A Brief History of Data

When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066 and defeated Harold’s army near Hastings, his immediate task was to pacify the country. After a phase of castle building, land redistribution and military suppression of the Anglo Saxons, William ruled in relative peace. He knew that in order to rule a country he needed a stable government based on a sound income. He needed to raise taxes. In order to do this he needed data about the land holdings, the agricultural output and the military capacity of the population.