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Social structures and social change in seventh-century England: the law codes and complementary sources.

A carefully contextualized reading of the four surviving Anglo-Saxon law codes issued in the seventh century, three from Kent and one from Wessex, shows the body of legislation they contain to be coherent and practical, and to support subtle insights into social relationships, processes of social ch...

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Published in:Historical Research Vol. 86; no. 233; pp. 394 - 408
Main Author: Hines, John
Format: Article
Published: Oxford University Press / USA Aug2013
Subjects:
Anglo-Saxon law
Sociological jurisprudence
Seventh century
Historical archaeology
Social change
Land settlement patterns
Social conditions in Great Britain
Anglo-Saxon Period, Great Britain, 449-1066
British history sources
British history to 1066
Manners & customs
Antiquities
United Kingdom
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:A carefully contextualized reading of the four surviving Anglo-Saxon law codes issued in the seventh century, three from Kent and one from Wessex, shows the body of legislation they contain to be coherent and practical, and to support subtle insights into social relationships, processes of social change, and areas of social stress in that period. The importance of archaeological evidence, in particular that concerning the use and significance of materials and artefacts, and developments in settlement structures and the overall settlement pattern, is particularly emphasized.