The Domesday Book completed in 1086 was a survey of all of the wealth in England. It was undertaken by order of William I in order to find out how much each property holder had in land and livestock. This would facilitate the taking of taxes.
It was called the Domesday Book because what was inside was the final word and could not be appealed, like the last judgments of God. It is interesting to look at what was listed in the Domesday Book for certain towns and compare that with the town’s assets today.
The town of Corby has displayed some level of stability in what is valuable in the town. Corby hotels have seen the town rise and fall and now rise again in the span of time that has passed between 1086 and today. The Domesday Book lists Corby (called Corbei) as an iron producing centre. Of course production was on a fairly small scale but this iron would be at the heart of the town’s 19th century ascendance. The discovered of vast reserves of ironstone drove the town’s expansion and it began producing its own steel by 1935. Shortly after, Corby ceased to be a village and became an urban district. However, the steel industry went into severe decline in the 1970s and by 1981, the town has a 30 percent unemployment rate. Recently the town has endeavoured to regenerate itself. It is now home to Rockingham, Europe’s fasatest racing circuit. A 2011 edition of the Domesday Book would likely list this as the most valuable asset in Corby.
Braintree is another Domesday Book town, although one which held fewer resources. In 1085, the town centre, called Branchetreu, was 30 acres and Raines Magna, what is now East Braintree, was 500 acres. This land is still the town’s most valuable asset. Braintree hotels cater primarily to visitors who are hiking, cycling, or golfing in the rolling hills of Essex. However, the most valuable asset today for the 2011 Domesday Bookwould likely be the recording artists The Prodigy, who are from the town.
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