Remember Cambridge
Open For Bookings May 2024
Roman Cambridge, or Duroliponte, had flourished but like much of the country it went into decline after the fall of the Roman Empire. Those who were left in Cambridge were cut off from the rest of the Empire. Change was fast and permanent. But… what actually happened to Britain is a matter for debate amongst historians. Did we really enter the dark ages? Or did life continue much as it did before? This post will attempt to summarise Cambridge’s medieval history by trying to work out how Cambridge developed during the Early Medieval period. It will see how the town navigated through the dark ages.
No definitive houses or remains of buildings from the Early Anglo-Saxon era have been discovered underneath modern Cambridge. However, there are extensive cemeteries from the era suggesting it continued to be occupied. The largest such cemetery was where St John’s cricket field is now located. This was mainly a cremation cemetery and more than 100 urns from the site were taken to the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Many hundreds more are believed to have been destroyed by building work over the centuries.
It is no coincidence that many burials have been found on both sides of the river. Cambridge was still in an important location. The land around it was perfect for agriculture meaning that many villages flourished and people were able to become wealthy.
It is also believed that Cambridge itself and the River Cam were the boundary between the emerging kingdoms of Mercia and East Anglia. Control of the crossing point of the river was crucial to controlling trade coming in from the North Sea. As a result there were rich settlements on both sides of the River as different tribes struggled to control the area.
There were believed to have been two main settlements in what is now Cambridge. One centred around Castle Hill to the North West of the River Crossing. This was where the iron age settlement and Roman town were previously. Castle Hill was a perfect place to have a settlement: up on the high ground overlooking a crossing point for the river. After all, Castle Hill, is the highest point between Cambridge and the North Pole!
The second settlement is where St Benet’s Church now sits (this is the oldest building in the city but was not yet built at this time!). It would appear therefore that Cambridge continued to thrive in the early Anglo-Saxon era, despite being split into smaller settlements.
But, towards the end of the 7th century (almost 300 years after the Romans left) we have our first surviving written reference to the town. The foundress of the monastery at Ely: St. Ethelreda, died and her sister sent messengers to ‘a little ruined city called Grantacaestir’. They were looking for a stone coffin to bury her in. Within the walls of the old Roman town they managed to find one of Roman origin.
At this time the walls of the Roman town would still have been recognisable and it was probably the focus for regional tribal activity. However, the size of the settlement would probably have been much smaller than under Roman rule. As a result, the messengers from Ely may well have found many Roman buildings falling into ruin.
In the 8th century the town was under the rule of the powerful Mercian King, Offa. He was famous for creating well defended urban centres. The pre-existing Roman fortifications meant that he could create a town within the walls that prospered under military protection. It is believed that a church was built around this time, however, no trace remains. It could have been on the site of the current churches of St. Giles or All Saints, or even within the castle area itself.
It was most likely that it was Offa that built a bridge over the River a short distance from where the Roman one had stood. In order to build a bridge across both sides of the river he needed to be secure in his power on both sides. At least enough for the economic advantages to be worth the military risk.
Because of this bridge the town earns a new name. It appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 875 as Granta Brycge. This name translates to ‘Granta Bridge’ due to the simple fact that the town had a Bridge over the River Granta.
Over time the name changed to Granta Bridge and eventually to Cam Bridge. The section of the river that flows through the town became known as the River Cam. Although it is still the River Granta that flows into Cambridge and does not become The Cam until it reaches the Mill Pond!
Overall, the 400 years which followed the end of Roman Britain tell a rather murky story. The lack of evidence leaves historians in the dark about what actually happened. Leading to the nickname for the era: the ‘Dark Ages’.
As the Romans left, so too did an inclination to write things down. Whilst it is not true no one in early Anglo-Saxon England could not write, it is true that those who did lacked the inclination to do so. This has resulted in precious little evidence for historians to go off.