Overview

An exploration of small early folk communities prior to the eleventh century, showing their development and sophistication. All communities have a strong sense of identity with the area in which they live, which for England in the early medieval period manifested itself in a series of territorial entities, ranging from large kingdoms down to small districts known as pagi or regiones. This book investigates these small early folk territories, and the way that they evolved into the administrative units recorded in Domesday, across an entire kingdom - that of the East Saxons (broadly speaking, what is now Essex, Middlesex, most of Hertfordshire, and south Suffolk). A wide range of evidence is drawn upon, including archaeology, written documents, place-names and the early cartographic sources. The book looks in particular at the relationship between Saxon immigrants and the native British population, and argues that initially these ethnic groups occupied different parts of the landscape, until a dynasty which assumed an Anglo-Saxon identity achieved political ascendency (its members included the so-called ""Prittlewell Prince"", buried with spectacular grave-good in Prittlewell, near Southend-on- Sea in southern Essex). Other significant places discussed include London, the seat of the first East Saxon bishopric, the possible royal vills at Wicken Bonhunt near Saffron Walden and Maldon, and St Peter's Chapel at Bradwell-on-Sea, one of the most important surviving churches from the early Christian period.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stephen Rippon
Publisher:   Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Imprint:   The Boydell Press
Weight:   0.002kg
ISBN:  

9781783276806

ISBN 10:   1783276800
Pages:   408
Publication Date:   05 April 2022
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

PART I: BACKGROUND Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Territoriality in Early Medieval England Chapter 3 Reconstructing Early Medieval Folk Territories PART II: THE EARLY FOLK TERRITORIES Chapter 4 From Early Folk Territory to Domesday Vills: The Rochford Peninsula Chapter 5 Immigration and Integration in the Central Thameside Districts: The Fen District and Havering Chapter 6 The Province of the Middle Saxons Chapter 7 Fringes of the Kingdom: The Eastern Coastal Districts and the Landscape Context of Anglo-Saxon Colonisation Chapter 8 A British Domain: The Central Claylands, Place-names, Early Medieval Territorial Identity, and the -ingas Question Chapter 9 Another British Domain: The Northern Claylands Chapter 10 And Another British Domain: The Western Districts, and Romano-British Antecedents of Early Medieval Central Places Chapter 11 Beyond the Northern Frontier PART III: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS Chapter 12 Agriculture and Resource Management Chapter 13 Conclusions Appendices 1. Domesday population densities across the 'Rochford Peninsula' early folk territory 2. Sites used in the analysis of animal bone assemblages 3. Sites used in the analysis of charred cereal assemblages Bibliography Index

Reviews

Stephen Rippon must be congratulated on a handsome, well-illustrated book that is a new must-read [...]. -- Current Archaeology This is a carefully argued, well-documented, and beautifully illustrated study that represents a major advance in our understanding of the early settlement period in southeastern England during the centuries that followed the Roman withdrawal from their diocese of Britannia. It is a model for further investigations into the formation of the early medieval English kingdoms. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *

Stephen Rippon must be congratulated on a handsome, well-illustrated book that is a new must-read [...]. -- Current Archaeology

Author Information

Stephen Rippon is Professor of Landscape Archaeology at the University of Exeter, and current President of the Society for Medieval Archaeology.

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