Domesday Book and Beyond: Three Essays in the Early History of England

Name: Domesday Book and Beyond: Three Essays in the Early History of England
Author: Frederic William Maitland

By Frederic William Maitland

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History - British History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)History - Medieval/Middle Ages

About This Book

The essays offer a close analysis of a large medieval land survey and its related records, using those returns to reconstruct taxation, landholding, and local jurisdiction. They classify rural populations (serfs, villeins, sokemen), examine the organization and size of vills and manors, explain geld taxation, soke and seignorial justice, and outline feudal tenure and military obligations. Emphasizing a retrogressive method from the record back to earlier institutions, the author integrates legal, fiscal, and topographical evidence to show how documentary detail illuminates social and administrative change.

About the Author

Frederic William Maitland

Frederic William Maitland was a prominent English legal historian and scholar, known for his significant contributions to the understanding of English law and its historical development. His work often focused on the intersection of law and society during the medieval period. Maitland's notable publications include "Domesday Book and Beyond: Three Essays in the Early History of England," where he explores the implications of the Domesday Book on English governance, and "English Law and the Renaissance," which examines the evolution of legal thought during a transformative era. His scholarship remains influential in the fields of legal history and medieval studies.