Domesday Book and Beyond Three Essays in the Early History of England [Paperback]

That Maitland's hypotheses and conclusions should still be central to such a debate is not the least remarkable feature of this extraordinary book.A Foreword by J. C. Holt demonstrates that many of the arguments that have dominated English medieval scholarship during the past ninety years stem directly from Maitland's original hypotheses and conclusions.A Foreword by J. C. Holt demonstrates that many of the arguments that have dominated English medieval scholarship during the past ninety years stem directly from Maitland's original hypotheses and conclusions.In an extended foreword, specially prepared for this new impression, J.C. Holt asserts categorically that Domesday Book and Beyond remains the greatest single book on English medieval history. Its lucidity, subtlety, compass, and (remarkably) statistical facility stand quite unsurpassed and, as Professor Holt demonstrates, many of the arguments that have dominated English medieval scholarship during the ensuing ninety years stem directly from Maitland's own hypotheses and conclusions.Foreword; Preface; List of Abbreviations; Essay I. Domesday Book: 1. Plan of the survey; 2. The Serfs; 3. The Villeins; 4. The Sokemen; 5. Sake and Soke; 6. The manor; 7. Manor and vill; 8. The feudal superstructure; 9. The boroughs; Essay II. England Before the Conquest: 10. Book-land and the land-book; 11. Book-land and folk-land; 12. Sake and Soke; 13. Book-land and loan-land; 14. The growth of seignorial power; 15. The village community; Essay III. The Hide: 16. Measures and fields; 17. Domesday statistics; 18. Beyond domesday.