About

This is the first free online copy of Domesday Book. The site was built as a non-profit project by me, Anna Powell-Smith, using data created by Professor J.J.N. Palmer and a team at the University of Hull.

I'm on Twitter at @darkgreener, or you can mail me: anna [at] opendomesday.org (sorry, but I can't help with genealogical research).

What is Domesday Book?

Domesday Book was a detailed survey of land holdings and resources in England in AD 1086. It is one of the most important historical records ever made. It was commmissioned by William I of England in winter 1085. Learn more at the Hull Domesday Project.

How was this site created?

During the 1990s, Professor J.J.N. Palmer and a team at the University of Hull geocoded and standardised each entry in Domesday, to create the Domesday Explorer CD-ROM. The project was funded by the AHRC, and assisted by an English translation of Domesday provided by Phillimore & Co.

In 2011, I stumbled across the Hull data files online, and used them to make this site and its maps.

What is a manor? Was does "waste" mean? (etc)

Check the Hull Domesday Project's excellent guide to terminology.

Can I get a copy of the data?

Yes! The raw Domesday data is hosted by Hull University, under a CC-NC-BY-SA licence.

Can I copy the folio images?

Yes. They're available under the CC-BY-SA licence, which essentially means that you can use them for commercial and non-commercial projects, but please credit Professor John Palmer, George Slater and opendomesday.org.