The Book Of Judgement
Written by Studio AM.
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About twenty years after conquering England, William I ordered a survey of land and resources. Officials traveled through each surveyed shire, or county, and asked who had held each estate before the conquest, who held it now, how many plough teams and mills it supported, and what it was worth. Local juries supplied answers that officials compared and recorded in abbreviated Latin. Ordered in 1085 and carried out in 1086, the survey covered much of England, though some northern areas and major towns were omitted.
The resulting record later became known as Domesday Book. In the twelfth century, royal official Richard fitz Nigel explained the name by comparing the record's authority with the finality of the Day of Judgement. His account shows the force the book carried in later administration; it does not let us recover every subject's reaction to the original survey.
Historians debate the survey's exact purposes. It recorded resources relevant to taxation and landholding after major transfers of property, including confiscation following the conquest. These uses could reinforce one another. Information about who controlled an estate also helped establish who owed duties to the king.
The survey made land, labor, and resources more legible to central government. Officials could consult a detailed record when assessing wealth or resolving claims. Its value lay not merely in gathering information, but in organizing that information so it could support royal authority.
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Questions
Choose an answer. The explanation appears after you answer.
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Question 1 of 4
Which statement best states the main idea?
The answer is C: A detailed land survey helped royal government assess resources and support its authority.
The passage connects the survey method with taxation, landholding, and the authority of a central record.
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Question 2 of 4
According to the passage, where did the officials get their answers?
The answer is A: from juries of local men, checked against other juries
The opening says local juries supplied answers that officials compared and recorded.
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Question 3 of 4
What can Richard fitz Nigel's explanation of the name tell us?
The answer is B: That the record had strong authority in later royal administration.
The comparison with final judgement concerns the record's later authority, not a direct survey of everyone's feelings.
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Question 4 of 4
What does “legible” mean here?
The answer is B: able to be seen and understood clearly
The organized record made land and resources easier for officials to understand and use.
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