By Sarah Griffiths Misunderstood? William the Conqueror's reputation might be unwarranted and borne out of a basic accountancy misunderstanding, a historian claims He is known as a terrifying warrior and ruthless monarch who conquered the Saxon kingdom of England. But William the Conqueror’s fearsome reputation as a murderous tyrant might be unwarranted and borne out of a basic accountancy misunderstanding. One historian claims that the problem lies with the definition of the word ‘waste’ in the Domesday Book, which has been misinterpreted and used to tarnish the warrior king’s reputation. ‘In the winter of 1089, William gathered his troops for what would become known as the "Harrying of the North",’ said Dr Rob Wright, a historian at the Place charity in York.
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William the Conqueror could not have reduced Yorkshire to a wasteland, according to York historian Dr Rob Wright
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Compilers of 1086 Domesday Book wrote ‘waste’ next to many Yorkshire landholdings and historians popularly think that the land was destroyed
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But Dr Wright believes it probably meant that land could not be valued and taxes could not be collected
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Would have been 'logistically impossible' for the invading Norman force of 20,000 soldiers to ravage such a large area in just four months, he claims
Their combined army broke the Norman hold on the north and @placeholder responded by putting down the revolt.