Domesday Book: William the Conqueror's Great Survey

In 1085, William the Conqueror ordered a survey so comprehensive that his subjects called it the 'Day of Judgment' — Domesday. This episode digs into how the Domesday Book was created, what it recorded, and why it remains one of medieval Europe's most extraordinary documents. Lucas and Luna explore the logistics of the survey, the commissioners who rode across England, the categories of land and people (from king to slave), and the lingering mysteries — like why London and Winchester were left out. They also touch on the human cost: the fear and resentment the survey provoked, and how Domesday fixed a Norman feudal order onto a conquered Anglo-Saxon landscape. With specific examples from the text — like the village of West Stow or the city of Norwich — they show how Domesday lets us hear the voices of 11th-century English men and women, from thegns to cottars. A vivid look at the birth of English bureaucracy, one that still echoes in taxation and land records today. #DomesdayBook #WilliamTheConqueror #NormanConquest #1086 #MedievalEngland #GreatSurvey #TerraRegis #AngloSaxonEngland #LittleDomesday #GreatDomesday #ExeterDomesday #FeudalSystem #MedievalBureaucracy #EnglishHistory #Cottar #WestStow #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo