There are a wide variety of
customary payments and services recorded in Domesday Book. They were
recorded unsystematically, many occurring only in a single county or circuit.
The majority were payments or services in kind whose meaning is
self-evident. This is true also of some of the more curious customs: dog
dues, the Queen's gold, or gifts to a lady 'so that she might be
happy.' The majority of these customs were described in the sections of
Domesday Book describing the county Customs or the royal lands. The more
obscure, or important, customs are described here; for a complete list,
see Domesday Book: index of subjects, edited by J.D. Foy (Chichester, 1992). For the most significant customary dues, payments & services, see |
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