Family names in the domesday book

The domesday book also known as domesday, or book of winchester was a record of all taxable land in england, together with such information as would indicate its worth. The domesday book was compiled on the orders of william the conquerer to catalogue the ownership and value of land in the newly. Domesday extracts online service offering high quality prints and pdfs of domesday book for your chosen settlement. They were handtyped on an ibm selectric typewriter, then photocopied for distribution. He pursued a career in international relations at geneva, switzerland and earned a doctorate from basel university. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesdayi. T he domesday book is the result of a record made at the time of william the conquerors survey of england in 1086.

Click on a county name on the map to continue, or use the list of links below it. The domesday book was commissioned by william the conqueror in 1086 because william wanted to know exactly what he had conquered and therefore how much tax revenue danegeld he could raise. The place name, which was formerly pronounced locally as burlington, is recorded in domesday book as bretlinton estate old english tun associated with a man called berhtel. Domesday book simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Local historians have been able to use the domesday book to reveal the history of local settlements, whilst for genealogists have been able to use the domesday book for tracing back the family tree for many individuals. It is the starting point of recorded history for the majority of english villages and towns which are organized by county. The world of domesday exhibition depicts life in 11th century england. Over time, i have grown to not see this as issue number five of the old domesday book but, the first issue of a new.

The female names below appeared in the open domesday database just once, except where noted. Worthington name meaning, family history, family crest. In the 11th century, surnames were still in a state of flux and many people still did not have what we would consider a surname. May 22, 2014 he studied at princeton and holds an m. Many modern scholars consider the work to be a record of england, the document is also known as the doomsday book. We looked at names from king henry iiis fine rolls th century a couple of weeks ago, so now lets go back a bit further and look at names from the domesday book 11th century. The name domesday book, commonly applied from the 12th century ce, may derive from doom, the term for a customary law in anglosaxon england, or be a reference to the day of judgement, referred to in the bibles book of revelation, reminding that the records in domesday book were final and could not be disputed. Detailed though the domesday records are, it must be said that it is very difficult, in most cases, to trace a descent from a domesday tenant. With william in 1066 came ansculf and his brother giles ghilo from picquigny in picardy in northern france our earliest known ancestors. Most of the names that appear are those of landowners. Domesday book sources for research in english genealogy. He is among the few who are documented as having fought for william the conqueror at the battle of hastings in 1066.

The name threston is a variation of the name of the town of threxton, norfolk, uk, and, there are several variations of the name threxton including. Domesday book is not a census and does not contain the names of everyone living in late 11th century england. It was ordered by william the conqueror the winner of the recent battle of hastings so that william could determine how much money in taxes he could raise and to give william a better sense of the territory he had just conquered. This place, anciently called worthinton, was allotted, soon after the domesday survey, to albert. Doomsday book is a 1992 science fiction novel by american author connie willis. The domesday book is a great land survey from 1086, commissioned by william the conqueror to assess the extent of the land and resources being owned in england at the time, and the extent of the taxes he could raise. Can i buy a copy of the british 1086 domesday book of. There are 763 domesday book families and 1215 families prospectively dating back to domesday book. The surname worthington was first found in lancashire at worthington. It is interesting to note that the domesday book compiled by the commissioners of william the conqueror in 1086, is named from the old english domes daeg i. As a surname, the first recording may be that of henry gladewine in the winton rolls. Note that the same name is not necessarily the same person. Gladwin family crest, coat of arms and name history.

The name domesday book middle english for doomsday book came into use in the 12th century. Possible bowles ancestor references in the domesday book of 1086 back to the norman origin of the bolles of swineshead. He has published books on the history of religions and the development of languages. The majority of these still exist in some form today. Domesday book is a detailed survey and valuation of landed property in england. Conceived by william i, but probably to some extent based on preconquest administrative records, it was the most comprehensive assessment of property and land ever undertaken in medieval europe. Commercial site with extracts from domesday book domesday book entries including translations for each settlement. Domesday book 1086 the middle ages encompass one of the most exciting periods in english history. For a while, it seemed that domesday was dead and had passed into history. Domesday book contains some 45,000 personal names, many of them duplications since tenants in chief held land in several counties. Origin, meaning, family history and gladwin coat of arms and family crest. Domesday 1986 now available online, after a long effort to save it from outdated videodiscs, the bbc domesday project aimed to record the state of britain 900 years after the original domesday survey. To see full names of counties hold your mouse over the name.

Bates, a bibliography of domesday book woodbridge, 1986 v. As expected, the domesday book shows us that the areas where there is a greater number of occurrences of scandinavian place names elements are those within the danelaw, and, in general, where scandinavian settlement was the strongest, during the 8th, 9th and 10th century. Domesday book place name forms all the original spellings of english place names in domesday book link to pdf file. When it was kept at the royal treasury, domesday book was called as roll of winchester or book of winchester. Surnames mentioned in the domesday book british surnames. The national archives is the home of domesday book, the oldest surviving public record.

Mar 14, 20 the domesday book has also provided valuable information on both the geography and the demographics of britain at the time. Dictionary of american family names 20, oxford university press. This web page shows only a small excerpt of our venner research. The name was noted in the famous domesday book of the year 1086 when landholders in both lincolnshire and staffordshire were shown as gladuin and gladuine. I have replaced the medial s with a short s to make the lists more readable. The novel won both the hugo and nebula awards, and was shortlisted for other awards. The king and his family held about 17 per cent of the land, bishops and.

The domesday book online contents of the domesday book. All of the products sold by were researched and created by swyrich corp. The domesday book was compiled on the orders of william the conquerer to catalogue the ownership and value of land in the newly conquered territories of england. The domesday book or, colloquially, domesday is the expression used since the late twelfth century to refer to the record of the great inquisition or survey of the lands of england, their extent, value, ownership, and liabilities, made by order of william the conqueror in 1086. It is the record of a survey which, according to the anglosaxon chronicle, william the conqueror ordered to be taken at christmas 1085. Domesday book is the earliest, and by far the most famous, english public record. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of lands within chester, held by raoul le veneur, baron of chester and warrington, from hugh lupus, who was recorded in the domesday book census of 1086. Scandinavian elements found in the domesday book english.

Hallam, domesday book through nine centuries london, 1986 a survey of how the domesday book has been used since its composition, and how antiquarians and historians have viewed the record. The anglosaxon name worthington comes from when the family resided in lancashire at worthington, a parish of standish, union of wigan, hundred of leyland early origins of the worthington family. Female names in the domesday book nancys baby names. Moreover, it appears likely that most of us including the present monarchy had common ancestors prior to about. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of reginald domesday, which was dated 1297, in the pipe rolls of norfolk, during the reign of king edward 1, known as the hammer of the scots, 1272 7. Galbraith, the making of domesday book oxford, 1961 e. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. If you would like to create a wiki subpage for a particular family name, with historical information and also other shared information about that particular family, please do so and link it to the name on this page. Im working on the several ancestral families, which keeps expanding as they intermarried. Domesday book, the original record or summary of william is survey of england.

The survey was ordered by william the conqueror at christmas 1085 and undertaken the following year. A snapshot of several hundred family names that delves into their beginnings and derivations, making extensive use of old sources, including translations of the domesday book and the anglosaxon chronicles, as well as tracing many through the centuries to the present day. If you also leave out the churches as tenants and the surviving english tenants, fewer than 20,000 names remain, and about 8,000 of those are identified by forename alone. In 1783, there were two volumes of domesday book published. The publishers will make available a 5 volume series of books on the domesday book families in may 2014. The domesday book is the record of the great survey of much of england, and parts of wales, completed in 1086, done for william i of england, or william the conqueror the domesday book also known as domesday, or book of winchester was a record of all taxable land in england, together with such information as would indicate its worth. The domesday series is a series of historical mystery novels by welsh author edward marston keith miles. Please indicate the name of geni researchers or curators working on each family, and bold these names that are being researched. One of the most important historical events of the medieval era is the domesday book. The domesday book is the record of the great survey of much of england, and parts of wales, completed in 1086, done for william i of england, or william the conqueror. Domesday definition and meaning collins english dictionary. The domesday book records details of a survey of land ownership and taxation. This page simply records all owner names mentioned in domesday book.

The total reaches about 2000 families which are covered in these volumes. The name domesday book was not adopted until the late 12th century. The conqueror and his companions extensive information on many of those who arrived in england with william in 1066, and became the most powerful landowners in the domesday book. The books follow ralph delchard and gervase bret, who are two officials who have been commissioned by william the conqueror william i of england to look into some inconsistencies that have arisen while compiling the domesday book. Please note that modern place names may cover land that belonged to more. Domesday book is a detailed survey and valuation of landed property in england at the end of the 11th century. The original 11th century ce name seems to have been more. Commissioned by william the conqueror in the year 1085 and finished in 1086, the book is a superb example of thorough and speedy administration, unequaled by any other project undertaken during the middle ages. The domesday book edit edit source the domesday book online, derbyshire what is the domesday book. The surname of threston is english in origin, and, means to twist and, can be traced as far back as the 11th century where the name is found in the domesday book. Families of the domesday book occupied him for 25 years.

I have transcribed all names exactly as they appear in my sources with one exception. Derbyshire land and property genealogy familysearch wiki. Doomsday book domesday the domesday book is a survey of england that was conducted by william i the conquer. Domesday book contains some 45,000 personal names, many of them duplications since tenantsinchief held land in several counties. The name domesday book is therefore a function of its awesome reputation among the english. From the domesday book it is more difficult to assess whether the ancestors of early people who bore the title lord or baron audley were normans who came over with william or saxons who adopted norman ways and names to fit in with their overlords. Sawyer, ma assistant in history in the university of edinburgh domesday book is important not only for historians but also for students of english place names. The first volume great domesday contains the final summarized record of all the counties surveyed except essex, norfolk, and suffolk. This document is quite remarkable because it is comprised of such a large amount of detail. Domesday is now available online, and you can search for your town or village, and download images of domesday along with an english translation of the entry. This first english census, considered by some as the most remarkable administrative accomplishment of the middle ages, provides a record of. The use of family names is common in most cultures around the world, with each culture having its own rules as to how these names are formed, passed and used. Surnames and their origins medieval names archive collection of articles on english and foreign surnames and. By contemporaries the whole operation was known as the description of england, but the popular name domesday i.

Domesday book the domesday book was a survey designed to record everything that people owned in england. Surnames became necessary when governments began demanding personal taxes from its citizens. There are some 418 towns and villages recorded in the domesday book, covering 40 of the old counties of england. Kivrin engle, the main character, says that her recording is a record of life in the middle ages, which is what william the conquerors survey turned out to be. Many historians have argued it was all about the landtax, known as the geld. At the time of the domesday survey, he held extensive lands in counties, including the rape of. Domesday was not for this span of time to pass between issues. It invokes the day of judgment described in the book of revelation. Its a land survey, compiled in 1086, that covered much of england and parts of wales. The title of the book refers to the domesday book of 1086. In 1773, the government tried to publish domesday book for public.