The Saxon invasion

The invaders


The wealth of Britain by the fourth century, the result of its mild climate and centuries of peace, was a temptation to the greedy. At first the Germanic tribes only raided Britain, but after AD 430 they began to settle.
The invaders came from three powerful Germanic tribes, the Saxons, Angles and Jutes. The Jutes settled mainly in Kent and along the south coast, and were soon considered no different from the Angles and Saxons. The Angles settled in the east, and also in the north Midlands, while the Saxons
settled between the Jutes and the Angles. The Anglo-Saxon migrations gave the larger part of Britain its new name, England, "the land of the Angles".

The strength of Anglo-Saxon culture is obvious even today. Days of the week were named after Germanic gods: Tig (Tuesday), Wodin (Wednesday), Thor (Thursday), Frei (Friday). New place-names appeared on the map. The first of these show that the earliest Saxon villages, like the Celtic ones, were family villages. The ending -ing meant folk or family, thus "Reading" is the place of the family of Rada, "Hastings" of the family of Hasta. Ham means farm, ton means settlement. Birmingham, Nottingham or Southampton, for example, are Saxon place-names. Because the Anglo-Saxon kings often established settlements, Kingston is a frequent place-name.
The Anglo-Saxons established a number of kingdoms, some of which still exist in county or regional names to this day: Essex (East Saxons), Sussex (South
Saxons), Wessex (West Saxons).

King Offa of Mercia (757-96) was powerful enough to employ thousands of men to build a huge dyke, or earth wall, the length of the Welsh border to keep out the troublesome Celts. But although he was the most powerful king of his time, he did not control all of England.

Government and society


The Saxons created institutions which made the English state strong for the next 500 years. One of these institutions was the King's Council, called the Witan. By the tenth century the Witan was a formal body, issuing laws and charters. It was not at all democratic, and the king could decide to ignore the
Witan's advice. But he knew that it might be dangerous to do so. For the Witan's authority was based on i t s right to choose kings, and to agree the use of the kind's laws. Without its support the king's own authority was in danger. The
Witan established system which remained an important part of the king's method of government. Even today, the king or queen has a Privy Council, a group of advisers on the affairs of state.
The Saxons divided the land into new administrative areas, based on shires, or counties. I n 1974 the counties were reorganized, bur the new system is very like the old one.) Over each shire was appointed a shire reeve, the kind's local
administrator. In time his name became shortened to "sheriff".
Anglo-Saxon technology changed the shape of English agriculture. The
Celts had kept small, square fields which were well suited to the light plough they used, drawn either by an animal or two people. This plough could turn
corners easily. The Anglo-Saxons introduced a far heavier plough. This heavier plough led to changes in land ownership and organisation. In order to make the best use of village land, it was divided into two or three very large fields. These
were then divided again into long thin strips. Each family had a number of strips in each of these fields, amounting probably to a family "holding" of twenty or so acres.
One of these fields would be used for planting spring crops, and another for autumn crops. The third area would be left to rest for a year, and with the other areas after harvest, would be used as common land for animals to feed on. This
Anglo-Saxon pattern, which became more and more common, was the basis of
English agriculture for a thousand years, until the eighteenth century.


In each district was a "manor" or large house. This was a simple building where local villagers came to pay taxes, where justice was administered. The lord of the manor had to organise all this, and make sure village land was properly shared.
At first the lords, or aldermen, were simply local officials. But by the beginning of the eleventh century they were warlords, and were often called by a
new Danish name, earl. Both words, alderman and earl, remain with us today: aldermen are elected officers in local government, and earls are high ranking nobles. It was the beginning of a class system, made up of king, lords, soldiers
and workers on the land. One other important class developed during the Saxon period, the men of learning. These came from the Christian Church.