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Domesday Delving

Domesday Delving

By: Claire Stephen-Walker
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 Domesday Delving is a journey back in time to explore the hidden histories of England's towns and villages as recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. From the lives of local peasants and the roles of medieval churches to the power struggles between lords, each episode offers an engaging and in-depth look at a different location in medieval England. Whether you have a personal connection to a place or are simply curious about the past, Domesday Delving brings history to life with vivid storytelling and expert insights.

Episodes are uploaded weekly on Tuesdays.Claire Stephen-Walker Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • DD - Episode 44 - Bedwyn

    DD - Episode 44 - Bedwyn
    Jun 24 2025
    This week on Domesday Delving, we journey to Bedwyn in Wiltshire, a royal estate so significant it was never taxed in hides. We explore the powerful symbolism of money, from medieval plough-teams and burgesses to today's digital currencies, and ask what it means when wealth loses its weight.

    Along the way, we look at coliberts, crown land, and why even the absence of a mint can tell us a great deal about value, power, and who gets remembered in history
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    16 mins
  • DD - Episode 43 - Speen

    DD - Episode 43 - Speen
    Jun 17 2025
    This week, we delve into Speen in Berkshire, a village whose Domesday entry includes a church, a mill, and seven slaves. What begins as a straightforward exploration quickly spirals into a deeper conversation about the history of slavery, the role of the Church, and the uncomfortable ways in which religious institutions have justified, and at times resisted, systems of oppression.

    As promised, here are the links, in order, to Kidnap, Organ Grinders, and Payback:

    https://books2read.com/u/3JwE0e

    https://books2read.com/u/bOk1d0

    https://books2read.com/u/4AyO5e
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    13 mins
  • DD - Episode 42 - Damerham

    DD - Episode 42 - Damerham
    Jun 8 2025
    This week on Domesday Delving, we travel to Damerham in Hampshire, a village with Neolithic tombs, a royal past, and a surprisingly tangled tax record.

    Once a royal estate and later a valuable holding of Glastonbury Abbey, Damerham’s Domesday entry reveals confusion over land value, rising rents, and a striking population of coliberts - freemen in a feudal world.

    We dig into the medieval tax system, ask who really pays for empire-building, and reflect on how today’s tax avoidance by global giants echoes the same patterns, squeezing the poorest while the wealthiest slip away. Yes, this one’s political. And yes, it needs to be.

    Also: Payback, the third book in the Orbitals series, is out now! Corporate cybercrime, revenge, and high-speed justice for just 99 cents this month. You can get it here: https://books2read.com/u/4AyO5e
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    15 mins

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