Britain in the Middle Ages: An Archaeological History

Britain #3

by Francis Pryor

As in ‘Britain B.C.’ and ‘Britain A.D.’ (also accompanied by Channel 4 series), eminent archaeologist Francis Pryor challenges familiar historical views of the Middle Ages by examining fresh evidence from the ground. The term 'Middle Ages' suggests a time between two other a period when nothing much happened. In his radical reassessment, Francis Pryor shows that this is very far from the truth, and that the Middle Ages (approximately 800-1550) were actually the time when the modern world was born. This was when Britain moved from Late Antiquity into a world we can recognize as more or less roads and parishes became fixed; familiar institutions, such as the church and local government, came into being; industry became truly industrial; and international trade was now a routine process. Archaeology shows that the Middle Ages were far from static. Based on everyday, often humdrum evidence, it demonstrates that the later agricultural and industrial revolutions were not that unexpected, given what we now know of the later medieval period. Similarly, the explosion of British maritime power in the late 1700s had roots in the 15th century. The book stresses continuous development at the expense of ‘revolution', though the Black Death (1348), which killed a third of the population, did have a profound effect in loosening the grip of the feudal system. Labour became scarce and workers gained power; land became more available and the move to modern farming began. The Middle Ages can now be seen in a fresh light as an era of great inventiveness, as the author examines such topics as 'upward mobility'; the power of the Church; the role of the Guilds as precursors of trade unions; the transport infrastructure of roads, bridges and shipbuilders; and the increase in iron production.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Medieval, Medieval History, British Literature, Historical

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Francis Manning Marlborough Pryor MBE (born 13 January 1945) is a British archaeologist who is famous for his role in the discovery of Flag Fen, a Bronze Age archaeological site near Peterborough, and for his frequent appearances on the Channel 4 television series Time Team.

He has now retired from full-time field archaeology, but still appears on television and writes books as well as being a working farmer. His specialities are in the Bronze and Iron Ages.

His first novel, Lifers’ Club, is due to be published in 2014.

Reviews

[Callum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read, albeit with some minor drawbacks.
I really liked the way Pryor wove the archeological finds into the history along with discussion of different archaeological conventions and practices. It was like a joint history of Britain and history of archaeology. I also really liked the focus on the everyday life and continuity of what is often considered a discordant period of time. The biggest gripe I have is that Pryor sometimes indulges too much in talking about his own experience and ties himself into the story in a way that seems like a stretch at best.

[Lee Broderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the introduction to this book, the author explains that this is not a textbook but rather a grand narrative, in the pre-1950's tradition. I'd argue it's neither: perhaps it's a thematic narrative, if there is such a thing. By that, I mean that Francis Pryor does not tell a story but describes themes: urban life or rural life, for example. This he does splitting the book into two halves: the first covering the Early Mediaeval period after AD600 (a rather arbitrary date but the one at which his previous book, Britain AD: A Quest for Arthur, England and the Anglo-Saxons, finishes) and the second covering the High and Late Mediaeval periods, from AD1100 to AD1550.

Readers of my other reviews will know that I've long held Pryor to be among the greatest archaeology writers we've ever produced and he excels himself here. Since the subject is at a greater remove from his own academic pastures than Britain AD, it's easy to see that the author has fewer axes to grind and is content to take the reader along with him as he explores the archaeology of Mediaeval Britain as an enthusiastic amateur - but with the added bonus of access to hard-to-access archaeological reports and papers, discipline-specific training and experience and learned friends and colleagues with which to discuss topics and check his own output.

The greatest weakness of the text is acknowledged by the author in his introduction: an over-reliance on sites in the South and East of England. Partly, of course, this does reflect the skewdness of archaeological research towards that area in Britain but, nevertheless, a more balanced approach is possible. Most likely then, the justification for this imbalance is a concise narrative and, although the academic in me may disagree with the decision, as a reader I can appreciate it.

Mediaeval archaeology has developed a great deal over the last thirty years, drastically altering our understanding of an age lasting more than a millenium (I do take issue with the 'Middle Ages' epithet - the middle of what, exactly? but then few archaeologists or historians seem to be able to agree on a system of period labels so I can't overly criticise Pryor for his when he includes a table outlining it just because it isn't my own) but there are signs that this rate of development may be beginning to slow and enter a phase of consolidation. This book then, is published at just the right time and provides a valuable overview of our knowledge for the interested non-academic.

[Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5-3

So, there are two levels to this. (1) The first half of the book is mostly pretty boring, because Pryor does not engage with the archaeology itself but rather indulges in pretty yawn inducing examinations, and personal anecdotes, of the politics of archaeology and the various events and issues surrounding it. As a casual reader, which this book is very much marketed towards, I just...don't..care that much. I found parts of it interesting, such as the move from charity funded digs to commercial digs with the adoption of new planning laws (if only for gaining another random fact) but really I just wanted to know more about Saxon and Medieval life. (2) Thankfully, as the book progresses (especially in the last 25%) Pryor picks up the pace and a sizeable amount of truly interesting recent (as of 2004) discoveries are outlined to comprehensively squash certain perceptions about medieval Britain being a sort of back water swamp.

Yet, it could have been half the length and been significantly more enjoyable...so who knows. Maybe it should be adapted (if not already) into a series of column articles or blog posts by Pryor, with a more laser focus.

[Iris Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Vikings were so cool I wish I were a Saxon chilling and trading with the Vikings I think they would have liked me if they'd gotten to know me

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pryor looks at the establishment of England and the time of the Saxons through an archaeological lens. Some interesting bits of information although he does seem a bit up himself at times.

[zed · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Archaeology book and enjoyed it enough that I have grabbed a few more by the good Francis Pryor to read at a later date.

[Andrew McAuley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Francis Pryor warns the reader in his introduction that this isnt a text book. The book follows a chronology beginning in what would usually be considered the dark ages and takes us up to the early 16th century by interpreting different sites the author has worked on and divulges a lot of tales about working with different archaeologists.

The book contains a great many facts and opinions and covers quite a lot of archaeological sites. I found that the reader benefits mainly from reading sites they may have visited; I was only familiar with a couple and found my interest and ability to interpret the others through this text to be a lot less. Partially that is due to the narrative style, the author does go off on a tangent quite often and will jump from site to site and reference his earlier book Britian BC amd the work of other archaeologists, his opinions of them and often little stories of experiences of working with individuals.

While there is a lot in here that is valuable, it seems bogged down among the lauding of the authors colleagues, information about farming and his own musings. Its almost like a long (one sided) conversation than a book; the author does warn us right at the start that its not conventional.

I found that the book was chaotic enough and hard to relate to due to my lacking knowlege of most of the sites that i had to keep rereading bits I had skimmed over without taking any in. By page 200 i just wanted to finish it so I could read something else.

Someone more versed in archaeology might find it more interesting. I was also more interested in 1200+ but thats only really 1/3 of the book, the bulk seems to be pre 10th century. I feel it is harsh to rate the book at 3 stars, but I really stopped enjoying it by the half way mark.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The style in which this book is written will determine how well readers get on with it. It has the feel of a series of after dinner speeches made in the cosy confines of an archeologists' gathering in a local hostelry (an environment that Pryor evidently appreciates). It feels therefore at times as though you are listening in on a series of conversations and confidences that will mean more to you if you are already familiar with some of the very good friends that Pryor frequently cites and tells anecdotes about. I found it a little bit irritating, to be honest.

Another beef - which he does admit to - is that this is not a book about Britain in the Middle Ages. It is a book about England in the Middle Ages. Obviously, following on from Britain BC and Britain AD it was felt that the Britain theme needed to be continued but I could well understand why those in the Celtic areas of the island would raise an eyebrow or two.

Other than that the book is enjoyable - the second half more so, I thought. The photos are great and it's always a great pleasure reading about archaeology and the new techniques (and bear in mind that this book is 15 years old now) that are being brought to bear on the history that lies beneath our soil and rivers.

[Tairachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn’t really what I was looking for, i.e. not really about what life was like in the Middle Ages (the title is kind of misleading). It only focused on select places of UK and things like carpentry. Definitely very archaeologically based book and quite technical at times. Felt like you would have to have some background in UK history and archaeology to benefit from this book. The namedropping of other books was a tad annoying. Felt a bit like the author’s diary. I wanted to learn more about what life was like but it felt more like a lecture on the greatness of archaeology. Kind of disappointing that it wasn’t as informative and fascinating or what I was looking for. The author emphasises at the start that this is not a textbook - and that’s right, this wasn’t a very educational read, felt more like an opinion dump, and felt quite scattered, jumping fleetingly from place to place.

[Monical · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book as a fan of the British TV series "Time Team." I didn't expect to read this book, planned to flip through it, but once I started reading, I was hooked. The author has a chatty style, and picks and chooses his topics in an apparently random fashion, but I enjoyed 90% of the material anyhow. I will see if I can track down some of his other books.

[Doug Adamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is important to note that this is not a history of Britain in the Middle Ages, though it does contain a good bit of history. It is history as seen through the archaeological remains from the Middle Ages. I found it quite interesting and well-written. I will be on the look-out for Pryor's other works.

[Matthew Lloyd]

Hmm, apparently shelving this as DNF meant that I lost the date when I started reading it. I think it was last summer, and over many months I got to page 145. But I just find his style so irritating that I think I have to accept that I am done with this, despite the interesting material.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archaeological analysis of the Middle Ages in England. Rather too much social history for my taste, but interesting view of developments over time.

[Jai · Rating 5 out of 5]

The man is genius. End of. Easiest way to learn of our past via his books. So much so I'm itching to visit myriad sites, churches, Flag Fen, you name it.

[Janika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting introduction to medieval archaeology. I'm fairly familiar with the historian's perspective on the period, but this book really draws the documents and archival records in to show how they match up with what actually survives "on the ground".

[Chris Caughey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished and loved the way I feel I know Britain, both historically and archaeologically!