Domesday Book

Domesday Book, inventory of most of the land and property in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror (completed in 1086), giving the Norman overlords of the newly conquered country a basis for local control and taxation. Today it is an important source for historians interested in the period before and after the Norman Conquest. The book records not only the value of the land, but also the number of livestock and serfs in each locality.

See also: Norman Conquest; William.