The Boldon Book (also known as the Boldon Buke) contains the results of a survey of the bishopric of Durham that was completed on the orders of Hugh du Puiset,

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

, in 1183, designed to assist the administration of the vast diocesan estates. The survey was similar to that of the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

in the previous century, covering the bishop's lands in what was to become County Durham and other parts of the north east of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

that, following the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...

, were liable to tax by the Prince-Bishop of Durham and not taxed directly by the King of England. It is the first survey undertaken north of the River Tees, where the king's authority was never more than nominal. Like the Domesday Book it is a ''custumal account'' listing the labour, money and produce owed by standing custom to the Bishop. The areas of North Durham (

Norhamshire Norhamshire was an exclave of County Durham in England. It was first mentioned in 995, when it formed part of the lands of the priory at Lindisfarne. When the lands north of the River Tees were partitioned into Northumberland and County Durham it ...

) and Bedlingtonshire are included, but not those areas in the possession of other great northern landowners. The Bishop's manor at Boldon was listed early in the survey, and later entries recorded customal dues "as at Boldon", hence the name. Dues were assessed at the individual level as well as by community. The book attests to the overwhelmingly pastoral economy of the North, and provides a contrast to the better-documented southeast, "in particular the existence of large estates often comprising several villages which sometimes share a single demesne". The Boldon Book survives in four manuscript copies, of which the oldest is the 13th-century copy that was among the Temple family manuscripts at Stowe House that are now in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

.BL. Stowe MS 930. The Boldon Book is discussed by G. T. Lapsley, "Introduction to and Text of the Boldon Book," ''Victoria County History: Durham'' vol. 1 (London, 1905) pp. 259–341, with an English translation, pp. 327–51. The Latin text and an English translation are provided in D. Austin, ed., ''Boldon Book: Northumberland and Durham'' in Phillimore's edition of Domesday Book, vol. 35 (Chichester, 1982)

Notes

{{Taxation in medieval England 12th-century books 12th-century documents Demographics of England Medieval documents of England English manuscripts 12th-century manuscripts Taxation in medieval England 1180s in England