In 1086 nearly all of the land in Yorkshire was in Norman hands, but Norman settlement was mainly confined to the shadow of the castles. The tenants-in-chief, most of whom had interests in other counties, in Normandy and at court, probably spent little time in the region between the Humber and the Tees. Most of their men appear to have been enfeoffed outside Yorkshire or were retained in the seignorial households. Less than 175 of these men are recorded in possession of Yorkshire estates in the Domesday survey. By 1135, however, the number of subtenants in Yorkshire had risen substantially, and included many ecclesiastics as well as laymen. Many of these subtenants had tenants of their own. The Norman conquest of the county had become firmly rooted in the land.

The Domesday survey, the military returns of 1166 (known as the cartae baronum) and early charters make it possible to study the evolution of Norman settlement between 1086 and 1135 in some detail. In spite of its limitations, notably a failure to record all subtenancies, Domesday Book provides a record of the distribution, size, resources and value of both demesne and tenant estates in 1086.