1086 - The Domesday Book (23 ene 1086 año – 4 oct 1086 año)

Descripción:

 What is it? -> In-depth census, tracking:
• William applies literacy for oppression instead of other
• Land
o By ownership (king, church, barons, others)
o Assessed for re-sale value
o Taxable value
o Divided by type: arable, pasture, meadow, woodland, waste
• People: free, serf or slave (Also: shepherd, priest)
o William could assess how many knights he could expect
• Other goods & infrastructure
o Livestock, water mills, salt pans, fisheries
• “Shameful” thoroughness -> seeking details only God should know
o Domesday was judgement day by God which is why it’s nicknamed Domesday Book

o Method
 Christmas, 1085: William’s plan outlined
 Counties -> Hundreds -> Manors in the Hundred (single entry)
 Royal agents (legati) sent to countries (33 total)
• Each country divided into “Hundreds”
• Each “Hundred”’s tally reported by 12 jurors: 6 Normans, 6 English
o Relied on everyone so they wouldn’t over/underrepresent
o To get accurate tally
o Variable number of ‘manors’ per Hundred
 Survey completed, 1086
• Feat of administrative genius which is unrivaled
• Reference of text for a long time
o The Domesday Book Entries
 Book divided by ‘manor’, each entry recording
• Who owns (and owned) the land
• Value of land before 1066, and in 1086
o Window in the change in value from the time in Middle Ages
o Honesty in reports showed that land decreased in value
o Proof that invasion was very disruptive
• Extent and type(s) of land
• # plough-teams available
o Plough team == 8 oxen
o An acre is how many a plough team can do in a day
• # of plough teams which could till land
o Can’t tax a piece of land with 25 acres if there weren’t enough plough teams
• Other relevant details (mils etc.)
 Taxes were adaptable and could depend on what a land has
 No money/coins so only taxes were used when he was in town
o Purpose(s)
 If king needed more income, where could he look?
• Effective taxation of land
o Fixed rate by quantity and type
• Value of royal land (for sale…)
• Value of revenues due from royal land
• Miscellaneous dues
o Traditional payments in kind (e.g. honey)
o Knights for military service

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