Domesday Book

The Domesday Book, known formally as the Book of Winchester, was a survey held in 1086 for the purpose of tax information.

Notable entries
Normanton is recorded as an existing settlement governed by the manor at Wakefield. Prior to the Norman Conquest its lords were Cniht and Godric, with William being recorded as the new lord, as with many Yorkshire settlements. The book records the land consisting of three acres of meadlow; 6x1 furlongs of woodland; 0.5 acres of land owned by the church, and four or five fields for ploughing. The population is recorded as at least ten, with six village properties, three smallhold farms and the house of the local priest. As survey only identifies heads of houses, not families, there could be as many as 30 at this point in time.

In terms of taxes, Normanton had dropped from £0.6 to £0.5 in the twenty years since the Conquest in terms of land value. A tax was collected for the Daneguild. This was an annual bribe to the Danes to prevent an invasion of Yorkshire. Yorkshire settlements were taxed more severely due to their previous attempt to encourage a Danish invasion in 1068.