This site has a RESTful API, which supports geographical queries. (I wrote this back when we still thought APIs were useful.)
If you just want the raw data that powers this site, the latest version can always be found at the University of Hull.
By default, information is returned as JSON.
The current version of the API is 1.0. If I change the API functions, I'll increase the version number and update the URLs accordingly, so you can still use the old version.
I don't currently require an API key. Be aware this might change if for some reason the API gets lots of traffic.
Please get in touch with any feedback on the API.
PlacesNear: returns places within a radius (in km) of a given point, or places within a bounding box. Uses WGS84 coordinates. Examples:
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/placesnear?lat=52.5&lng=1.0&radius=10
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/placesnear?s=52.4&w=0.9&n=52.5&e=1.0
Place: returns one place by ID. The location field contains WGS84 coordinates, and
places usually have associated manors, hundreds, and counties. Example:
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/place/20086
Manor: returns one manor by ID. The manor is the central concept in our Domesday data:
roughly, it is "a reference to a single place in a single entry of Domesday". You'll find most
population, economic and livestock statistics here. Example:
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/manor/20385
Image: returns manors listed in each image. Query by county code and page number. Example:
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/image/sts/06
Hundred: returns all hundreds or one hundred by ID. Queries for an individual hundred
also return associated places.
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/hundred
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/hundred/forehoe
Area: returns all areas or one area by ID. Queries for an individual area
also return associated places.
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/area
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/area/isle-of-wight
County: returns all counties or one county by ID. Queries for an individual county also return associated places.
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/county
http://opendomesday.org/api/1.0/county/nfk