The Beginnings of English Society (Hist of England, Penguin)

From "the coming of the English" into the Romanized province of Britain (traditionally dated to the year 449) to the Norman Conquest of 1066, it was the Anglo-Saxons who controlled the territory of England. In this book, the author draws on a range of evidence to offer an analysis of their way of life. She examines the basic structures of society - the hierarchy descending from the King, his court and the noblemen to the churls and slaves - the systems of administration and law and the role and organization of the Church. Britain may have been at the edge of the civilized world, yet the Anglo-Saxons produced a distinguished body of literature, Latin and vernacular, and many important works of art.