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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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Documentary Evidence
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Documentary evidence is another name for written records. The first written records in Britain date back to the Roman period. Documentary evidence can take many different forms, including maps, charters, letters and written accounts.
When archaeologists are researching a site, they often start by looking at documentary evidence to see if there are clues that will help them understand what they might find. Documentary evidence can help archaeologists understand sites that are discovered during an excavation, field survey or aerial survey.
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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.
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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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CHURCH *
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A building used for public Christian worship. Use more specific type where known.
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ALMSHOUSE *
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A house devoted to the shelter of the poor and endowed by a benefactor for this use.
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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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STRUCTURE *
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A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type.
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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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MARKET PLACE *
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An area, often consisting of widened streets or a town square, where booths and stalls may be erected for public sales.
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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)
