Earldoms and local government in Anglo-Saxon England
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how Anglo-Saxon England was governed.
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.
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
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.
Teacher tip
Referring to a ‘hue and cry’, ask students to debate the following statement: empowering the community is the most effective way of administering justice.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.This word is the name for a group of leading aristocrats who advised the king.
Q2.Upon whom did Edward the Confessor rely to protect his kingdom? Select all of the answers that are correct.
Q3.The name of the group of people who collected taxes and ran local courts was .
Q4.What did Edward the Confessor make every boy swear to ensure allegiance?
Q5.How much of Edward's kingdom was under the Danelaw?
Q6.Which Earl was more powerful than Edward the Confessor?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words with their definitions. Write the correct letter in each box.
a unit of land administration within a shire.
a group of ten households
the largest unit of administration after an earldom
Q2.This keyword was the name of fortified town within a shire where most trade would take place.
Q3.Which unit was the amount of land that could support one household?
Q4.Order the units used by Anglo-Saxon administration from largest to smallest, starting with the largest.
Q5.What was the call given to alert a village to a crime?
Q6.Which group of people administered justice for most types of crime in Anglo Saxon England?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Earldoms and local government in Anglo-Saxon England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: Earldoms and local government in Anglo-Saxon 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.