Change and continuity in Norman England
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the extent of change and continuity in Norman England.
Key learning points
- The most significant change in Norman England was the change in the ruling elite.
- A positive change was a reduction in the number of enslaved people.
- While some areas were damaged by Norman actions, generally the economy recovered under the Normans.
- Anglo-Saxon government systems were sophisticated and the Normans kept much more than they changed.
- One area of law that changed significantly was Forest law.
Keywords
Elite - elite refers to the richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society
Continuity - continuity is the fact of something continuing for a long period of time without being changed or stopped
Government - government is the group of people who officially control/rule a country
Common misconception
That the Normans destroyed all Anglo-Saxon government.
Anglo-Saxon government systems were sophisticated, perhaps more developed than Normandy’s. The Normans retained and built on the existing Anglo-Saxon governmental institutions.
Teacher tip
Have students create posters or digital presentations. Students can imagine they are a Norman sheriff delivering a royal writ informing local people of their new sheriff and the introduction of forest laws.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Why was William the Conqueror keen to have influence over the English Church?
Q2.Why did William claim the English Church needed reform?
Q3.Which term describes the act of holding more than one position within the Church?
Q4.Fill in the missing language: Lanfranc ordered that all royal documents, originally written in English by the clergy, should instead be written in .
Q5.Why did William replace most Anglo-Saxon bishops with Normans?
Q6.Which of these were reforms of the English Church made by Lanfranc?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the word elite refer to?
Q2.Complete this sentence: The Normans introduced stricter landholding rules and many Anglo-Saxon landholders often had their landholdings ...
Q3.Which of these do historians see as a positive change in society resulting from the Norman conquest?
Q4.An example of negative change in Norman England’s economy was:
Q5.How did the role of the sheriff change in Norman England?
Q6.How many of William’s top-ranking lords held 25% of the land in England?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Change and continuity in Norman England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Change and continuity in Norman England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the British depth study: Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.