An accessible overview that will interest anyone who wants to know more about South Yorkshire during the Viking era.

The period AD 450-1066 was a tumultuous time for the British Isles, and this was in particularly true of what became South Yorkshire. Existing on the borderland between the great Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria, South Yorkshire remained contentious in the struggles between the rival polities, with land ceded and taken, over the best part of four centuries. Evidence suggests that most of southern Yorkshire remained largely occupied by native British inhabitants, rather than Saxon or Viking incomers, at least until the later-Saxon period and after the Viking take-over which began in the 9th century.

With a focus on the previously academically-neglected archaeology of the region, this book features new evidence to paint a full picture of South Yorkshire in the Anglo-Saxon and Viking Periods. Included are pre-Conquest charters and the enigmatic Tribal Hidage tribute list, as well as an analysis of place-names and looks at the archaeological record of dark-age earthworks, burials, fortified places and finds. The author uses his expert knowledge of Anglo-Saxon carved stone monuments to supplement the historical and archaeological evidence to identify centers of settlement and control in the area and which also offers a tantalizing insight into local ethnicity. The research is brought to life with maps, figures, and photographic evidence throughout the book.

In pulling together our current knowledge of South Yorkshire during this pivotal era, the book acts as a reminder of how the wealth of local character is easily destroyed unless we become more aware of its fragility and celebrate its diversity. Written in accessible language, this book will be of interest to both academics and anyone who wants to know more about South Yorkshire in the post-Roman and Early Medieval periods.

• Cover
• Dedication
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 The Topography, Geology and Economy of South Yorkshire
  • The Roman background to the South Yorkshire region
• Chapter 2 South Yorkshire in a Post-Roman Context
  • The early development of the region
  • The material evidence for a Germanic presence in southern Yorkshire
• Chapter 3 The Tribal Hidage and the Formation of the Large Kingdoms
  • Loidis, Elmet and Craven
• Chapter 4 The Importance of Doncaster
• Chapter 5 The Mercian Connection
• Chapter 6 The Northumbrian Frontier
  • The earthworks
  • ‘Burgh’ place-name evidence
• Chapter 7 Vikings and the Later-Saxon Period
  • The Hiberno-Norse
• Chapter 8 The ‘New’ Mercian–Northumbrian Boundary
  • Dore and Whitwell
• Chapter 9 Words, Names and Ethnicity in the Landscape
  • ‘Eccles’ and the British connection
• Chapter 10 Anglo-Saxon Stone Monuments in South Yorkshire
  • Stone monuments as an artefact for examining regional identities
  • The missing monuments
• Chapter 11 Later Saxon Estates in South Yorkshire
  • Changes in the countryside
  • The charters
  • Wapentakes and shires
• Chapter 12 The Anglo-Saxon Church in South Yorkshire
  • The structure of the pre-Conquest churches
  • The identification of Saxon churches
  • Review of the Anglo-Saxon churches of South Yorkshire
• Conclusions
• Bibliography