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The Migration or Early Medieval Period

Submitted by Seren Langley on Fri, 2009-07-03 14:25
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The Vale of York Hoard Cup The Norman House, Christchurch The Migration or Early Medieval Period was 410 AD to 848/878 AD, around 1600 years ago. By 500, Roman culture no longer existed. There was no coinage, no commercial pottery, no villas, towns had become smaller, most buildings were now in wood rather than stone, and there was no Roman army. Power was in the hands of local kings and the church. Churches would be the most impressive stone buildings. The climate seems to have been cooler and wetter than in Roman times, and it is possible that the number of people in Britain had declined, possibly affected by outbreaks of plague from 547 onwards. This page explores some of the many sites associated with the Early Medieval Period, some of the important facts about the period and ways in which we can learn about the Early Medieval Period with archaeology.

Migration or Early-Medieval Sites

There are many sites from the Migration or Early-Medieval period which are open to visitors, such as The Norman House, Christchurch and Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. To explore some of these sites, visit our Migration or Early-Medieval Sites page.

Some Important Facts about the Migration, or Early Medieval Period

After the Romans

After the Roman-British Period, the local British had to govern themselves again. Historical records are very few for the 200 years after 410. We only have a limited knowledge of what went on, and even that is very hotly debated by historians. One possibility is that some kind of central British authority kept the old Roman provinces of Britain together for a while (perhaps the last of these authorities was the inspiration for Arthur of later medieval legend). Someone in power brought over Germanic soldiers to help defend Britain in the 420s. These soldiers were settled in the south and east, and in parts of the north. They helped defend Britain against the Picts raiding from the far north, from Saxons raiding from across the North Sea, and perhaps from the Irish who were raiding the west of Britain.

The Angles, Saxons and Irish

The local British kings would often fight among themselves. The Germanic soldiers started to take over land for themselves as well as fight for the British. They would bring their families over to join them, and an immigration of Angles and Saxons from north Germany brought many new people to eastern Britain. Some local British families married into the newcomers, and some may even have adopted new Germanic culture and identity. The Irish had also settled and even conquered parts of western Britain in Dyfed and in Argyll. An Irish alphabet called ogham is found in both areas as inscriptions of memorial stones and small artefacts. The Latin name for the Irish was Scotti, so the Scots at this time are really Irish! The Germanic settlers and soldiers used their own runic alphabet, and various inscriptions survive.

Eventually, between about 550 and 650, several families of kings with Germanic names and culture conquered the native British kings in the south and east of Britain, founding new Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. These new kings were heathens, and were gradually converted to Christianity by missions from Rome and Ireland between 597 and 685. The native British kings remained in Cornwall, Wales and Strathclyde, with Pictish kings to the north. Irish kings ruled Dalriada in western Scotland.

Coins and Currency

Coins began to be minted again from the 620s, with gold coins of the Anglo-Saxons. These were replaced by very small silver pennies from the 670s, and bigger silver pennies from the 760s. The penny was the only coin minted, and there were 240 of them in one pound.

Lindisfarne Gospels

Religion and Christianity

The church became a major centre of wealth and power. It had strong links with the church in Ireland and developed a common art style used in carved stone crosses and illuminated manuscripts. The Lindisfarne Gospels, made on Holy Island off the coast of Northumberland around 715, is one of the finest manuscripts ever made and a masterpiece of early medieval art. The centre of Christianity in northern Britain was the Irish church at Iona (likely origins for the famous Book of Kells, while York and Canterbury became the two archbishoprics for the Anglo-Saxons.

Very few stone churches survive from this time, but we know that large monasteries were built holding hundreds of monks and nuns. Large stone crosses were made with complex designs carved into them, some with inscriptions. Kings and others in Wales would put up memorial stones to themselves or their ancestors. The Picts set up stone slabs with animal and other symbols carved in to them. We still do not know what these symbols mean, but they might also be memorials or statements of land ownership.

Early Towns and Kingdoms

Early towns were founded on the coast as places where ships could come to trade. This is the origin of modern towns like Southampton and Ipswich. Kings and other important people did not live in the towns, but on their estates in the country. They would have long wooden halls with smaller buildings around them, inside a defended enclosure. The church was based in large centres, called minsters, where several priests would live and serve a large region.

Some kingdoms became more powerful than others. In the north were the Picts and the Irish Scots of Dalriada. Glasgow was still part of a native British kingdom of Strathclyde. The most powerful of the Welsh kingdoms was Gwynedd. Among the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were Northumbria, ruling from Sheffield up to Edinburgh (an English city!), Mercia in the Midlands, Wessex in the far south and East Anglia. The most powerful kings included Edwin of Northumbria (617–633), Cadwallon of Gwynedd (625–634), Oengus of the Picts (732–761), and Offa of Mercia (757–796).

The Vikings

The latest of the migrating peoples were the Vikings. These came from Denmark and Norway, and began attacking the coasts of Britain and Ireland in 793. They came almost every year after 835, and from 850 began to stay over winter. A big Viking army arrived in 865, and attacked all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms over the next 13 years. They took over Northumbria, eastern Mercia and East Anglia for themselves. Eventually, King Alfred the Great of Wessex defeated them in 878. He left them in charge of the north and east, while he became the only Anglo-Saxon king in power, over the south and west. The Vikings also set up a kingdom in Dublin in Ireland, and attacked Scotland and Strathclyde, taking over Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.

Finding out about the Migration or Early-Medieval Period with Archaeology

Some of the archaeological subjects which study the Migration or Early-Medieval Period and professional Archaeologists who work with the Migration or Early-Medieval Period include:

If you are interested in learning more about studying Archaeology of the Migration or Early-Medieval Period please visit the CBA’s Studying Archaeology page.