BRITAIN IN THE MIDDLE AGES
An Archaeological History
FRANCIS PRYOR
This book is dedicated to the memory of
DR CHRIS SALISBURY
friend, doctor and archaeologist
CONTENTS
Introduction: Archaeology and the Medieval Period
PART I: On Britons, Saxons and Vikings (650–1066)
1 The North/South Divide of the Middle Saxon Period
3 Rural Life in Late Saxon Times
4 Urban Life in Late Saxon Times
PART II: The Middle Ages (1066–1550)
5 Urban Life in the Middle Ages
6 Rural Life in the Middle Ages
7 Trade, Industry and Security
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| Archaeological Period* | Dates (AD) | Defining or transitional events | Notes |
| Roman | 43–410 | Withdrawal of last Roman troops from Britain c.409 | |
| ‘Sub-Roman’ or Post-Roman | 410–50 | This is sometimes Post-Roman included in the Early Saxon period | |
| ‘Early Medieval’ | c. 410–1066 | A term generally used to describe pre-Norman times | |
| Early Saxon | 450–650 | Previously known as Pagan Saxon | |
| Middle Saxon | 650–850 | ||
| Late Saxon | 850–1066 | Norman Conquest (Battle of Hastings 1066) | |
| ‘Saxo-Norman’ | 850–1150 | A general descriptive term | |
| Middle Ages (or ‘Later Medieval’) | 1066–1550 | These may be subdivided thus: | |
| Early Middle Ages | 1066–1350 | 1348–49 first wave of Black Death | |
| Later Middle Ages | 1350–1550 | Dissolution of the monasteries 1536–40. The Reformation (Church of England legally established 1559) | Sometimes referred to as the ‘Transitional Period’ |
| Post-Medieval | 1550–present |
* Terms placed in quotes are used in a general sense. They are not archaeological periods sensu stricto.