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Awake the Hereward |
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French resistance
The Normans were not the only invaders England had to endure. About 150 years earlier, Danish forces occupied the Eastern part of England, ousting the Anglo-Saxon rulers. It was not until the King’s School, Ely, old boy, Edward the Confessor became King that Anglo-Saxon rule resumed. After Edward’s death, leaving no heir, an unlikely truce was forged between the Danes and the Anglo-Saxons as they united against the foreign invasion led by William, Duke of Normandy.
William introduced a continental-style feudal system and the Norman and French invaders took over from their Anglo-Saxon and Danish counterparts in all positions of power across the land. 
He had a personal vendetta to settle
© Courtesy of Trevor Bevis |
The new rulers spoke a different language, brought new customs and a new legal system which heavily favoured the invaders.
The invasion, however, was by no means an overnight success. Lincolnshire and parts of East Anglia were densely populated areas at that time. Rich and fruitful soils meant that landowners fought hard to retain their property and their rights. The neighbouring Isle of Ely became the headquarters of the resistance against the Normans - it was a great hiding place with its swamps and marshy terrain providing an almost impenetrable fortress to William’s army.
It was here, at Ely, that Hereward joined the resistance "prompted into action by personal vendetta and patriotism” ('Hereward of the Fens – The Battle of Ely and Involvement of Peterborough and Ely monasteries incorporating De Gestis Herewardi Saxonis', Trevor Bevis 1995).
As a young man, Hereward gained a reputation as a hell-raiser, hanging around in gangs, challenging his father’s authority, and generally upsetting the neighbouring nobility. Worn down by his son’s behaviour, his father eventually banished the young Hereward to the continent with the blessing of King Edward.
Legend recalls that he occupied his time there in battles of honour and love and taking down the odd bear and giant too. However, all was not well on the home front. Word reached the young warrior of tragedy at home. Both his father and brother had been murdered, his mother had been raped and his lands had been seized – all at the hands of the Normans.
To make matters worse, the patriotic Hereward returned to find his beloved country undermined by foreign rule. He learned of a band of resistance fighters holed out in the Isle of Ely and swiftly joined their fight. He quickly won their respect and became their leader, heading a series of damaging attacks against the Normans.
Words: Emma Borley
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