Watch: Introduction to the Anglo-Saxons
Find out where the Anglo-Saxons came from, what they were like and what they left behind
Excuse me. Yes, you! Would you like to learn more about the Anglo-Saxons? Great!
Well let’s start at the beginning. The Anglo-Saxon age in Britain was about 410 to 1066 and they originally come from Germany and Scandinavia.
Some historians say they were driven from their homes by rising floodwaters.
They were not one united people, but lots of warring tribes that settled in different parts of Britain.
The biggest tribes were the Angles, Saxons and the Jutes.
But they weren’t always at war. They were mostly farmers who lived in wooden huts. Children here would generally not go to school.Girls would help around the home and boys learned the skills of their fathers.
I would take a step back if I were you.
The Anglo-Saxons loved making things from wood. And they made intricate jewellery and metalwork.
We still see their influence today, with words like, cow, cheese, werewolf and ghost.
Plus several place names and even areas that still exist. They even laid the foundation for the creation of England.
There we go, the history of the Anglo-Saxons in a matter of minutes, from invaders to settlers, to makers. How enjoyable was that? Plus you have made a new friend.
Oh… hold on, I think his mother wants a word with you.
Fantastic! Another successful day, look what happens when history happens to you!
Where did they come from?
The last Roman soldiers left Britain by AD410. New people came to Britain in ships across the North Sea – the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxon age in Britain was from around AD410 to 1066.
- The Anglo-Saxons were a mix of tribes from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.
- The three biggest were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes.
- The land they settled in became known as 'Angle-land', or England.
- They brought Germanic languages and new customs and dress.
If we use the modern names for the countries they came from, the Saxons were German-Dutch, the Angles were Southern Danish, and the Jutes were Northern Danish. They arrived over a number of decades.
What jobs did Anglo-Saxons do?
- Men cut down trees to clear land to sow crops.
- Farmers used oxen to pull ploughs up and down long fields.
- Metalworkers made iron tools, knives and swords.
- Skilled jewellers made beautiful brooches, beads and ornaments from gold, gemstones and glass.
- The Anglo-Saxons had armies, but their soldiers didn't fight all the time.
Life as an Anglo-Saxon child
By the time they were ten, Anglo-Saxon children were seen as an adult.
They had to work as hard as any adult and would be punished as adults if they broke the law.
Boys learned the skills of their fathers. They learned to chop down trees with an axe, plough a field, and use a spear in battle. They also fished and went hunting.
Girls worked in the home. They were in charge of housekeeping, weaving cloth, cooking meals, making cheese and brewing ale.
- Few children learned to read and write.
- The sons of kings or wealthy families might be taught at home by a private teacher.
- The only schools were run by the Christian church, in monasteries. Some children lived there to train as monks and nuns.
What do these Anglo-Saxon items tell us?
Image caption, These combs are made from bone. We don't know exactly what Anglo-Saxon hairstyles looked like, but we have found many combs so they must have had long hair and taken care of it.
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Activities
Activity 1: Anglo-Saxon village
Explore the village below and listen to Hild as she tells you about her life, friends, and family.
Did you find everything in Hild's village? Click on the question mark button to reveal all the things you can click on.
Activity 2: Quiz – Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
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