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THE CORNWALL DOMESDAY AND GELD INQUEST. 



Part L — The Inquisitio Geldi from the Exeter Domesday Book. 



By H. Michell Whitley, F.G.S., Hon. Mem. R.I.C., and Hon. Sec. 



Sussex Archseological Society. 



The increasing interest that is felt in the study of Domesday 

 Book, and of the various matters on which it throws light, has 

 caused many County Archaeological Societies to undertake the 

 translation, and publication, of the portions of the work 

 relating to their own districts ; and (amongst them) the Devonshire 

 Association has printed an admirably arranged extension and 

 translation of the Geld Inquest, and the Exeter, and Exchequer 

 Domesday Books, relating to that County. The following paper 

 contains a translation of the Greld Roll for Cornwall on the 

 same plan as that so carefully carried out for Devon. 



In the year 1085, at Midwinter the King held his Court at 

 G-loucester, there he "had very deep speech with his witan about 

 this land, how it was peopled or by what men ; then sent he his 

 men over all England, into every shire, and caused to be ascer- 

 tained how many hundred hides were in the shire, or what land 

 the King himself had, and cattle within the land, or what dues 

 he ought to have in twelvemonths from the shire. Also he 

 caused to be written how much land his archbishops had, and 

 his suffragan bishops, and abbots, and his earls ; and — though I 

 may narrate somewhat prolixly, — what or how much each man 

 had who was a holder of land in England, in land, or in cattle, 

 and how much money it might be worth. So very narrowly he 

 caused it to be traced out, that there was not one single hide, nor 

 one yard of land, nor even, it is shame to tell, though it seemed 

 to him no shame to do, an ox, nor a cow, nor a swine was left, 

 that was not set down in his writ. And all the writings were 

 brought to him afterwards."^ 



The result of this survey was Domesday Book, or as it will 

 be termed in these pages the Exchequer Domesday, to 

 distinguish it from the Exeter Domesday. 



1 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle B Thorpe (Rolls Series), Vol. 11, p. 186. 



