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Domesday Book
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The Domesday Book was commissioned in December 1085 by William the Conqueror, who invaded England in 1066. It contains records for about 13,000 medieval settlements in the English counties south of the rivers Ribble and Tees (the border with Scotland at the time). The Domesday Book is a detailed record of the lands and their resources that belonged to the king. It also records the identity of the landholders and their tenants.
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Test Pit
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A small, exploratory excavation that helps archaeologists to find out how deep below the ground surface the archaeological layers extend. They are also dug to discover whether the topsoil contains particular concentrations of artefacts. Test pits are dug before a large excavation to determine a site's depth and contents.
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Medieval
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1066 AD to 1539 AD (the 11th century AD to the 16th century AD)
The medieval period comes after the Saxon period and before the post medieval period.
The Medieval period begins in 1066 AD. This was the year that the Normans, led by William the Conqueror (1066 – 1087), invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in East Sussex. The Medieval period includes the first half of the Tudor period (1485 – 1603 AD), when the Tudor family reigned in England and eventually in Scotland too. The end of the Medieval period is marked by Henry VIII’s (1509 – 1547) order for the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the years running up to 1539 AD. The whole of this period is sometimes called the Middle Ages. more ->
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VILLAGE *
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A collection of dwelling-houses and other buildings, usually larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a simpler organisation and administration than the latter.
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SETTLEMENT *
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A small concentration of dwellings.
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MILL *
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A factory used for processing raw materials. Use more specific mill type where known. See also TEXTILE MILL, for more narrow terms.
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MARKET *
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An open space or covered building in which cattle, goods, etc, are displayed for sale.
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CHURCH *
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A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known.
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FAIR *
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A site where a periodical gathering of buyers, sellers and entertainers, meet at a time ordained by charter or statute or by ancient custom.
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MANOR *
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An area of land consisting of the lord's demesne and of lands from whose holders he may exact certain fees, etc.
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SPOIL HEAP *
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A conical or flat-topped tip of waste discarded from a mine or similar site.
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CHAPEL *
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A freestanding building, or a room or recess serving as a place of Christian worship in a church or other building. Use more specific type where known.
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HIDE *
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A shelter, sometimes camouflaged, for the observation of birds and animals at close quarters.
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MEADOW *
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A piece of grassland, often near a river, permanently covered with grass which is mown for use as hay.
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TOWN *
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An assemblage of public and private buildings, larger than a village and having more complete and independent local government.
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* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)