Is the domesday book a primary source

Domesday book is the oldest government record held in the national archives. Produced at amazing speed in the years after the conquest, the domesday book provides a vivid picture of late 11thcentury england. Hoyt, in a medieval miscellany for doris mary stenton, edited by patricia m. 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. About a hundred years after it was produced the book became known as the domesday book. The name domesday book middle english for doomsday book came into use in the 12th century.

Primary sources history libguides at lagrange college. Links to primary sources on william i, william ii, henry i and stephen. Documents illustrative of the social and economic history of the danelaw, edited by f. Is the domesday book a primary or secondary source. It provided an important source of information for historians.

A contemporary description 1066 the anglosaxon chronicler. The results of this survey were written into domesday book. A predomesday kentish assessment list, edited by robert s. Is the domesday book a primary or secondary source answers. A summary of the feudal system and the domesday book the. The domesday book compiled in 10856 is one of the few historical records whose name is familiar to most people in this country. If you know the answer to this question, please register to join our limited beta program and start the. No survey approaching the scope and extent of domesday book was. It is our earliest public record, the foundation document of. The domesday book forms a remarkable record of the state of england in the mid1080s. One of the most researched books in the world, the domesday book is the. Great domesday contains most of the counties of england and was written by one scribe and checked by a second. Domesday book was a comprehensive survey and record of all the. From their power base in northern france, these transplanted vikings took over two kingdoms england and southern italy and played a leading role in the first crusade.

The domesday book is a record of an enormous survey carried out in england for king william i the conqueror, and it was completed in the year 1086. From these documents the kings clerks compiled a summary, which is domesday book. The saxon chronicle states that it took place in 1085, while other sources state that it was done in 1086. In the 20th century, historians grouped society into a set of ranks and responsibilities. Includes ebook edition of the dictionary of american history.

Some scholars consider the end of the eleventh century to be the age of the normans. In 1085 william the conqueror returned to england to deal. Domesday book covers all of england except the northern areas. A summary of the feudal system and the domesday book the feudal system was a way of organising people. The whole survey took less than a year to complete and the books can be found in the public records office. Generally speaking, a book is a secondary source of information.

Though invariably called domesday book, in the singular, it in fact consists of two volumes quite different from each other. 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. The book is an invaluable primary source for modern historians and historical economists. See references above for specific primary source references and then find the article in the dictionary of american history either print or ebook.