III. Read the text to find answers to the given questions.

1. What can you say about history of the cadastre.

2. Why was the Nile Valley very important to the Egyptians?

3. What does the word cadastre mean?

4. What can you say about William the Conqueror?

5. What was written in the Domesday book (кадастровая книга)?

History of the Cadastre

The cadastre has a long history. It was developed primarily to identify the individual land unit thereby making the tax collection and distribution process more efficient. The first known system dates back to 4000 В.С. when clay tables were produced by the Babylonians for mapping property. Contained within these tables were not only maps but also other pertinent land information. The cadastre was very important to the Egyptians because of the Nile Valley. Because of the flood, farm boundary lines were difficult to find without the land records. The word “cadastre” is derived from the Greek term “katastichon” meaning notebook. This Greek term evolved into the Roman world “capastrum” which was the register containing the Roman provinces territorial taxation units. One of the most famous of the early efforts in developing a fiscal (tax) cadastre comes from Norman England and the Domesday Book by William the Conqueror (1085-1086). William was the Duke of Normandy when he defeated King Harold at Hastings in 1066 and after 20 years of rule, he wanted to know who owned what so that he could collect his tax on the land. When William had taken the land from the Saxons, he gave it to the Norman barons who supported him in his battles. They became tenants-in-chief over the land.

It was also important for William to know who owned what and how much. This information was not only used to settle disputes over land tenure but also gave the King the understanding of who held the balance of power in different localities when he disposed of his land to the barons. The Domesday Book consisted of two volumes. The report was not only a detailed account of all land holdings, i.e., estates and tenants within the kingdom, it also was a detailed demographic survey – the survey took seven months to complete. This was probably due to the combination of the forceful power of the Norman ruler and the existing bureaucracy.

The Domesday Book is a very important piece of literature in that it is still occasionally consulted in boundary and land rights cases. It also has special historical significance because of the insight it gives into the daily activities of the people who lived at the time.

New items of significance to scholars are continually being found. For example, there is some evidence suggesting that the King created enterprise zones by granting tax concessions.

The modern fiscal cadastre really has its roots in the land taxation philosophy of the Physiocrat Movement. This philosophy, espoused by the Frenchman Quesnay, was based on the premise that the earth was the basis of all riches therefore the maintenance of the community should be financed through revenues derived by taxing the land. Tax revenues were obtained by levying a ground tax, ultimately based on the taxable revenue of the separate ground parcels, and buildings, subdivided according to their different use such as agricultural grounds, meadows, orchards, woods, houses, factories, workshops, etc. The result is a complex differential tax assessment system, which is based on different land uses. To support this system, parcel information is necessary.

IV. Read the following words and word combinations and translate them.

the distribution process, the pertinent land information, the land records, the register, territorial taxation units, the Domesday book, existing bureaucracy, enterprise zones, to grant tax concessions, to finance through revenues, a ground tax, the taxable revenue, a complex differential tax assessment system, be financed through revenues derived by taxing the land

V. Match the English words with the Russian ones.

VI. Match the Russian words with the English ones.

VII. Which sentence doesn’t correspond to the contents of the text?

1. The word “cadastre” was derived from the Spanish term “katastichon”, meaning notebook.

2. The Domesday Book consisted of two volumes.

3. When William had taken the land from the Saxons, he gave it to the Norman barons.

VIII. Answer the questions:

1. Why does cadastre have a long history?

2. Why was Domesday Book very important?

IX. Translate the second and the third paragraphs of the text in written form for 30 minutes (using the dictionary).