In 1086, Domesday Book, perhaps the most remarkable historical document in existence, was compiled. This tremendous survey of England and its people was made at the behest of the Norman king William the Conqueror. It was called Domesday, the day of judgement, because 'like the day of judgement, its decisions are unalterable'. The Domesday Quest (previously published as Domesday) is not only a study of this ancient manuscript but also an attempt to analyse the world that Domesday Book so vividly portrayed. By skilful use of the Domesday record, historian Michael Wood examines Norman society and the Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and even the Iron Age cultures that preceded it.