Eastern England
Eastern England has been shaped by many influences over the centuries. In prehistoric times there was an extensive Bronze Age civilisation, as reavealed in excavations at Flag Fen, where there is remarkable preservation of a huge wooden monument over a kilometre long.
After the Romans invaded in 43AD they built their first British city at Colchester, and as such Colchester can claim to be Britain's original city, This part of the country saw the most vigorous resistance to Roman rule, resistance which saw the destruction of Colchester before peace was restored. Later there were invasions of Angles from Germany, who have left their mark in the name of East Anglia, whose history can be explored at Sutton Hoo and at West Stow Anglo Saxon Village. Later still the country was settled by Scandinavians, and was part of the Danelaw. Then in 1066 the Normans invaded, and the largest Norman castle keep in the country can be seen at Colchester.
One very obvious, and frequently visited reminder of the past is the Norfolk Broads. This complex of gently flowing rivers in beautiful Norfolk countryside is the remains of peat excavations carried out in medieval times, which then flooded. Obviously some of this peat went to heat houses, but a huge amount of it probably went into boiling down salt water to produce salt; and the salt was used to preserve the huge amount of herring caught during the autumn spawning season, and landed at eastern England's ports. As long ago as 1336 Philip the Fourth of France was advised to attack the Yarmouth herring industry in autumn. He was told he would find six thousand fishing vessels there. The Domesday Book indicates that in 1086 there were one hundred and eighteen salt works in south east Norfolk, producing salt to preserve the herring, and all these salt works required peat fuel. Sadly the herring industry was eventually to decimate a seemingly endless population of fish in the North Sea. Today thousands of people every year now cruise on flooded peat workings, created by the demands of a centuries old fishing industry.
Later in history eastern England figured in the upheavals of the English Civil War.. The Cromwells were a landowning family from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. Oliver Cromwell became MP for Cambridge, and led Parliamentarian forces in the Civil War. Many of his fearsome "Ironside" troops who defeated the Royalist forces of Charles the First were from the eastern counties of England. Later, following Cromwell's death, the exiled Charles the Second returned to the throne in 1660. The Restoration is well known for its reaction against the austerity of Cromwell's rule. Once again Eastern England played a central role. This time it wasn't the home of revolutionary leaders, or the recruiting ground for armies; instead it was the place where Charles the Second would do to forget the worries of government, travelling to Newmarket whenever he could to enjoy horse racing. Such pastimes had been banned by the Parliamentarians, but now the king himself led the way in not taking things so seriously. If you watch a horse race today, you might spare a thought for Charles enjoying himself at Newmarket.
Images of Eastern England
Paycocke's, Essex