The Archaeology of the 11th Century Continuities and Transformations

The Archaeology of the 11th Century addresses many key questions surrounding this formative period of English history and considers conditions before 1066 and how these changed. The impact of the Conquest of England by the Normans is the central focus of the book, which not onlyassesses the destruction and upheaval caused by the invading forces, but also examines how the Normans contributed to local culture, religion, and society. The volume explores a range of topics including food culture, funerary practices, the development of castles and their impact, and how both urban and rural life evolved during the 11th century. Through its nuanced approach to the complex relationships and regional identities which characterised the period, this collection stimulates renewed debate and challenges some of the long-standing myths surrounding the Conquest. Presenting new discoveries and fresh ideas in a readable style with numerous illustrations, this interdisciplinary book is an invaluable resource for those interested in the archaeology, history, geography, art, and literature of the 11th century.

1IntroductionD M Hadley and C C Dyer 2The Norman Conquest and its impact on late Anglo-Saxon townsLetty ten Harkel 3The Norman Conquest and its influences on urban landscapesKeith D Lilley 4Conquest, colonisation and the countryside: archaeology and the mid-11th- to mid-12th-century rural landscapeOliver Creighton and Stephen Rippon5Manorial farmsteads and the expression of lordship before and after the Norman ConquestMark Gardiner 6Anglo-Saxon towers of lordship and the origins of the castle in EnglandMichael G Shapland 7Scars on the townscape: urban castles in Saxo-Norman EnglandMichael Fradley 8Seeking ‘Norman burials’, evidence for continuity and change in funerary practice following the Norman ConquestElizabeth Craig-Atkins 9Charity and conquest: leprosaria in early Norman EnglandSimon Roffey 10Archaeology and archiepiscopal reform. Greater churches in York diocese in the 11th centuryPaul Everson and David Stocker 11Rewriting the narrative: regional dimensions of the Norman ConquestAleksandra McClain 12The Bayeux Tapestry: window to a world of continuity and changeMichael Lewis 13Cuisine and conquest: interdisciplinary perspectives on food, continuity and change in 11th-century England and beyondBen Jervis, Fiona Whelan and Alexandra Livarda 14Tradition and innovation: lead-alloy brooches and urban identities in the 11th centuryRosie Weetch 15History, archaeology and the Norman ConquestHugh M Thomas

Dawn M Hadley is Head of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield, UK. Christopher Dyer is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Leicester, UK.