Time Travel East

Early Settlers

Evidence of human settlement in the East of England
dates from ancient times. The Neolithic period (or
New Stone Age) c4500 to 2300 BC, saw the first
farmers cutting back the forest to make clearings for
crops. They used axes made of flint - a kind of stone
mined from the area´s chalk, such as at 5,000 year
old Grimes Graves (nr. Brandon). At this time,
people tended to live in areas where the soil was 
easily worked. Around these, dense woodlands and 
extensive marshlands were natural barriers. The 
ancient trading route of the Icknield Way is
probably the oldest road in Britain - it followed
the chalk ridge across Southern England.

The Bronze Age c2300 to 700 BC saw the further
development of farming, and the first metals widely
used in Britain. Ancient sites, such as the ritual
causeway and platform at Flag Fen in Peterborough
are key reminders. At Holme-next-the-Sea
(nr. Hunstanton), the 4,000 year old timber circle of
Seahenge was exposed by the receding tide in 1998.
It can been seen in the Lynn Museum at King's Lynn.

The Iron Age c700 BC to 43 AD saw the arrival of many new settlers from the
continent - and the emergence of fortified hillforts, such as Wandlebury
(nr. Cambridge) and Warham (nr. Wells-next-the-Sea). 

The Romans

The Romans invaded in 43 AD - and remained for 400 years until 410. At this
time, the country had been spilt into areas, each ruled by a tribe - the Iceni of
Norfolk and North Suffolk; the Trinovantes of South Suffolk and parts of Essex;
and the Catuvellauni of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. During
the Roman period, thousands of miles of roads were built in straight lines (many
of today's routes still follow them), whilst forts were developed around the
coast - such as Burgh Castle (nr. Great Yarmouth). They were also the first to
try their hand at the drainage of The Fens - constructing sea banks and dykes.

Colchester (Camulodonum) became the first Roman capital of Britain - but it was
later destroyed in AD60 (along with London and St. Albans) by the uprising of the
Iceni - led by Queen Boudicca. Today the town is noted for its Roman walls and
Britain's largest surviving Roman gateway. To relax, the Romans enjoyed an
elegant culture of bathing - one of these buildings preserved at Welwyn Another
major settlement was St. Albans (Verulamium), home of Britain's only
completely exposed Roman Theatre The city is named after Alban, the
country's first Christian martyr who was executed here in around the 3rd C.

Anglo-Saxons

The Dark Ages is the term given to the period from
the departure of the Romans to the Norman
conquest c410 to 1066. The Anglo-Saxons were
tribes who arrived in Britain from the continent
(Denmark, Germany and Holland) in the 5th and
6th centuries. It was the 'Angles' people who would
settle and give their name to our region - the East
Angles (East Anglia). Their kingdom was made up
of the North Folk (Norfolk) and South Folk (Suffolk).
They also built the defensive earthwork of the Devil's
Dyke (nr. Newmarket) to protect themselves from the
neighbouring kingdom of Mercia, which included
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. 

The reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village at
West Stow (nr. Bury St. Edmunds) provides a
good example of life at the time. Sutton Hoo
(nr. Woodbridge) is the famous royal burial site of
Anglo-Saxon kings, where priceless treasures were
unearthed in 1939. Whilst Ipswich is England's
oldest continuously settled Anglo-Saxon town.

In the 8th C. Britain became a target from invading
Scandinavian countries. Known as the Vikings they ravaged the East of England
with a series of raids and wars. In 869, they captured Edmund, the well-loved 
King of the East Angles. He was killed for his Christian faith. The town of Bury
St. Edmunds is named after him - where the extensive abbey remains are built
around his shrine. Eventually the Danes were allowed to settle in the area.

The Normans

The Norman invasion of 1066 unified England once more. Killed at the famous
Battle of Hastings - Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon king is reputedly buried at
Waltham Abbey The legendary Saxon hero - Hereward the Wake was the
last to hold out against the Norman invaders in 1071 - his headquarters at Ely.

In the following years, spectacular stone castles and cathedrals were
constructed in the region. England's best preserved Cluniac monastic is
at Castle Acre Priory (nr. Swaffham). Many new villages were also founded, 
and the area of cultivated land greatly increased. The Domesday Book
of 1086 provided a detailed description of the time.

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages c1154 to 1485 saw the start of the great cloth-making industry of
the East of England. From the worsted cloth of Norfolk to the famous Suffolk Wool
Towns - it's wealth is seen today in beautiful churches and timber-framed houses,
which were endowed by the successful merchants. The Guildhall of Corpus
Christi at Lavenham has a walled garden with dye plants used.

Other key events included: the creation of The Broads - when old peat diggings
gradually filled with water creating shallow lakes or 'broads'; the University city of
Cambridge was founded (the first college in 1284); and in Bury St. Edmunds - the
Barons of England met in 1214 to force King John to sign the 'Magna Carta'. The
town of King's Lynn became home of the Hanseatic League (an association of
European medieval merchant traders).

Over in Hertfordshire, the Wars of the Roses (between two branches of the royal
family - York and Lancaster) began with the first battle at St. Albans in 1455. Whilst
it was in Essex that the Peasants Revolt (1381) was born - as the men of the
county led by Wat Tyler marched on London to petition their grievences.

The population pressures on London led to the development of the Garden Cities, with Letchworth Garden City being the first in 1903. It combined the best of town and country.