Doomsday Book

Domesday Book is one of the most famous historical records held by The National Archives. It was written over nine hundred years ago under the orders of King William the Conqueror. William wanted to know how much his kingdom was worth and how much taxation he could command. The result is a detailed survey of the land held by the king and his people,

As of the 4"h August Domesday Book, the oldest public record held at The National Archives, is brought into the 21st century through Domesday Online, the organisation's latest digitisation project.

Through this venture, The National Archives hopes people will take the opportunity to visit Domesday Book from the comfort of their own homes, and learn more about this iconic document.

The most exciting element of the project is that the public can now search the Book by name of town, city or village. For a small fee (£3.50) it is also possible to purchase a copy of the original page featuring the place name and a translation of the entry into modem English.

The website, provided by The National Archives' Documents Online service, also contains useful information about the history of this 920-year-old document. It was commissioned in 1085 by William I who conquered England after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

In 2005 it was voted the nation's finest treasure, yet a recent survey revealed that less than 1% of the population have actually been to see the original in The National Archives' museum.