Ely Inquiry facts for kids
The Ely Inquiry, also known as the Inquisitio Eliensis, was like a special side-survey connected to the famous Domesday Book of 1086. It was very important for two main reasons. First, it gave much more detailed information about the local area than the Domesday Book itself. Second, its introduction, called a "prologue," explained exactly how the Domesday survey was carried out.
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How the Ely Inquiry Started
Historian David C. Douglas believed the Ely Inquiry came about because a powerful church leader wanted to create his own detailed record of his lands. This record was made at the same time as the Domesday survey. This idea is supported by how the Inquiry recorded the lands of one important landowner across many different areas covered by the Domesday survey.
The Prologue: How the Survey Worked
The introduction to the Ely Inquiry, called the IE prologue, explains how the Domesday survey gathered its information. It says that reports were collected under oath from many people. These included sheriffs, important landowners called Barons, and their French followers. Also, people from every local area called a hundred gave information. This included the local priest, the reeve (a local official), and six villagers from each vill (a small village or settlement).
The prologue listed a series of questions asked about each manor (a large estate). It also stated that all answers had to be given three times. This was to cover three different periods:
- The time of King Edward the Confessor (before 1066).
- The time of the Norman Conquest (1066).
- The present day (1086).
While some people think this prologue perfectly shows how the Domesday survey actually worked, it might be better to see it as a shorter guide. It probably just listed the main questions used, rather than being the full official instructions.
What the Survey Found
The Ely Inquiry survey provided more information than its main partner, Little Domesday. For example, it gave more details about the people who provided the information for the survey. It also highlighted the important local roles of sokemen, who were free peasants with special rights.
The summaries in the Inquiry focused on how much tax could be collected from the land. The final parts of the survey have been seen as records from the early stages of the Domesday investigation. These early records were later removed from the main Domesday Book.
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