Features
How come William the Conqueror ended up ruling us anyway? Find out here. We decipher a sample of the text, dip a toe into the politics of census-taking, and recall what other legacies the Norman invasion bequeathed us
1066 and All That...
The Norman Conquest was a grisly tale of treachery, deception and intrigue. But why and how did it happen?
Analysis of an Extract
LXXXIII Land of Grim the reeve: In Bowers Grim has 2 hides in which [there] was 1 plough and 2 slaves TRE, now [there] are 2 ploughs in demesne and the men [have] half a plough and [there are] 3 villans, 6 bordars, 3 slaves. [There is] pasture for 100 sheep. And of these 2 hides, 1 is from men [who] forfeited [it] to the king, which G[rim] added to his other land after the arrival of the king, through R[obert] fitzWymarc, the sheriff, as G[rim] says. And all this was worth 40s. TRE; now 50.
The Politics of Census-Taking
The nine centuries separating us from the Domesday Book make it seem so very uncontroversial, don’t they? It doesn’t exactly make you think of Police States, and worries about Big Brother, and privacy laws, and ID card debates, does it? And yet imagine if the Government today was to announce that it was planning to assemble a super-database – not just of who we are but also, crucially, of what we all owned? What do you reckon the tabloid press would say to that?
Influence of the Normans
In the year 1066, the Anglo-Saxon rulers of England were overthrown and replaced by new invaders, the Normans. By the end of the year, the old king was gone and the fate of the country had been changed for ever. But what did the Normans do for England? Here are just a few examples…
Interview: Historian Dan Snow
Historian Dan Snow talks to ICONS about the Domesday Book, and his own recent TV documentary "Who Owns Britain?".
Ten things...
So you've heard of the Domesday Book… of course you have! But how many of these strange facts do you know?
