why was the doomsday book written in latin?

Answer 1

Because in 1086 Latin was the only universal written language

Answer 2

Latin was the language of the the educated in both church and secular lilfe, and although it was commissioned by William the Conqueror, it was predominately a church document. Domesday Book (also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester), was the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William the Conqueror. The survey was similar to a census by a government of today. William needed information about the country he had just conquered so he could administer it. While spending the Christmas of 1085 in Gloucester, William "had deep speech with his counsellors and sent men all over England to each shire ... to find out ... what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock, and what it was worth." (Saxon Chronicle) One of the main purposes of the survey was to find out who owned what so they could be taxed on it, and the judgment of the assessors was final — whatever the book said about who owned the property, or what it was worth, was the law, and there was no appeal. It was written in Latin, although there were some vernacular words inserted for native terms with no previous Latin equivalent and the text was highly abbreviated. When the book took the name "Domesday" (Middle English spelling of Doomsday) in the 12th century, it was to emphasize its definitiveness and authority (the analogy refers to the Christian belief of a Last Judgment).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesday_Book

Answer 3

Latin was the language of learning and scholarship. It had fixed spelling and its grammatical structure was not subject to variation, unlike English, which was undergoing a process of rapid development. It was taken for granted that all charters and official documents would be couched in Latin, a language universally used among the learned of Western Europe.

Answer 4

First place it was The Domesday Book, not Doomsday. Latin was the recognized language of the learned men of the time.

Answer 5

So all the people who read Latin could understand it.

Answer 6

Ignorant answer, but it was probably written in Latin to make it more universally readable for those who needed to read it (scholars, "government workers" and priests of the time) and keep it obscure for the masses (poor people.)

A handy tool to keep the rich rich and the poor poor and the Crown in the know.

Go to:

http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/

and

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/domesday.asp

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesday_Book

for better answers than mine :D

Answer 7

Because Latin was the language of the Church and the court and of bureaucracy.

Answer 8

What doomsday book? Did I miss something? jeez.

Answer 9

I thought it was written in 'jive' or brail.

Do I win £5??