In 1086, King William 1st called for an assessment of all the lands in his new Kingdom. The Domesday survey recorded what land people held and what it was worth for taxation purposes.
The Domesday Book is a rich source of information about eleventh century Kent. Many places are mentioned, with details of who held the land and whether there was a church. The numbers of landholders are noted, as are the numbers of slaves kept by the estate.
Canterbury was the most important town. The King and all of the tenants in chief had property there. The Domesday Book recorded that houses had been pulled down to make room for the castle. The population of the town has been estimated at 3,000 propertied residents, with monks and the poorer residents making up about 3,000 more.
Lathes and hundreds
Kent has different areas of land from other parts of the country. The county was divided into seven large administrative areas, called 'Lathes', which were subdivided into 'hundreds'. The 'sulung' is used to calculate the rateable value of land based on the arable land four pairs of oxen can plough. It can be used to assess the total value of a manor, taking other types of land use into account.
