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Year 10
Edexcel

The significance of Domesday Book

I can explain the significance of Domesday Book.

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New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

The significance of Domesday Book

I can explain the significance of Domesday Book.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In 1085, William ordered a survey to detail the possessions of his new kingdom of England.
  2. The survey was compiled in 1086, and the two volumes of records became known as Domesday Book.
  3. Historians do not fully agree on the purpose, but Domesday Book gave William a very detailed account of landholding.
  4. Domesday may also have provided William with an accurate account of the tax and soldiers his new kingdom could provide.
  5. Domesday increased William’s royal authority: the capacity to seize and distribute lands, and to charge accordingly.

Common misconception

People think the survey and Domesday Book are one and the same thing.

In fact, the survey was ordered in 1085, and later compiled into what became known as Domesday Book.

Keywords

  • Survey - a survey is an examination of specific details, opinions, behaviour, etc., made by asking people questions

  • Manor - a manor is a unit of land overseen by a lord - a lord’s large manor house is also a feature

  • Geld - geld is the name of a tax traditionally used to defend England against (Viking) invasions

The Domesday Book is available online. Have students search for their local record to identify key details like who held the manor in 1066 and in 1085, the geld owed, and how many mills or enslaved people there were.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What language did the ruling elite speak following the Norman conquest?
Correct Answer: French, french
Q2.
How did the Norman conquest affect the economy of England?
It became entirely dependent on Normandy.
It led to a permanent decline.
Correct answer: It saw a brief dip but then recovered.
Q3.
What evidence is there of economic growth returning to England after the Norman conquest?
Correct answer: the construction of towns, castles and churches
the decline of the agricultural sector
the migration of skilled workers to France
Q4.
Complete this sentence: An example of continuity in Norman England’s society was that the majority of the population remained .
Correct Answer: peasants, Peasants
Q5.
Why was the introduction of Norman Forest laws unpopular?
They allowed unrestricted hunting for all classes.
Correct answer: They cleared villages to make way for the forests.
They increased taxes on the peasant population.
Correct answer: They restricted hunting for the general population.
Q6.
Which statement best reflects the Normans’ approach to Anglo-Saxon government systems?
They discarded all Anglo-Saxon government systems.
Correct answer: They kept many Anglo-Saxon government institutions.
They reverted to Viking (Danish) systems of government.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In which year did William order the survey that became Domesday Book?
1066
1075
Correct answer: 1085
1087
Q2.
Which of these were questions asked by the commissioners of the Great Survey?
Correct answer: How many hides of land are there?
Correct answer: Who owned the manor in the time of Edward the Confessor?
Correct answer: How much is the land worth now (in 1085)?
Correct answer: How many enslaved people work the land?
How many knights does the land support?
Q3.
Match the keywords to their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:survey,gathering specific details by asking people questions

gathering specific details by asking people questions

Correct Answer:manor,a unit of land overseen by a lord

a unit of land overseen by a lord

Correct Answer:geld,the name of a tax used to defend England against Viking attacks

the name of a tax used to defend England against Viking attacks

Q4.
Complete this sentence: in 1086 William summoned the tenants-in-chief to a grand ceremony where they paid .
Correct Answer: homage, Homage, fealty
Q5.
Domesday was commissioned at a time when England faced invasion from which country?
Correct Answer: Denmark, denmark
Q6.
Which of these do historians consider likely reasons why William ordered the Great Survey that became Domesday Book?
Correct answer: to settle legal disputes over land
Correct answer: to confirm what his tenants owed him in return for their land
to show how much Norman rule had benefitted the English
Correct answer: to help calculate the geld tax that could be raised to defend England
to replace the Anglo-Saxon way of gathering taxes with a new feudal system

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