This 1930 volume contains the original texts of the great majority of surviving Anglo-Saxon wills drawn up in the tenth and eleventh centuries. They are of special interest for the light they cast on the connections of those who made the wills, and the ways in which the testators managed the disposition of their possessions.

A study of the implications and practices of wills and will-making in Anglo-Saxon society, and of the varieties of inheritance strategies and commemorative arrangements adopted. A remarkable series of Anglo-Saxon wills have survived, spanning the period from the beginning of the ninth century to the years immediately following the Norman Conquest. Written in Old English, they reflect the significance of the vernacular, not only in royal administration during this period, but in the recording of a range of individual transactions. They show wealthy laymen and women, and clerics, from kings and bishops to those of thegnly status, disposing of land and chattels, and recognising ties of kinship, friendship, lordship and service through their bequests; and whilst land is of prime importance, the mention in some wills of such valuable items as tableware, furnishings, clothing, jewellery and weapons provides an insight into lifestyle at the time. Despite their importance, no study has hitherto been specifically devoted to Anglo-Saxon wills in their social and historical context, a gap which this book aims to fill. While the wills themselves can be vague and allusive, by establishing patterns of bequeathing, and by drawing on other resources, the author sheds light on the factors which influenced men and womenin making appropriate provision for their property. Linda Tollerton gained her PhD from the University of York.

This 1914 volume contains a selection of some of the most interesting Anglo-Saxon documents of the ninth and tenth centuries. Included among them are the only two surviving wills of Anglo-Saxon kings, and the 'colophon' in the Lindisfarne Gospels, in which a priest called Aldred gives an account of the making of the gospel-book. The volume also includes the 'Fonthill Letter', addressed by Ealdorman Ordlaf to King Edward the Elder, to serve as evidence for use in a dispute about an estate at Fonthill in Wiltshire, and still extant in its original form. All of the documents are written in Old English, furnished here with translations and commentaries. The reissue of Dr Harmer's book is complemented by reissues of Dorothy Whitelock's Anglo-Saxon Wills (1930), and of Agnes Jane Robertson's Anglo-Saxon Charters (1939, 2nd edition 1956). Between them, the three volumes represent the surviving corpus of Anglo-Saxon documents in the vernacular.

Daily Life in Anglo-Saxon England examines and recreates many of the details of ordinary lives in early medieval England between the 5th and 11th centuries, exploring what we know as well as the surprising gaps in our knowledge. Daily Life in Anglo-Saxon England covers daily life in England from the 5th through the 11th centuries. These six centuries saw significant social, cultural, religious, and ethnic upheavals, including the introduction of Christianity, the creation of towns, the Viking invasions, the invention of "Englishness," and the Norman Conquest. In the last 10 years, there have been significant new archaeological discoveries, major advances in scientific archaeology, and new ways of thinking about the past, meaning it is now possible to say much more about everyday life during this time period than ever before. Drawing on a combination of archaeological and textual evidence, including the latest scientific findings from DNA and stable isotope analysis, this book looks at the life course of the early medieval English from the cradle to the grave, as well as how daily lives changed over these centuries. Topics covered include maintenance activities, education, play, commerce, trade, manufacturing, fashion, travel, migration, warfare, health, and medicine.

This study concerns the importance of the sword in Anglo-Saxon and Viking society, with reference to surviving swords and literary sources, especially Beowulf.