Roman Britain and Early England: 55 BC - AD 871

The Norton Library History of England

by Peter Hunter Blair

By the time of Caesar's first expedition to Britain in 55 B.C., migratory movements had established close ties of kinship and common interest between the peoples who lived in Gaul and some of the inhabitants of Britain. Because the source material is so meager for much of early British history, Mr. Blair is careful to explain just how scholars have arrived at an accurate knowledge of the first 900 years.


The real history of Britain begins with the Roman occupation, for the Romans were the first to leave substantial documentary and archaeological evidence. After the governorship of Agricola the written sources almost entirely disappear until the early Anglo-Saxon era of the fifth century; but archaeologists have been able to gather a great deal of information about the intervening centuries from excavations of old walled towns, roads, and fortresses dating from the Roman period. Mr. Blair skillfully describes the transition from Roman to Saxon England and shows why Rome's greatest legacy to her former colony—Christianity—flowered within Anglo-Saxon culture. The source material on Saxon England is mainly documentary, as these new inhabitants built in wood and little archaeological evidence has survived. However, Bede's Ecclesiatical History of the English Nation and other great Christian writings, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Beowulf, the stories of Caedmon, and other poems and epics in the Germanic minstrelsy tradition, have revealed much about English economic, social, and cultural life up to the accession of Alfred the Great.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Medieval, Anglo Saxon, British Literature, Medieval History

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Genni · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a serious introduction to a hazy time period, I can not imagine how this could have been much better. As most know, the written sources are scarce and archaeological sites have yet to provide many conclusive offerings to our understanding of Roman Britain and Early England.

Although I had read that Peter Hunter-Blair expounded a more traditional view of hoards of Saxons completely overwhelming Britain, I did not find that to be the case. He speaks of the “slow, continuing process of migration whereby the land of Britain gradually came into the possession of new owners.”

I wondered about some of the things he chose to omit, such as the fact that Agricola was Tacitus's father-in-law or that we are not sure that Honorius truly sent a letter to Britain in 410A.D. telling them to take care of themselves. I suppose introductory material cannot cover all disputes, but it is interesting to note what is included and what is not.

Overall, a satisfactory prelude to further reading.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a difficult period to cover since there aren't that many surviving sources. I was surprised to find myself interested in the first chapter in which Blair reviews what is available to a historian trying to piece the history of early Britain together. He doesn't speculate too much which is a frequent flaw in histories similarly lacking material but he does make suggestions as to possible interpretations of facts. The complexity of things is evident from the varied groups of invaders and the response to them of earlier inhabitants/invaders.

[Karen Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not look at the publication date when I bought this, and when I realized that it was written in the early '60's, I found it completely ironic that the author cautions the reader that in the last 30 years so much has been discovered that it may render old opinions and theories obsolete. That said, I did enjoy this book very much and found his ideas, based on archeological and documentary evidence, to make sense. No tortured and convoluted "reasoning" to promote a certain theory or interpretation. He points out that while it took the Romans a mere five years to conquer Britain, the Anglo-Saxon conquest took at least three hundred. Not really and "invasion." Unfortunately he gives short shrift to the Brythonic peoples who were already living Britain, so that it seemed to me that there was a vacuum which the conquerors walked into. His admiration for the Romans and Anglo-Saxons is apparent and not unjustified. But I again found it ironic that the heroic ideal of the Anglo-Saxons, which he describes, was the same as that of the Brythons, which I knew about from other sources.

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introductory book written by an author who is clearly passionate about his subject and translates this passion to the reader. But don’t you think that this is an easy read.

This is an old and dusty classic, but no one else seems to have written anything solid on Roman England. There are not many historical accounts of the time, and there are not many remains that can tell precisely what happened after the Romans set to colonise Britain in 43 AD. It is more of an archeology book that tries to build a coherent story on the basis of the rare finds, like ruined villas and town houses, the Walls and the roads, a few treasure troves, altars, crockery, coins, and various bolts and pieces, as well as place names, which fascinated me as a linguist.

Some things stunned me, like the fact that some Britons lived in the same way, growing corn and raising cattle, in the same locality, without any change since 7 BC to 4 AD. When we’ve had huge changes during the last three centuries, this stability amazes me.
It also came as a surprise that Germanic tribes, unlike the Romans and the Norsemen settled in Britain slowly, through five centuries. It was exciting to read about the place names that go back to those times and remember now perished tribes.

The early Anglo-Saxon “period” seems like a chaotic time, with not so much material evidence, but Blair managed to create a more or less coherent picture of it. I wish he wrote more on scholarship and arts that flourished in those times, but this is just an intro, which couldn’t contain all the information, of course.

I especially liked seldom, but keen and beautiful reflections of the author on each period.

A detailed, captivating, and although often dry book, it is highly rewarding if you are into the English past.

[Taylor Pelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first book in Blair’s series explores the beginning of recorded history. It goes from the invasion and occupation of the Roman army followed by the subsequent Anglo-Saxon occupation and leads to the anticipated Danish invasion. Blair lays out well his source material and the difficulty of the task he is setting out to accomplish. A very dry read but a fascinating look into the changing of power of the British Isles and how that’s reflected in the culture, economics, religion, and infrastructure of it’s changing demographic. Blair also shows how the fall of the anal and meticulous Roman Empire in Western Europe created a void of knowledge, record keeping, and growth which was ultimately filled by the Church and the spread of Christianity. Blair does a good job of dividing up the changes that occurred during the Romano-Britain occupation and the subsequent Anglo-Saxon occupation and breaking them down into easier to tackle studies. He helps the reader understand how the Celtic Christians influenced by the early Roman priests and their own naturalistic culture butted up against the later Anglo-Saxon Christians and their more recent contemporary influences. He also helps us see the transition of a Honor centered culture goes from mercenaries and invaders, driven by war and conquering to a rooted and established people who formed a confederation of kingdoms in a quasi-monarchy/oligarchy in a constant balance of unity and disunity. He eventually shows how early factors such as the fall of the Roman Empire (a source of order and advancement) early and later influences of Christianity (a source of order and advancement) fill that void. This combined with an invading Germanic people who’s culture holds to the highest degree the idea of a Lord and his people and the bond and honor that is due to that Lord made Christianity a (mostly) natural worldview for the Anglo-Saxons. In the proceeding volumes one of Blair’s aims is to show how the spread of Christianity largely outflowing from the British Isles was one of the single greatest and most powerful triumphs of medieval Europe and the world.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting overview to this difficult period due to the paucity of sources, even during the Pax Romana.

Uses a combination of archaeological and written sources (where available).

[George Foord · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some really interesting facts that I have never heard before although writing is rather boring thorought.

[Ian Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classed with Arthuriana because of period covered -- not directly relevant to the later tradition

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather dry exposition of the facts regarding the historical period. But that is what I was looking for after reading so much historical fiction about the times. Gave me the perspective I was looking for. No Arthur material here (again, its the facts). A bit dated, so I wonder what has been discovered since.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good history of England under Roman rule. Book becomes a little less easily to read in describing life in post-Roman rule, though much of that is due to gaps in the historical record and the fragmentation of kingdoms that rise and fall through 871.

[Pam Shelton-Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2012 review seems to have been lost, but this is an excellent book for the history of Britain under Roman occupation to when it became more unified under the kings of Wessex.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great

[Brandon Bowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dry, but very informative.

[Megan]

Roman Britain & Early England by Peter Hunter Blair (1963)