Review of Williams, Ann, 'The World Before Domesday: The English Aristocracy 900-1066', London, Continuum, 2008; paperback; pp. 240; R.R.P. £24.99; ISBN 9781441121127.

Abstract

With 'The World Before Domesday: The English Aristocracy 900-1066', Ann Williams provides an exceptional and accessible insight into the pre-Conquest development of the English aristocracy, an area of Anglo-Saxon history rarely addressed in academic scholarship. While acknowledging the lack of reliable written sources for the study of the early medieval period, Williams has nonetheless successfully used codes, charters, and 'Domesday book' to develop an understanding of the various levels of social standing within the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms prior to the Norman Invasion. Unlike some other works on late Anglo-Saxon society, Williams does not concentrate on the most famous of earls, Godwine of Wessex. Instead, in her first chapter, she uses Earl Odda as the chief example by which to examine the characteristics, wealth, and careers of eleventh-century earls. Parts of the discussion seem under-developed, however, and it is not until the end of the chapter that Williams discloses to the reader that the rank of earl was a privilege reserved for the closest servants of the king, rather than a hereditary title.