The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon : a history of the early inhabitants of Britain, down to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, illustrated by the ancient remains brought to light by recent research / by Thomas Wright ; with numerous engravings on wood.

  • Thomas Wright
Date:
1902
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon : a history of the early inhabitants of Britain, down to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity, illustrated by the ancient remains brought to light by recent research / by Thomas Wright ; with numerous engravings on wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    527/588 (page 505)
    CHAr. xvi.] ANGLO-SAXON SETTLEMENT. 50c ' C HAPTER XVI. Anglo-Saxon Settlement—Division of tlie Land—Population of the Country and of the Towns—Continuance of the Roman Municipalities—Traces of Municipal Privileges in the Anglo-Saxon Towns ; Canterbury, Rochester, Dover, Exeter, London. The remains of our Anglo-Saxon forefathers, as described in the preceding chapter, present sufficient evidence that society then consisted of two very distinct elements : one purely Teu- tonic, the other derived from intercourse with the Roman popu- lation. The Teutonic settlers took possession of the land, which the various chiefs divided among themselves by lot; and it was held by a totally different tenure to that which existed under the imperial government. The characteristic of Teutonic society was a deeply implanted aristocracy, that of the heads of clans, or tribes, and there was very little tendency to the central- isation which was exhibited in the Roman imperial constitution. Each chief received his share of land, on which he settled with his household and followers, and which descended in his family as a freehold. We still trace these original allotments of land in the names of places in every part of England, which are com- posed of the patronymic of the family or race. Thus, when we find such a name as Birmingham, we may be sure that it was originally the ham, or residence, of the Beormingas, the descend- ants or clan of Beonn, for this was the regular form of the Teu- tonic patronymic—Beorming, the son of Beorm. And thus we have Badlingham in Cambridgeshire, the seat of the Baedlingas ; Buckingham, of the Bucingas; Warmingham, in Cheshire, of the Wearmingas; Littlington, the tun or head residence of the Lytlingas ; Elvington, the seat of the Ellingas ; Killinghall, the hall of the Cylingas; and a vast number of similar names. The family or clan did not always take its name from the chief who obtained the allotment of land ; it was often but a branch of a much older family in the land from which the settler came.