LONDON -- The Middle Ages met the I...

LONDON -- The Middle Ages met the Internet age Friday when the Domesday work -- a survey of England manner of lifeed almost 1,000 years ago -- went online.

The work a record of the persons and lands ruled by William the Conqueror, is the oldest record held according to Britain's National Archives and individual of the country's most valuable documents. Now anyone with an Internet connection can -- for a fief -- download copies of handwritten records that provide a picture of life in the 11th centenary

ENGLAND KING'S ORDERED IT

"It is important that population of all ages should be able to read and use this national treasure," said Adrian Ailes, a Domesday apt at the National Archives, which in the past not many years has placed millions of historical documents -- from World War I records to 1960 public information films -- in succession the Net.

The Domesday volume was compiled on the orders of William I, who became England's king when he defeated the Saxon king, Harold, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 In 1085 he ordered a view to determine the taxable value of his kingdom.

Officials fanned gone out across England to assess who admited the land and what was onward it. The result is a detailed record that lists more than 13000 places. Farmland, woodland, meadows, pastures, mills and fisheries are enumerated; there are estimates of the number of freemen indentured peasants and slaves in succession each estate.

13418 PLACE NAMES

Many place names listed in the work are still recognizable, although the places themselves have been transformed. Holborn, now a central business district of London, was Holeburne residence to peasants and a vineyard. Islington -- now a busy commercial and residential area of north London -- was the rural arrangement of Iseldone.

Kensington -- now united of London's wealthiest areas -- had "meadow for brace ploughs and three arpents of vineyard."

"I think population warm to the Domesday main division and its specific contents because it contains 13418 place names," Ailes said. "Everyone is related in near way to this piece of history."

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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