DOMESDAY or Doomsday Book, a most ancient record, made in the time of William the Conqueror, and containing a survey of all the lands of England. It consists of two volumes, namely, a greater and a less. The first is a large folio, written on 382 double pages of vellum, in a small but plain character, each page having a double column. Some of the capital letters and principal passages are touched with red ink, and some have strokes of red ink run across them, as if scratched out. This volume contains the description of thirty-one counties. The other volume is in quarto, written upon 450 double pages of vellum, but in a single column, and in a large but very fair character. It contains the counties of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, part of the county of Rutland, included in that of Northampton, and part of Lancashire, in the counties of York and Chester.

This work, according to the red book in the exchequer, was begun by order of William the Conqueror, with the advice of his parliament, in the year 1080, and completed in the year 1086. The reason given for taking this survey, as assigned by several ancient records and historians, was, that every man should be satisfied with his own right, and not usurp with impunity what belonged to another. But besides this, it is stated by others, that all those who possessed landed estates now became vassals to the king, and paid him so much money by way of fee or homage, in proportion to the lands they held; a circumstance which appears very probable, as there was at that time extant a general survey of the whole kingdom, made by order of King Alfred.

For the execution of this survey recorded in Domesday-book, commissioners were sent into every county and shire, and juries summoned in each hundred, out of all orders of freemen, from barons down to the lowest farmers. These commissioners were to» be informed by the inhabitants, upon oath, of the name of each manor and that of its owner, also by whom it was held in the time of Edward the Confessor; the number of hides; the quantity of wood, of pasture, and of meadow land; how many ploughs were in the demesne, and how many in the tenanted part of it; how many mills, and how many fish-ponds or fisheries belonged,to it; the value of the whole in the time of King Edward, as well as when granted by King William, and at the time of this survey; and also whether it was capable of improvement or of being advanced in value. They were likewise directed to return the tenants of every degree, the quantity of lands then and formerly held by each of them, what was the number of villeins or slaves, and also the number and kinds of their cattle and live stock. These inquisitions being first methodized in the county, were afterwards sent up to the king’s exchequer.

This survey, at the time when it was made, gave great offence to the people, and occasioned a suspicion that it was intended for some new impost. But notwithstanding all the precaution taken by the Conqueror to have the survey faithfully and impartially executed, it appears that a false return was given in by some of the commissioners, probably, as is alleged, from a pious motive. This was particularly the case with the abbey of Croyland in Lincolnshire, the possessions of which were greatly underrated, both with regard to quantity and value. Perhaps more of these pious frauds were discovered, as it is said Ralph Flambard, minister to William Rufus, proposed [7:8:100]making a fresh and more rigorous inquisition; but this was never carried into operation.

Notwithstanding the proof of its falsehood in some instances, which must throw a suspicion on all others, the authority of Domesday-book was never permitted to be called in question; and when it has been necessary to distinguish whether lands were held in ancient demesne or in any other manner, recourse was al ways-had to Domesday-book, and to it only, in order to determine the doubt. From this definitive authority, from which, as from the sentence pronounced at domesday, or the day of judgment, there could be no appeal, the name of the book is said to have been derived. But Stowe assigns another reason for this appellation, namely, that Domesday-book is a corruption of “domus Dei book ;” a title given it because heretofore it was deposited in the king’s treasury, in a place of the church of Westminster or Winchester called domus Dei. From the great care formerly taken to preserve this survey, we may learn the estimation in which it was held. In the dialogue de Sacrariis it is said, Liber ille (meaning Domesday-book) sigilli regis comes est individuus in thesauro. Until latterly it has been kept under three different locks and keys; one in custody of the treasurer, and the others in that of the two chamberlains of the exchequer. It is now deposited in the chapter-house at Westminster, where it may be consulted, on paying to the proper officers a fee of six-and-eightpence for a search, and fourpence per line for the matter transcribed from it.

Besides the two volumes above mentioned, there is also a third made by order of the same king, and which differs from the others in form rather than in matter. There is likewise a fourth, which is kept in the exchequer, and which, though a very large volume, is only an abridgment of the others. In the remembrancer’s office in the exchequer there is kept a fifth book, also called Domesday, which is the same with the fourth book already mentioned. King Alfred had a roll which he called Domesday; and the Domesday-book made by William the Conqueror referred to the time of Edward the Confessor, as that of King Alfred did to the time of Ethelred. As the fourth book of Domesday had many pictures and gilt letters in the beginning, relating to the time of King Edward the Confessor, this led some into an opinion altogether erroneous, namely, that Domesday-book was composed in the reign of King Edward.