The Domesday book was compiled somewhere between 1085 and 1086 AD on the command of King William I of England, and is the result of a painstaking economic and social survey that was undertaken at that time. The entry relating to the ownership of land in the parish of Aston Cantlow and the surrounding area is shown below.
The Domesday Book provides extensive records of landholders, (in our case Richard Osbern) their tenants, the amounts of woodland, meadow, animals, fish and ploughs on the land (if there were any) and other resources, any buildings present (churches, castles, mills, salthouses, etc.). You can see specific references to Wilmcote and Pathlow in the entry.
Items crossed through in red are not corrections but indicate key items – names and places – i.e. they are a sort of index.
More information about the Domesday book can be found at the Domesday Book online website
