The Archaeology of the 11th Century: Continuities and Transformations

Description

"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 only assesses 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. LIST OF PLATES vii LIST OF FIGURES ix NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xv CHAPTER 1. Introduction / DAWN M HADLEY AND CHRISTOPHER DYER 1 CHAPTER 2. The Norman Conquest and its impact on late Anglo-Saxon towns / LETTY TEN HARKEL 14 CHAPTER 3. The Norman Conquest and its influences on urban landscapes / KEITH D. LILLEY 30 CHAPTER 4. Conquest, colonisation and the countryside: archaeology and the mid-11th- to mid-12th-century rural landscape / OLIVER CREIGHTON AND STEPHEN RIPPON 57 CHAPTER 5. Manorial farmsteads and the expression of lordship before and after the Norman Conquest / MARK GARDINER 88 CHAPTER 6. Anglo-Saxon towers of lordship and the origins of the castle in England / MICHAEL G. SHAPLAND 104 CHAPTER 7. Scars on the townscape: urban castles in Saxo-Norman England / MICHAEL FRADLEY 120 CHAPTER 8. Seeking 'Norman burials': evidence for continuity and change in funerary practice following the Norman Conquest / ELIZABETH CRAIG-ATKINS 139 CHAPTER 9. Charity and conquest: leprosaria in early Norman England / SIMON ROFFEY 159 CHAPTER 10. Archaeology and archiepiscopal reform: greater churches in York diocese in the 11th century / PAUL EVERSON AND DAVID STOCKER 177 CHAPTER 11. Rewriting the narrative: regional dimensions of the Norman Conquest / ALEKSANDRA McCLAIN 203 CHAPTER 12. The Bayeux Tapestry: window to a world of continuity and change / MICHAEL LEWIS 228 CHAPTER 13. Cuisine and conquest: interdisciplinary perspectives on food, continuity and change in 11th-century England and beyond / BEN JERVIS, FIONA WHELAN AND ALEXANDRA LIVARDA 244 CHAPTER 14. Tradition and innovation: lead-alloy brooches and urban identities in the 11th century / ROSIE WEETCH 263 CHAPTER 15. History, archaeology and the Norman Conquest / HUGH M. THOMAS 283 INDEX 301