Saturday, December 22, 2007

A very merry Christams

Link
Not a very christmasy image but I find it striking non the less. It is from the Domesday book
Domesday you say?
It was written by an observer of the survey that "there was no single hide nor a yard of land, nor indeed one ox nor one cow nor one pig which was left out". The grand and comprehensive scale on which the Domesday survey took place (see How it was compiled), and the irreversible nature of the information collected led people to compare it to the Last Judgement, or 'Doomsday', described in the Bible, when the deeds of Christians written in the Book of Life were to be placed before God for judgement. This name was not adopted until the late 12th Century.

dottedbar.gif - 224 Bytes

I find myself torn on my views of this document.
From an historical perspective it is a truly unique and valuable tool in creating a true snap shot of what life was like in the 11th century. As well as having a baseline of info to compare to where we are now.
On the other hand it was the first time in western history where the individual started to loose a part a their privacy. Not to mention being tied to a "fair" tax system.

Bill was a bit of a dick in many ways I guess.

Anyway off topic! Have a safe and happy holiday. Get lots of rest and listen to your parents. They know better because they had a chance to screw it up first.

No comments: