The "Anarchy"

There was civil war in England between 1135 and 1153. Henry I sought to secure the throne for his daughter, Matilda (also known as 'the Empress Maud' - her first marriage was to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V), after his only son was killed when the "White Ship" was accidentally sunk shortly after leaving Barfleur in Normandy. Despite Henry's efforts, the throne was seized by his nephew Stephen of Blois who argued that the need to preserve order in England took priority over his earlier oaths to respect Henry I's wishes. (He also asserted that Henry changed his mind on his deathbed.)

There were few 'battles', but civil order broke down - and many of the leading nobles took steps to protect themselves. Croft and Mynard state, "fighting between the two sides was a rare event, commonly taking the form of sieges of major castles around the country." In the Milton Keynes area, at least three motte and bailey castles were quickly erected or enhanced for this purpose. There is an interesting article on motte and bailey castles here.

Wolverton Castle may have been erected by Manno [the Breton] or his son (? or possibly grandson) Meinfelin (who was to found Bradwell Priory after the Anarchy). It was held for King Stephen, and may have been destroyed as a result. The remains of a later castle may still may seen close to the church in Old Wolverton (which makes for a pleasant walk if heading towards the Iron Trunk where the canal crosses the Ouse.)

Shenley Toot is a hidden gem within Shenley Church End. It lies close to the V3 (Fulmer Street) - near a bridge by Shenley Wood Retirement Village. The remains of this motte and bailey castle lie between Oakhill Road and Holy Thorn Lane. It is under the guardianship of the Parks Trust - and there are excellent interpretation boards.

The castle belonged to (and was probably erected by) Hugh, the tenant of Earl Hugh of Chester. (also known as 'Hugh of Avranches';  Hugh the Wolf, or the less complementary 'Hugh the Fat').

Bradwell was held by William Bayeux. Croft and Mynard report that "its origins are thought to be directly related to the Anarchy". William Bayeux was the tenant of Brian Fitz Count, a personal friend of Empress Matilda. The remains lie to the north-east of the Church and south of the village hall.

A. C. Chibnall, in his 1965 book "Sherington Fiefs and Fields of a Buckinghamshire Village" suggests that there may have been similar castles at Newport Pagnell - "A mound known as 'the battery' near the confluence of [the Great Ouse and the Ouzel] marks the site of the castle and the meadow on the opposite bank of the [Ouzel] has been known since the twelfth century as 'castle mead' ... During the anarchy it belonged to Ralph Peynel as part of his barony of Dudley. Ralph held Dudley Castle for the Empress in 1137"; Lavendon and Hanslope. He proposed the following map of the castles in the north of the Milton Keynes area.

The Saxons in Milton Keynes

Does history repeat itself?

In 409 AD the British "revolted from the Roman Empire, 'rejected Roman law, reverted to their native customs, and armed themselves to ensure their own safety'" - an early Brexit? The following year (410 AD) "Emperor Honorius sends his Rescript (diplomatic letters) to the Romano-British magistrates, where he explains that the cities in Britain must provide for their own defence against the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons. This effectively ends Roman rule in Great Britain."

410 CE/AD is often described as the last year of Roman Britain, the year we entered the "Anglo-Saxon period".   In fact things didn't change overnight. As with the start of the Roman era, settlement patterns and daily life evolved more slowly.

Croft and Mynard commented in their excellent book 'The Changing Landscape of Milton Keynes' - "It is clear that settlement of the area in the Roman period was extensive, so it is likely that any Saxon people entering the area would have found the remains of a well-managed agrarian landscape...It is likely that rough pasture, scrubland and even woodland had regenerated over some of the former arable lands of the villa estates. The place-name evidence in the Shenley (Bright clearing) and Bletchley (Blaecc's clearing) areas tends to confirm the wooded nature of these areas in the 7th and 8th centuries."

The map of the area did change. Magiovinium, Bancroft and other roman sites were abandoned, whilst other areas saw new development. Even places like Pennyland and the Hartigans gravel pit (near Milton Keynes village), which had seen earlier settlements abandoned in the early Roman period, saw new settlements develop. While Bancroft villa was left to decay, settlement on the hill at Blue Bridge revived.

The Saxons originated mainly in the area we know today as northern Germany and Denmark. At first they were sea-borne raiders - but in the turbulence of the collapse of the Roman Empire they began to settle. Saxon sites have been discovered in Old Wolverton, Westbury (actually in what we now call Shenley Brook End), Pennyland and Newport Pagnell. As noted above, some of our City's place names have Saxon origins. Michael Farley in his 'Illustrated History of Early Buckinghamshire' claims that "by AD 500 it is fairly likely that Buckinghamshire was to all intents and purposes a Saxon county...lacking documentation it is too early to know which principle tribal grouping (e.g. Anglian, West Saxon, etc) was dominant here." We know that they arrived holding pagan beliefs, but Christianity re-established itself during the early Saxon period. The most complete Saxon church in Buckinghamshire is to be found in Wing, between Milton Keynes and Aylesbury.

It is during the Saxon period that the "hundreds" were established. In a forthcoming post I will describe the Secklow Mound, which lies behind the Central Library in Milton Keynes.

Books on Milton Keynes History

There are some excellent books to be found in Milton Keynes libraries (and not just the local studies section in the Central Library) – about the history of the city.

I’m currently borrowing (fear not, there are multiple copies) – three excellent books – which are aiding my research. I will be putting the results up on this blog.

The three books are

The Changing Landscape of Milton Keynes – R A Croft and D C Mynard.This has a chapter by R J Zeepvat on the geology and topography of this area – an essential for understanding our city’s past and present; Descriptions of the area at different periods. [Prehistoric; Roman; Saxon; Medieval and Post-Medieval]; a chapter by M Gelling on place-names of the Milton Keynes area. It concludes with a series of parish essays – focusing on discoveries made in the old parishes of our city.

Roman Milton Keynes: Excavations & Fieldwork 1971-82 – edited by Dennis C Mynard. It has some excellent maps; drawings and lists of finds. There are also a set of photographs.

Excavations on Medieval Sites in Milton Keynes – also by Dennis Mynard in the Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society Monograph Series. This too has some excellent diagrams & drawings; photographs and descriptions of the major sites.

I have my own copies of two excellent books – R J (Bob) Zeepvat’s “Roman Milton Keynes” which has chapters on Iron Age Background; The Roman Occupation; Roman Government; Towns; Communications; Countryside; Villas; Trade & Industry; Religion and Burial – and Further Reading.

and “An illustrated History of Early Buckinghamshire” edited by Michael Farley – which describes the area and puts it into a wider context.