ABSTRACT
T o understand the development of church organisation in the late eleventh century is a worthy objective and yet in a sense only touches the surface of things. We have, always im portant, sometimes dom inant, the evidence of Dom esday Book to take into consideration. W hoever tries to approach the problem s connected with the nature and status o f the English C hurch at this period sooner or later has to grapple with the mass o f information contained in this record. H istorian after historian has attem pted the task, often starting with reservations and hesitations, and sometimes with queru lous complaints. Some of the complaints are justified. Dom esday Book will not tell us w hat we w ant to know; and mom ents of sheer frustration occur when we realise how m uch was known and not recorded. Yet by and large the historian has m uch m ore to be grateful for than to see as m atter for com plaint. N o other com m unity in medieval Europe has so m uch information packed in relatively uniform style that covers so m uch of its life, including its ecclesiastical life.
