used as a garrison for English troops. Afterwards, it slowly fell into ruin, but in the 1950s its owner started extensive restorations of the site.
The castle is about 12000 square feet in size and holds ten bedrooms and seven bathrooms. It also features an outdoor pool, garden, and private roadway.
The island of Capri, which is located south of Naples, is a leading tourist destination in Europe and highly esteemed for its natural beauty. It has several Roman and medieval sites, including the Certosa di San Giacomo, a Carthusian monastery founded in 1374.
The castle has been listed with several estate agencies. No price is currently listed, but in 2008 the owners tried to sell the property for 35 million euros.
Interview with Ian Moritmer- author of The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
Books about Medieval England
Here is a list of some general books about medieval England, along with links to their pages on Amazon.com, which would be good starting points for those interested in the subject:
In June 2010, Medievalists.net was on hand for the Great Northern Medieval Fayre, which was held near Collingwood, Ontario. This was the first year that this medieval festival was held, and it included performances, re-enactors and jousting.
We filmed several interviews at the event, including:
Linda Laforge, one of the organizers of the fair
Shame Adams of Knights of Valour, who were the jousting team performing at the fair
Skallagrims, a group of Viking re-enactors
See also how Sandra of Medievalists.net tries her luck at the archery grounds
The Castle of Cravanzana was originally built in the twelfth-century and is located in the village of Cravanzana in the Langhe region of Piedmont, Italy. The three-story castle, which is over 2700 square meters in size and has 36 rooms, was largely rebuilt in the 16th century and was owned by the House of the Savoy in the 18th century. After another renovation in 1731, the castle was sold by Carl Emmanuel III to his minister Marquis Gian Giacomo Fontana (the castle is also Fontana’s Castle).
The castle has a commanding view over the neighbouring village and area, and has been modernized and restored in recent years. It includes a courtyard, chapel, prsion and stone wine cellars, and has vaulted ceilings with original frescos. While there are several fireplaces on each floor, the entire castle has been connected to the local gas utlitity.
The property surrounding the castle is about 5000 square meters and comes with two houses that need restoration, but can accomodate up to 10 rooms each. A garden and parkland are also on the site.
The castle also comes with its furnishings and artwork, which includes over 600 paintings – about half of these paintings are believed to date back to between the 15th and 18th centuries. Their is a wide a variety of antique furniture and hundreds of other items ranging from musical instruments to books and silverware.
The owners of the castle suggest that the property can be used as a private residence, or be converted into a hotel. The Langhe region, which lies near the French-Italian border, is an important tourist area famous for its wines, cheeses, and truffles. The village of Cravanzana lies about 30 kilometers from the town of Alba and has about 400 residents.
Those interested in purchasing the castle should contact:
Mr. Fabrizio Milanesio
fabmilanesiobh@hotmail.it
0039 320 8694575
The castle of Veulen, located in Heers in the province of Limburg in Belgium, has recently been put up for sale. The castle dates back to the mid-fourteenth century, and has seen extensive rebuilding during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
An eight-year restoration effort was completed in the spring of 2009, which has renewed the castle. Extensive repairs were made to the roof and several walls, which had suffered from water damage after decades of neglect. Two buildings within the inner courtyard were removed, and that area was repaired with new cobblestones and a garden.
Most of the 25 rooms within the castle were also restored, with attention paid to keeping as much as possible the original material such as the wallpaper. During the restoration it was discovered that parts of the roof date back to the fifteenth century, and that other parts of the castle were probably built in the medieval period.
The castle has a total surface area of approx. 3.680 m² and also includes 21 hectares of beautiful parkland.
Veulen Castle is located in the picturesque village of Veulen, which has a population of a few hundred people. The rural character and close proximity to a large urban area is a unique combination. Maastricht and Liège are only 35 minutes or so from Veulen, with Brussels and Antwerp around one hour’s drive away.
The castle can be used as a private residence or might be converted into a hotel. One important advantage to buying property in Belgium is that the country does not have property or capital gains taxes.
In 2009, UNESCO released a series of videos promoting the heritage sites on its World Heritage List – hundreds of locations around the world have been designated UNESCO Heritage Sites, including dozens that date from the Middle Ages. The videos, each about two to three minutes long, provide a short guide to the these cities, castles, cathedrals, churches and other historically important places. Besides detailing these sites, the videos sometimes show how these places are still have an impact on modern culture. The links below are to videos for the various medieval sites along with the text of the narration:
Caherkinmonwee Castle in County Galway, Ireland, built in the 1400s, has been recently listed for sale. Also known as Caher Castle, this late medieval tower was left in ruin for over two hundred years before being purchased by Peter Hayes in 1996. He notes that, “the castle was in a dreadful state – completely overgrown, roof had fallen in, and ivy had taken over the entire structure. It was completely unlivable – the only thing living in the castle was ivy and roots.”
What followed was a ten year restoration project. “The first job was removing the ivy,” Peter explains, “then slowly restoring all of the walls. We had to waterproof the exterior and try to get the roof back on the main building. We first tackled the roof, then the walls, then the interior. We used all natural materials. The interior took a long time as we had to try to insulate the interior against the cold and damp – there is a lot of moisture locked up in a castle.”
The castle now features four floors, most of which have been completely refurbished – they include four bedrooms, a kitchen, and an entrance hall. Peter adds the most interesting feature is the rooftop, which was “built using local oak timbers. No nails were used. We used natural slate on the roof also. Then, there are the details in the stone work for the crenulations, which took more than a year to achieve. The views from the top are spectacular.”
The property is about four acres in size, and includes a small river running through it as well as gardens and mature trees. Several smaller buildings are also part of the property, which serve as garages and workshops.
The current asking price for the castle is in the one million euro range. The castle can serve as a residence to accommodate a family and some guests, but potential buyers may be interested in converting it into a small hotel.
Montbrun Castle is located in the central region of Limousin. Built in the 12th century and expanded in the 15th century, this castle has a well-known history and is considered to be fine example of a late medieval fortification.
The caslte is over 3500 square meters in size and has been thoroughly modernized in the interior, while preserving its medieval character. The castle includes four towers, a courtyard, and a great hall which can accomodate between 100 and 200 people depending on the use. There are also 16 bedrooms located within the castle, along with a kitchen, dining room, library and office spaces.
The property also comes with 500 acres of land, which includes six houses, five stables, a tavern, four lakes and a moat. Most of the surrounding land is forested, but could be converted to other uses, such as a golf course.
The castle was built in 1179 by Aimery Bruni (also known as Brun), and his descendants owned the castle up to 1516. According to local legend, this was the site where King Richard I of England died in 1199 after being shot by an arrow while besieging the nearby castle of Chalus-Chabrol. At the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, the castle was held by the English, but was retaken by the French in 1353. At the end of the century it was taken again by the English and partially destroyed. Between 1433 and 1438, square towers were replaced with round towers and the castle took on its present form. In 1562, Montbrun was attacked by Protestants during the Wars of Religion and although it was not captured a fire raged through the castle.
After being pillaged and burned in the French Revolution, Montbrun was restored in 1871, only to suffered serious damage from a fire in 1917. A second restoration was carried out between 1964 and 1966. It has been a protected monument historique listed by the French Ministry of Culture since 1946, but has remained in private hands.
The current owners of the castle note the large commerical potential of Montbrun Castle, not only as a hotel, but as tourist site which can handle a wide variety of events, such weddings or conferences, and can potentially accomodate up to 600 persons a night.
The asking price for Montbrun Castle is 24 million euros. Furthermore, the owners suggest that up to another 10 million euros will be required to continue to renovate the castle and invest in the property.
In the year 1085, King William I who had ruled England for almost twenty years after his victory at the Battle of Hastings, was holding a meeting his officials and the bishops. According to the words of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, ‘the king had great thought, and very deep conversation with his council about this land; how it was occupied, or with which men. Then sent he his men over all England into each shire; commissioning them to find out “How many hundreds of hides were in the shire, what land the king himself had, and what livestock upon the land; or, what dues he ought to have by the year from the shire.” Also he commissioned them to record in writing, “How much land his archbishops had, and his bishops, and his abbots, and his earls;” and though I tell at too great length, “What or how much, each man had, who was an occupier of land in England, either in land or in livestock, and how much money it were worth.” He had it investigated so very narrowly that there, was not one single hide, nor a yard of land, not even an ox, not one cow, not one pig was there left, that was not set down in his record.’
In parts of it you do learn about the landowners and the lands in England, where they explain what property was being held, down to the number of oxen and pigs one had. You also learn about over thirteen thousand places, including castles, markets, monasteries and towns. Some portions of the work are more detailed than others, and some places, like London and sections of northern England are not included in the records.
Decoding Domesday
Features about Medieval England
