Northern Heaven: A grand day out...

A few years after the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror, commissioned a survey to discover exactly how much the lands which he had conquered were worth, so that he could make the appropriate tax assessments of course ! The values of the boroughs and manors in the counties of Durham and Northumberland were not included in the "Domesday" survey simply because his own savage "Harrying of the North" had resulted in most of the area being noted as "vasta" (waste). Castles were built shortly after the Conquest and continued to be built over the following years to control the land and keep the people in check. Later on, they came in handy for resisting the incursions of our neighbours from across our Northern borders. The castles were also much involved in our own Civil War. Religious establishments also grew up and from poor beginnings often became very wealthy - making money from the wool of their vast flocks of sheep. The castles and abbeys are wonderful places to visit and every one has a great story to tell !