DOMESDAY MAP is a website that is attempting to bring to the internet the first ever online copy of the Domesday Book of 1086.
Twenty years after the Norman Conquest of 1066, William the Conqueror ordered the Domesday Inquest. Its purpose was to discover how his conquered territories were occupied, and with what sort of people, how much each had, and how much it was worth. He wanted to know what land or livestock existed, and crucially for William what taxes he ought to have each year!
The resulting Domesday Book was the first ever record of life in England and has been the primary source for several centuries of English history.
The Domesday Map website declares that it is a project “in its very early stages”. They have created a map of the settlements shown in the Domesday Book. You can search for places near you, and see their population, size and owners in 1086.
Hedon is not mentioned in the Domesday Book. It is possible that it was specifically created by the Normans as a port for Holderness. Another suggestion is that the settlement was included under another name – perhaps one of those listed below.
There are 12 settlements in this area included in the Domesday Book (click each entry to visit the Domesday Map website):
Newton [Garth]
Preston
Nuthill
Thorn[gumbald]
Paull
Camerton [Hall]
Skeckling
Burstwick
[Paull] Holme
Marfleet
[South] Skirlaugh
Bilton
If you are interested in helping to translate the text for your local area, then Domesday Map invites you to get in touch.
Note: The Domesday Book was transcribed and geocoded during the 1990s by a team led by Professor John Palmer at the University of Hull. The Domesday Map website was built in 2010 using that freely available academic data.
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