New
New
Year 10
AQA

Sussex before the Norman Conquest

I can describe Sussex, the county that Pevensey is in, before 1066.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

Sussex before the Norman Conquest

I can describe Sussex, the county that Pevensey is in, before 1066.

warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Sussex was a mixture of rich coastal areas and poor heavily-forested areas.
  2. Sussex was home to important religious centres.
  3. Sussex had established trade links with Europe.
  4. Sussex formed a part of the earldom of Wessex.
  5. Sussex was one of the Godwin family's bases.

Keywords

  • Earldom - the territory governed by an earl

  • Church - a building used for public Christian worship

  • Trade - the exchange of goods

  • Earl - a powerful English landholder

Common misconception

There were no real areas of wilderness left in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.

The population of England in 1066 is generally estimated to have been about two million. The people of England were not evenly spread around the country however, and large parts of the land had no human habitation at all.

Students may benefit from being provided with a map of Sussex that they can annotate to draw attention to the key features of the county, such as Pevensey, the Weald and major population centres such as Lewes, Hastings and Chichester.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Loading...

6 Questions

Q1.
When did William begin his campaign to become king of England?
28th August 1066
Correct answer: 28th September 1066
28th October 1066
28th November 1066
Q2.
Complete the sentence: The land that Pevensey Castle sits on was a jutting out into the English Channel, with only a narrow spit connecting it to the mainland.
Correct Answer: peninsula
Q3.
How did Pevensey provide William with effective protection?
Sussex was located directly north of William’s Duchy of Normandy
Sussex held abundant farmland for William’s troops to forage food from
Correct answer: the marshland adjoining the coast slowed any potential attackers
Correct answer: Beachy Head to the west and the South Downs to the north were natural barriers
Q4.
Complete the sentence: Sussex was a very part of England in the medieval period.
Correct Answer: arable
Q5.
Where did William take up residency when he landed in Pevensey?
Pevensey Cathedral
Correct answer: Pevensey Castle
Pevensey Abbey
Pevensey Priory
Q6.
Why were Sussex's wealthy towns and villages helpful to William when he first landed in 1066?
Correct answer: they provided food
they provided extra soldiers
they provided taxes
they provided access to government

6 Questions

Q1.
Which word means the territory governed by an earl?
Correct Answer: earldom
Q2.
Which word describes a building used for public Christian worship?
Correct Answer: church
Q3.
Why was it hard for people to live in the Weald area of Sussex before 1066?
They had to deal with Viking attacks
Correct answer: The woodland and heath was very dense
There were too many people living there
There was frequent flooding
Q4.
What was the situation like on the Sussex coastline before the Norman Conquest?
The coastline had little trade and only a small fishing industry.
The coastline was mostly farm land with not much urban development.
Correct answer: The coastline had lots of trade and was connected with Europe.
The coastline had few people living there and few industries.
Q5.
Before the Norman Conquest, who controlled Sussex?
Correct answer: The kingdom of Wessex
The kingdom of Mercia
The kingdom of Northumbria
The kingdom of East Anglia
Q6.
Why was Harold Godwinson's control over Wessex important for his power?
It allowed him to build a large fleet of ships.
It gave him the ability to travel quickly across Europe.
It meant he could make new laws without approval.
Correct answer: It helped him generate wealth.

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.