The Domesday Book
The Domesday Book was commissioned by William the Conqueror, possibly because
of a threatened Danish invasion of England in 1085. The King raised a large
army of foreign mercenaries in order to counter this threat, which was billeted
on landholders according to the size of their estate. This and the geld
(tax) raised to fund the army revealed discrepancies in existing records.
Thus, from the Ango-Saxon Chronicle records the following for the year 1085:
"Then at Christmas the King was at Gloucester with his council and
held his Court there for five days ....
After this, the King had much thought and very deep discussion with his
council about this country- how it was occupied or with what sort of people.
Then he sent his men over all England into every shire and had them find
out how many hundred hides there were in the shire or what land and cattle
the King himself had in the countrv, or what dues he ought to have in twelve
months from the shire.
Also he had a record made of how much land his Archbishops had, and his
bishops and his abbots and his earls...."
The Domesday survey gives the first clear picture of the mill that then existed on the Chase Mill site, then called Est Myll (East Mill).