Exon Domesday

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A magnificent MS. on 532 folio vellum leaves, long preserved among the muniments at Exeter Cathedral, containing the survey of Wilts, Dorset, Somer- set, Devon, and Cornwall. In 1816 it was published by Sir Henry Ellis as a Supplement to Domesday Book (q v.).

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Exon Domesday” mean?

A magnificent MS. on 532 folio vellum leaves, long preserved among the muniments at Exeter Cathedral, containing the survey of Wilts, Dorset, Somer- set, Devon, and Cornwall. In 1816 it was published by Sir Henry Ellis as a Supplement to Domesday Book (q v.).

Is “Exon Domesday” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.