Download The Domesday Book

The Domesday Book
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What it was like living in England after the Norman Conquest? How would you feel if a foreign king had overthrown national troops and, not only taken the throne, but also brought
his own people in to take all the best jobs and to keep us under control? How did William
keep control? In the aftermath of the Norman Conquest, most of the English did not want William
as their monarch. His methods of controlling them included crushing revolts, building strong castles
and finding out what everybody owned through the Domesday survey so he could enforce laws and
taxes. Using whatever resources you can, answer the following questions:
1. Why was the Domesday Book produced?
2. How was the Domesday survey undertaken?
3. Give examples of the types of things that were recorded in the Domesday Book.
4. Find a sample question from the Domesday Book.
5. How did the Norman official make sure that the answers were honest?
6. What were the questions designed to find out?
7. What details are missing from the Domesday Book?
8. What language was used to write Domesday Book?
9. How many scribes wrote the Domesday Book?
10. What were the advantages of the Domesday Book for William?
11. Why might the Domesday Book not give an accurate picture of life in medieval times?
12. What might a modern Domesday Book ask? Think of three questions that would be useful
today and consider what they might tell people in the future about the way we live now.
http://education.hodge.continuumbooks.com © Susie Hodge (2010)
Resources for Teaching History 11–14. London: Continuum.