Welcome to the World of the Anglo-Saxons!

Imagine living in Britain over 1,500 years ago. The powerful Roman soldiers have packed up their shields and sailed away. New people from across the sea are sailing towards the shores in wooden boats. Who were they? Where did they make their new homes? And did you know that the name of your own town or village might have been created by them?

In these study notes, we will explore who the Anglo-Saxons were, how they divided Britain into great kingdoms, what clues they left behind in our modern place names, and what everyday life looked like inside an Anglo-Saxon wooden village.

1. After the Romans: The Big Arrival

The Roman Departure (c. AD 410)

For hundreds of years, Roman soldiers protected Britain. But around c. AD 410, the Roman Emperor Honorius told the people of Britain that Rome could no longer protect them and that they had to look after their own defense. The Roman legions left, leaving the native Celtic Britons on their own.

Who Came to Britain?

Soon after the Romans left, different groups of people began crossing the North Sea from modern-day northern Germany, Denmark (Jutland), and the Netherlands. These were Germanic tribes, and they came in three main groups:

  • Angles: They settled mainly in East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria. (The name England comes from Angle-land!)
  • Saxons: They settled mainly in southern and western areas like Wessex, Sussex, and Essex.
  • Jutes: They settled mainly in Kent, the Isle of Wight, and parts of Hampshire.

What About the Scots and the Picts?

At the same time, other groups were active in the north:

  • The Scots: They were Gaels who migrated and raided from Ireland into north-western Britain, where they set up the kingdom of Dál Riata.
  • The Picts: These were the ancient tribes already living in northern Britain (modern Scotland).

Top Tip & Common Mistake: Don't get caught out! Even though modern Scotland is named after the Scots, the Scots of this time originally came from Ireland.

Why Did the Anglo-Saxons Come? (Push and Pull Factors)

Think of moving home: sometimes something pushes you away from your old home, and something pulls you towards a new one.

  • Push Factors (Why they left home): In northern Europe, there was severe coastal flooding, rising water levels, and very little good farmland left.
  • Pull Factors (Why they chose Britain): Britain had rich, fertile land for farming. Some British leaders even invited them over as paid fighters (mercenaries) to help defend Britain against the Picts and Scots (such as the famous story of King Vortigern inviting the brothers Hengest and Horsa).

Key Takeaway: The Anglo-Saxons did not arrive as one single army all on one day. Different tribes (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes) arrived gradually in waves over many years to farm and settle.

2. The Seven Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms (The Heptarchy)

Over time, the Anglo-Saxons joined their small tribal lands together into larger rival kingdoms. Historically, these are known as the seven main kingdoms (or the Heptarchy):

  1. Northumbria: Land north of the River Humber.
  2. Mercia: The large kingdom in the Midlands.
  3. East Anglia: Made up of the "North Folk" (Norfolk) and "South Folk" (Suffolk).
  4. Wessex: The kingdom of the West Saxons.
  5. Essex: The kingdom of the East Saxons.
  6. Sussex: The kingdom of the South Saxons.
  7. Kent: The kingdom settled by the Jutes.

Memory Trick: Notice the word Sex in Wessex, Essex, and Sussex? It comes from the word Saxon! W-essex = West Saxons, E-ssex = East Saxons, S-ussex = South Saxons.

Key Takeaway: Britain was not one united country yet; it was divided into separate kingdoms ruled by different kings and leaders.

3. Detective Work: Clues in Modern Place Names

Did you know that historians use modern maps like giant puzzle boards? The Anglo-Saxons named their settlements using their own language, Old English. Many of these word endings (suffixes) are still used in our town and village names today!

Common Anglo-Saxon Place Name Endings:

  • -ham: Means home, homestead, or settlement (e.g., Birmingham, Nottingham).
  • -ton: Means enclosure, farmstead, or village (e.g., Brighton, Preston).
  • -ing / -inga: Means the people of / followers of a particular leader (e.g., Reading means the people of Reada; Hastings, Worthing).
  • -ford: Means a shallow river crossing where people and animals could walk across (e.g., Oxford, Stratford).
  • -bury / -burgh: Means a fortified place or fort (e.g., Canterbury, Salisbury).
  • -wick / -wich: Means a dwelling, farm, or special trading place (e.g., Ipswich, Warwick).
  • -hurst: Means a wooded hill (e.g., Lyndhurst).
  • -stead: Means a place (e.g., Hampstead).

Try it yourself: Look at a map of where you live. Can you spot any towns ending in -ton, -ham, or -ford? You have just found an Anglo-Saxon settlement!

Key Takeaway: Suffixes like -ham, -ton, -ing, and -ford show us where Anglo-Saxon groups lived and worked hundreds of years ago.

4. Anglo-Saxon Village Life

Where Did They Choose to Live?

Unlike the Romans, who loved large stone towns with paved roads and public baths, the Anglo-Saxons preferred to live in the countryside. They built small, self-sufficient farming villages near rivers, streams, and coasts where they had fresh water, good soil, and transport links.

What Were Their Houses Like?

  • Building Materials: Houses were built from wood (timber) with wattle-and-daub walls (woven sticks covered with a sticky plaster mix of mud, clay, and animal dung).
  • Roofs: Roofs were thatched with thick layers of straw or reeds to keep out the rain.
  • Inside the House: Most houses had just one single room where the whole family cooked, ate, worked, and slept together.
  • The Hearth: In the middle of the floor was an open fire called a hearth for warmth, light, and cooking. There were no chimneys, only a small hole in the roof to let smoke out!

The Great Hall (Chieftain's Hall)

The biggest building in the village was the Great Hall. This was where the local chieftain or noble lived. It was the heart of the village community where everyone gathered to:

  • Eat big celebratory feasts.
  • Listen to traveling storytellers and poets (called scops or bards) sing tales of heroes and monsters.
  • Hold important meetings and solve village arguments.

5. Social Hierarchy: Who Was Who in Anglo-Saxon Society?

Anglo-Saxon society was arranged like a pyramid, with the most powerful person at the top and the poorest at the bottom:

  1. King / Chieftain (Top): The ruler and supreme military leader who protected the kingdom and owned the land.
  2. Earls / Thegns (Thanes): The noble warriors and wealthy landowners. They were loyal to the king and led warriors into battle.
  3. Ceorls (Churls): The largest group of people. They were free peasant farmers, craftsmen, and traders who worked their own land.
  4. Thralls (Slaves) (Bottom): People who were not free. They had no land, worked for others doing hard labour, and had very few rights.

6. Farming: Daily Life and Food

Almost everyone in an Anglo-Saxon village was involved in farming to survive.

  • Strip-Farming: Villages used an open-field system where large fields were divided into long strips. Each family farmed a few strips scattered across the fields.
  • Crops Grown: They grew grains such as wheat, barley (used to make bread and ale), rye, and oats.
  • Animals Kept: They raised oxen (to pull heavy wooden ploughs), cattle, sheep (for wool and meat), and pigs (which foraged in the nearby woods).

Did You Know? Some people used to call this period the "Dark Ages", thinking Anglo-Saxons were simple or lawless. But archaeological discoveries prove this is completely wrong! They were skilled craftspeople who made intricate jewellery, beautiful metalwork, fine cloth, and had rich laws and traditions.

Quick Summary Checklist

  • c. AD 410: The Romans withdrew from Britain.
  • Who arrived: Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from Northern Europe; Scots migrated from Ireland to northern Britain.
  • Why: Flooding at home (push factor); rich farmland in Britain (pull factor).
  • The 7 Kingdoms: Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, Wessex, Essex, Sussex, and Kent.
  • Place Names: Words ending in -ton, -ham, -ing, -ford, and -bury are clues to Anglo-Saxon origins.
  • Homes: Single-room wooden houses with thatched roofs, wattle-and-daub walls, and central fire hearths.
  • Social Order: King → Thegns (nobles) → Ceorls (free farmers) → Thralls (slaves).