Doomsday Book Census

The Domesday book is England's most famous and earliest surviving public record. It is a highly detailed survey and valuation of all the land and resources held by the King and his chief tenants in late 11th century England. The survey was a massive enterprise, and the record of that survey, Domesday Book, was a remarkable achievement. There is nothing like it in England until the censuses of the 19th century.

Among other interesting facts, the BBC is reporting that the Book can still be used today in court for property disputes. The whole value of the places originally surveyed was £78,000; the value today is £3 trillion.

"Of the 13,418 places named, almost all are still occupied but not as they were. Birmingham, for example, was merely a village, and Hampstead was valued at 5 shillings. We can still relate to, and trace, not only the place names but also those of people. Contrary to myth, not all of the country was forested â€" indeed, as much was under cultivation as in the 19th Century." (Alecto Publications)

Thanks to Slashdot