Collecting data: Domesday Book edition

When commenting on the data collection methods used to compile the Domesday Book in 1086 McDonald (1998: 1) writes,

As with many modern surveys, the data were compiled from answers to questionnaires; but, unlike most contemporary censuses, answers were not given in confidence but were scrutinised publicly in local courts. In many ways the checks on the accuracy of the data were more stringent than those for currently complied official data.

Maybe the old technology is still the best technology. StatsNZ could learn a thing or two from the William the Conqueror and the Normans.

Ref.:

• McDonald, John (1998). Production Efficiency in Domesday England, 1086, London: Routledge.