by Monique Barb -

The Saxon way of life was crude and simple compared with that of the Romans before them. Their settlements were villages rather than towns and for a long time the country was divided into a number of provinces or regional kingdoms. During the Roman period England had been one country with an excellent road system and a number of important towns. It took hundreds of years before Saxon England became one country again. During this long period of time some regional kingdoms became stronger than their neighbours. Northumbria was the strongest kingdom in the seventh century under King Edwin. Mercia was the chief kingdom in the eighth century under Egbert and Dffa. The kingdom of Wessex grew in importance in the ninth century under Alfred the Great, and his successors eventu ally united England under one throne in the tenth century.

The Saxon way of life changed over the centuries and outgrew the first primitive settlements. Alfred the Great built a number of fortified towns which were called 'burhs' and he helped london to grow once more as a great port. The villages were grouped together in areas called 'hundreds' and the villagers settled their disputes at a meeting of the hundred. Later on the hundreds became part of the shires and many of these shires were old kingdoms. There was a rough system of justice at this time, and criminals might be hunted down by 'hue and cry' and later tried to see whether they were guilty. The method the Saxons used was 'trial by ordeal', The kings ruled with the aid of a council of great nobles called the 'Witan', By the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, England had developed into a country of towns, churches, manors, hundreds and shires. York had at least 5000 inhabitants in 1066 and they included judges, the archbishop, shopkeepers, millers and even men who coined money. The later Saxon towns had smiths manufacturing ploughshares, swords, nails and axes, potters, weavers, masons, carpenters, soapmakers, mill-wrights, wheelwrights, bakers, butchers, and many other tradesmen and craftsmen. Saxon merchants traded with foreign countries and the wharves along the Thames at London were crowded with goods such as silk, iron, brass, fish, timber, cloth, salt and spices. The wealthy Saxons had many luxuries and could afford to have their own entertainers-jesters, harpists and other musicians.

In the country the life of the peasant changed little over the years. Farming had developed little beyond the stage reached by the later Iron Age farmers. But the organisation of farming changed and developed into a feudal system where the peasants were no longer free to do as they wished. They owed service to the lord of the manor or thegn as he was called. The thegns owed service in turn to their king and promised to come to his assistance in time of war. Although the feudal system often meant hardship and slavery for the people, it developed because people needed to band together for protection. There was little point in being free if that freedom meant that the peasant was at the mercy of any passing band of robbers. Feudalism developed in Europe as well as in England.

Discuss the following question on Changes in England in Saxon Times Forum

Why do you think the Saxons settled chiefly in England? Why did they not settle in Scotland, Wales or Ireland?
Life in Saxon Britain written by Monique Barb for FamousWhy.com
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Tags: saxons, britain, alfred the great, england, feudalism, northumbria	[edit tags]

Category: Education  - ( Education Archive)

Date Added: 03 October '07

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