What was the main purpose of the Domesday Book?

The story behind the answer

Commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1085–86, the survey cataloged who held which lands, what resources they contained, and how much they were worth. Entries list manors, tenants-in-chief and subtenants, arable acreage, plough teams, mills, fisheries, woodland, livestock, and assessed values in 1066 and 1086—data used to calculate royal dues and feudal obligations. It was about wealth and rights attached to land, not a headcount or a record of crimes.

Known as “Domesday” because its judgments were considered final—like Doomsday—it served as a definitive reference for royal administration and control after the Norman Conquest. Compiled into Great Domesday (most counties) and Little Domesday (Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk), it even omitted major cities like London and Winchester. Today it’s a goldmine for historians studying the medieval economy and society.