National Republican., 1886-09-11
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER II.
Amusements.
ALBAuGHs-"In China"
THEMASAssAs sPANoRAMA-15ths st. Il Ohio av'
ROLLER CoAsTER-Athlctlc Park
Amusements.
rhe poomsdny celebration.


October, Of the present year, the SOOth an.
niversary Of the completion OF the Dooms-
day, or Domesday, Survey of England.
When William the Conqueror passed over
from Normandy in 1906 and took posses
sion OF Great Britain, he established In his
new dominion the military organization OF
Europe, which was known as the feudal
system. Being a great statesman and ad-
minstrator, as well as the first soldier OF
his time, he set about his work in perfectly
methodical way. The experience ofhis Nor
man duchy had taught him that the greatest
danger, in the administration OF England,
was to be apprehended from the powerful
noblemen who had accompanied his eX-
pedition, and whose power was practically
little inferior TO his own. According to
the gentle amenities of the time he
commenced by quitting out Of his
way the four greatest earls, and then com.
PEELED all the others, among whom he had
parceled out the English territory, to take
the oath OF fealty to himself personally.
Each earl, in his turn, let out his land to
members Of the inferior nobility, who each
swore fealty to the immediate lord, and
divided his portion Of the land among vas
sails and freemen Of various degrees, reserv-
ing certain privileges, which mainly con-
sisted of military service In time Of war and
certain fines to be paid on the marriage OF
a daughter or the knighthood of an eldest
son. Such duties and fines are now known
as stheincidents of feudalsm and readers who
care to understand something OF their prac-
tical operation will find the subject treated
with light hand in Sir Walter Scott's i'm
mortal "Iyanhoe." The prescribed form OF
oath which sternly bound the entire
population Of country to the
service Of the Norman adventurer
ran as follows: "Here, my lord" swore
each vassal, from the highest noble to the
meanest freeman, as kneellng ba-eheaded
and without arms, he placed his hands
within those OF his superior. ~ become
liege man of yours for life and limb and
earthly regard; and l will keep faith and
loyalty TO you for life and death, God help
me ~ Then the kiss OF his lord invested
him with land as "fef" to descend to him
and his heirs forever. In other countries
such vassal owed fealty TO his lord against
all foes, be they king, noble, or robber. By
the custom, however, which William estab-
lished in England, each subtenant, in ad-
dition to his oath of fealty to his immediate
lord, swore fealty directly to the crown,
and loyalty to the king was thus established
as the supreme and universal duty Of all
Englishmen.
But our amiable friend William was not
n ..,sNl 80 ANI,
state ceremonials. Each oath represented
certain portion OF land, and the king
hastened to make as accurate a survey as
his ministers and judges could procure of
the real and personal estate OF the country.
The results OF such examination were re-
corded In Domesday Book, so called from
IOmuS Dei--the house Of God-the name Of
a room in Winchester Cathedral where the
records were bestowed. This book, in two
volumes, was, according TO its own state
ment, completed in 1856 year before the
death of the conqueror. Its compilation
was a work of wonderful care and industry.
"Persons called the kings justlciaries Wis
tied in person or by deputy the greater part
OF the kingdom and obtained the requisite
particulars on oath from the sheriffs, lords
of manors, parish priests, reeves Of hun
dreds, bailiffs, and villelns Of each village"
The record, we are told, contained list
Of the bishops, religious houses, great men,
kings manors, kings tenants-in-chief and
under tenants, the particulars of the name
Of each place, its holder, its extent, with
extent OF wood, meadow, and pasture,
ponds and mills, quantity Of live stock,
value Of the whole, homages Of each man,
the number Of villeins and freemen, and
how much each freeman owned. 1t Is some
what remarkable that the record contain:
no account Of Winchester or London. The
census is OF very little value, like some Of
its modern namesakes. Only fourteen
hundred tenants-in-chief are mentioned
with eight thousand subtenants, and the
enrolled population Is represented by the
number 2s2, 242, little more than the popu-
lation OF Washington during congressional
session.
But numbers and size do not constitute
greatness or much stimulate interest. 0ul
present interest In the venerable Domesday
manuscript arises principally from the fact
that about three-6fths OF the population oi
the United States are descended from tn,
men whose names are inscribed In those
ancient records.
But to return to the celebration In DC
tober. The cOmmemoration will take tn
form partly OF a series OF meetings for tn
reading OF papers and the publication Of
volume of "Domesday Studies" and partl.
OF an exhibition Of manuscripts at the pub
lie record Office and the British museum
1t is proposed that the papers shall, as IA
as possible, deal with "Domesday Book" a
whole, but without excluding local in
Quiries which may lead by inference ant
comparison to results OF wider application
Later surveys and censuses may also be dis
cussed If they are in any way illustrative o
"Domesday BooR,n The following subjects
for papers have been proposed, and the
committee will be glad to receive the names
OF persons who will undertake to read
papers on these or any other analogous sub
jects; "The History Of the MSS. Of Domes-
day and Their Custody;n "The Purpose
Occasion, and Objects of the survey;'
"The Order OF the Compilation;n "Omls
siOns From Domesday;" "Geographica
Limit OF the Survey, and the Cause of th
Omissions Of Certain Districts" "Ancien
Demesne;" "The Boroughs and Cities;'
Changes in the Extent and Names o
Shires and IIundreds;n 'The Distribution
Ofsocage Tenure Throughout the Country;'
1The Lands Laid Waste In the North;'
sIndustrial Condition Of England;n "Pop
BlatiOn:n "The Church in Domesday;'
4FIba MaUnntps nf DOmeRday,U WThe Inv