This is an analysis of the Domesday Book from the perspective of a surveyor and valuer. Most of the logistical problems encountered by the Domesday surveyors are universal. The main aim of this work is to calculate a timetable for the creation of the Domesday survey. In order to do so, it is necessary to analyze the text and to use ‘reverse engineering’ to determine the survey’s purpose, what data was collected, the volume of it and how it was used. Clearly, the purpose was fiscal because the text and the format of the data are not usable as either a land register or an estate management terrier. The data captured are much more narrowly based than usually acknowledged. It is land-based and excludes the built environment. It is not a complete record of either the agricultural workforce or livestock numbers. Logistics indicate that the survey could not have been fully completed within the year of 1086. It is highly likely that substantial preparatory work had been done before the Christmas meeting in 1085. The final version in a single hand could not have been completed before King William’s death in September 1087. The Domesday survey was a revaluation of the hidage assessment system using the same underlying concept and the same administrative machinery, but updating the data and adding monetary values. Although the survey provided a sound cadastre, it was never used to collect tax directly. It was therefore a fiscal failure.

Fifteen years in the making, a landmark reinterpretation of the life of a pivotal figure in British and European history In this magisterial addition to the Yale English Monarchs series, David Bates combines biography and a multidisciplinary approach to examine the life of a major figure in British and European history. Using a framework derived from studies of early medieval kingship, he assesses each phase of William’s life to establish why so many trusted William to invade England in 1066 and the consequences of this on the history of the so-called Norman Conquest after the Battle of Hastings and for generations to come. A leading historian of the period, Bates is notable for having worked extensively in the archives of northern France and discovered many eleventh- and twelfth-century charters largely unnoticed by English-language scholars. Taking an innovative approach, he argues for a move away from old perceptions and controversies associated with William’s life and the Norman Conquest. This deeply researched volume is the scholarly biography for our generation.

This 2001 book traces the history of the social Survey in Britain and the US, with two chapters on Germany and France. It discusses the aims and interests of those who carried out early surveys, and the links between the social survey and the growth of empirical social science.

"English Historical Documents is the most comprehensive, annotated collection of documents on British (not in reality just English) history ever compiled. Conceived during the Second World War with a view to ensuring the most important historical documents remained available and accessible in perpetuity, the first volume came out in 1953, and the most recent volume almost sixty years later. The print series, edited by David C. Douglas, is a magisterial survey of British history, covering the years 500 to 1914 and including around 5,500 primary sources, all selected by leading historians Editors. It has over the years become an indispensable resource for generations of students, researchers and lecturers. EHD is now available in its entirety online. Bringing EHD into the digital age has been a long and complex process. To provide you with first-rate, intelligent searchability, Routledge have teamed up with the Institute of Historical Research (one of the research institutes that make up the School of Advanced Study, University of London http://www.history.ac.uk) to produce EHD Online. The IHR's team of experts have fully indexed the documents, using an exhaustive historical thesaurus developed by the Royal Historical Society for its Bibliography of British and Irish History. The sources include treaties, statutes, declarations, government and cabinet proceedings, military dispatches, orders, acts, sermons, newspaper articles, pamphlets, personal and official letters, diaries and more. Each section of documents and many of the documents themselves are accompanied by editorial commentary. The sources cover a wide spectrum of topics, from political and constitutional issues to social, economic, religious as well as cultural history."--[Résumé de l'éditeur].

This is an updated and expanded edition of a classic introduction to medieval England from the reign of William the Conqueror to Edward I. Includes a new chapter on family and gender roles, revisions throughout to enhance the narrative flow, and further reading sections containing the most up-to-date sources Offers engaging and clear discussion of the key political, economic, social, and cultural issues of the period, by an esteemed scholar and writer Illustrates themes with lively, pertinent examples and important primary sources Assesses the reigns of key Norman, Angevin, and Plantagenet monarchs, as well as the British dimension of English history, the creation of wealth, the rise of the aristocracy, and more