Patriot Heart
08-05-2006, 10:00 AM
I think this sounds fascinating.
Domesday a click away
By Jill Lawless
ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 5, 2006
LONDON -- The Middle Ages met the Internet age yesterday when the Domesday Book -- a survey of England conducted almost 1,000 years ago -- was put online.
The book, a record of the people and lands ruled by William the Conqueror, is the oldest record held by Britain's National Archives and one of the country's most valuable documents. Now anyone with an Internet connection can -- for a fee -- download copies of handwritten records that provide a picture of life in the 11th century.
SNIP
The Domesday Book was compiled on the orders of William I, who became England's king when he defeated the Saxon king, Harold, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In 1085, he ordered a survey to determine the taxable value of his kingdom.
Officials fanned out across England to assess who owned the land and what was on it. The result is a detailed record that lists more than 13,000 places. Farmland, woodland, meadows, pastures, mills and fisheries are enumerated; there are estimates of the number of freemen, indentured peasants and slaves on each estate.
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060805-120956-1910r
Domesday a click away
By Jill Lawless
ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 5, 2006
LONDON -- The Middle Ages met the Internet age yesterday when the Domesday Book -- a survey of England conducted almost 1,000 years ago -- was put online.
The book, a record of the people and lands ruled by William the Conqueror, is the oldest record held by Britain's National Archives and one of the country's most valuable documents. Now anyone with an Internet connection can -- for a fee -- download copies of handwritten records that provide a picture of life in the 11th century.
SNIP
The Domesday Book was compiled on the orders of William I, who became England's king when he defeated the Saxon king, Harold, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. In 1085, he ordered a survey to determine the taxable value of his kingdom.
Officials fanned out across England to assess who owned the land and what was on it. The result is a detailed record that lists more than 13,000 places. Farmland, woodland, meadows, pastures, mills and fisheries are enumerated; there are estimates of the number of freemen, indentured peasants and slaves on each estate.
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060805-120956-1910r