Starter quiz
- This word is the name for a group of leading aristocrats who advised the king.
- 'Witan' ✓
- Upon whom did Edward the Confessor rely to protect his kingdom? Select all of the answers that are correct.
- The earls ✓
- The Witan ✓
- The Danes
- shire reeves ✓
- The fyrd ✓
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- The name of the group of people who collected taxes and ran local courts was ______.
- 'shire reeves' ✓
- What did Edward the Confessor make every boy swear to ensure allegiance?
- 'an oath' ✓
- How much of Edward's kingdom was under the Danelaw?
- a quarter
- half ✓
- three quarters
-
- Which Earl was more powerful than Edward the Confessor?
- Earl Godwin ✓
- Earl Tostig
- Earl Leofric
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Exit quiz
- Match the words with their definitions. Write the correct letter in each box.
- A hundred⇔a unit of land administration within a shire. ✓
- A tithing⇔a group of ten households ✓
- A shire⇔the largest unit of administration after an earldom ✓
- This keyword was the name of fortified town within a shire where most trade would take place.
- 'A burh' ✓
- Which unit was the amount of land that could support one household?
- earl
- hide ✓
- tithing
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- Order the units used by Anglo-Saxon administration from largest to smallest, starting with the largest.
- 1⇔Shires
- 2⇔Hundreds
- 3⇔Tithings
- 4⇔Hides
- What was the call given to alert a village to a crime?
- hue and cry ✓
- hundreds and cry
- tithings and cry
-
- Which group of people administered justice for most types of crime in Anglo Saxon England?
- the local people ✓
- the earls
- the king
- The Witan
-
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Earls were very powerful, holding economic, legal and military control over their earldoms.
- King Edward relied on the earls for military power and government.
- Earldoms provided a local government and legal system which was divided into shires, hundreds, tithings, and hides.
- Every five hides had to provide one man for the fyrd.
- Local government provided a centralised Anglo-Saxon state with justice administered in local communities.
Common misconception
England did not have any fortified settlements until the Normans built castles.
In fact, Anglo-Saxon burhs were fortified settlements, built to protect towns from Viking attacks.
Keywords
Shire - a shire was the largest unit of administration after an earldom and had its own court
Hundred - in Anglo-Saxon England, a hundred was a unit of land administration within a shire
Tithing - a tithing was a group of ten households; together they administered minor disputes in their communities
Hide - a hide was the basic unit of administration, the measurement of land which could support one household, which carried obligations of tax and military service
Burh - a burh was a fortified town within a shire where most trade would take place
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