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The Bayeux Tapestry and the Domesday Book

Study note

Two famous records survive from the time of the Norman Conquest, and the test often asks about both. The first is the Bayeux Tapestry, a long and detailed piece of embroidery that pictures the events of the conquest, including the Battle of Hastings. Despite its English subject, the tapestry can still be seen in France today.

The second great record is the Domesday Book. After winning the throne, William wanted to know exactly what his new kingdom contained, so he sent officials across England to make a careful survey. They listed the towns and villages, the people, the landowners and even the animals.

The completed survey was called the Domesday Book, and remarkably it still exists. It gives historians a detailed picture of what English society was like just after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Remember that the Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery kept in France, while the Domesday Book was William's great survey of England.

Memory tip: Bayeux Tapestry pictures Hastings (kept in France); Domesday Book = William's great survey.

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Question 1 of 4

What is the Bayeux Tapestry?

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The Bayeux Tapestry and the Domesday Book: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. What is the Bayeux Tapestry?

    • A collection of Viking coins
    • A book of English laws
    • A Roman mosaic
    • An embroidery commemorating the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings

    Correct answer: An embroidery commemorating the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings

    The Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery showing the events of the Norman Conquest.

  2. 2. Where can the Bayeux Tapestry be seen today?

    • Wales
    • France
    • Scotland
    • Ireland

    Correct answer: France

    The Bayeux Tapestry can still be seen in France today.

  3. 3. What was the Domesday Book?

    • A book of Viking sagas
    • The first English Bible
    • A survey of England's towns, people, landowners and animals ordered by William
    • A set of Shakespeare's plays

    Correct answer: A survey of England's towns, people, landowners and animals ordered by William

    The Domesday Book recorded land, people and ownership across England after the conquest.

  4. 4. The Domesday Book still exists today and gives a picture of England just after the Norman Conquest.

    • True
    • False

    Correct answer: True

    True. The Domesday Book survives and shows society in England soon after 1066.

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