CH 11:

SAXON SETTLEMENT &

BUILDINGS
How did the Anglo-Saxons live in Britain during the 7thCentury
NEW RULERS IN TOWN – SAXON KINGDOMS

• By 650CE, most Britain had been conquered

by the Saxons
• Eventually, 3 great kingdoms emerged –
Northumbria, Mercia (includes East Anglia &
Essex) and Wessex (includes Kent & Sussex)
• Each was ruled by a powerful king
• Small population – 1M to 2M people only.
They live in tiny villages of less than 100
people
What’s in the name?
• Many of the towns and villages in England today take their names
from Saxon times

Saxon words Meaning Example of places today

bourne, burn stream Bournemouth, Eastbourne
den big pasture Walden
ford shallow part of a river Stamford, Stratford
ham village Birmingham, Buckingham
ton farm or small village Alton, Middleton, Tonbridge
ley a clearing in the forest Henley
ing people Hastings – named after the leader/chieftain (Haesta’s
people)
HOW DID THE SAXONS LIVE?
• When the Saxons came to Britain, they did not like the Roman’s stone
buildings and streets, so they built their own small villages
• That is why so many Roman buildings became ruins – nobody cared or
knew how to repair them
• The Saxons built their villages near natural resources – food, water,
fuel and materials
• They surround each village with high fences
to protect cattle from wild animals and
themselves from enemies
• A village is usually made up of small group
of houses built around a larger hall
• The Saxon society was divided into 3 classes
– the chief and the riches, the common folk
& the slaves
• They all lived in wooden hut with thatched
(straw) roof
• Only one room shared by everybody - the
poor even had to share their room with
animals
• They slept on a bed but poorest people slept
on the floor
• The floors were earth and sometimes they
had wooden floorboards
• Rich people had candles
• Toilets were just pits dug on the ground
surrounded by walls of wood woven
together
• The chief has the biggest house. It was a long hall with hunting
trophies and battle armour hung from its walls
• People gathered here to eat together in the evening
• In the middle, there would be a stoned-lined trench with fire for
cooking, heating and light
• Smaller houses were for the craftsmen, farmers and peasants as
workshops
• They are simpler than the hall with barely any furniture
• The half of huts were also used as a stable for the animals – the
animals can provide warmth for the
people during cold nights
• The hut also have tools to do work,
cooking utensils and wooden chest
for clothes
• A slave’s house was sunk in
the ground with a turf roof
A. Fill in the blanks with the correct answers
 
1. By 650 CE, three great kingdoms emerged and each was ruled by a powerful ________________
2. The Saxons built their villages near ____________________ like food, water, fuel and materials
3. The village is surrounded by _____________________ for protection from wild animals and enemies
4. The Saxons did not like _________________________ so they built their own small villages
5. The village consisted of small group of __________________built around a larger ___________________
6. The walls of the huts were made up of _______________________ planks with thatched
_________________________
7. ­In the evening, the people gathered in the hall to ___________________
8. The fire in the hall was not only for cooking, it was also used for _______________________ and
__________________________

natural resources – high walls – wooden – light

king – warmth – roofs – hall – cook - houses – Roman’s building - eat