Four Anglian Kings of Northumbria (Or Four Yorkshire Anglo-Saxon Crowns).

By Raymond E.O. Ella.
Otley: Old Yorkshire Publications, 2nd edition. 2002
27 pages b/w illustrations.
ISBN 0 9533762 3 0

Reviewed by Pam Macpherson

Ella intends his 'little book' to give an insight to those who have an interest in the formation of England, and particularly Yorkshire in the Dark Ages. He writes in his preface that the survival of illuminated manuscripts and gospels means that we should view the early medieval period as a 'golden' rather than a 'dark' age. Ella sets out to use information drawn from place and name evidence, chronicles, coins and other forms of material culture to 'give set categories to certain groups of people that lived long ago, so to distinguish periods of time, areas and peoples from one another'. In particular he attempts to present the evidence available on four Anglian Kings: Aelle, Edwin, Oswine and Aella.

The notion of set categories in archaeological and historical discourse is a comforting and popular one, it allows us to gain a handle on often confusing and contradictory data and produce seemingly meaningful analyses. It can also be seen as a limiting factor in our research, forcing us to discard information that does not fit into our preconceived categories. An emphasis on differences also necessarily precludes the admission of similarities. The nature of change and difference is fluidity, while one might expect to see some distinct differences between, for example, the Carolingians and the Anglo-Saxons, or between pagan Anglo-Saxons and their Christian descendents, there are also many similarities and no distinct boundaries between categories. Rather than attempt to define these categories himself, Ella presents the results of his research with little attempt at interpretation. The order of the book is loosely chronological, extending from the introductory section on 'the old kingdom of "Anglen"' through to 'After the fall of York', the text to this point drawing chiefly on information from the Chronicles. This is subsequently supplemented by sections on material culture and brief discussions on the name Ella both as the name of kings, and as the precursor of his own surname in the documentary sources. The focus of this book is therefore a presentation of available evidence leaving the reader to draw their own interpretations and tell their own story.

Distributed in museums, local history groups, churches and other places of historical interest, books of this genre attempt to introduce and synthesise historical research relating to place or person. As such they can be extremely important methods of introducing the general reader to the rich array of heritage which can surround their every day lives. The best of these books tell a story that the reader can relate to, for example Lead Miners Heyday (Slack, 2000) gives an account of the development of mining in Wirksworth and the Low Peak of Derbyshire, allowing visitors to understand what they see in the landscape and relate this to what they read in the book. Poorer books fail to engage the interest of the reader either in their subject matter, or in the area in which they may be living or visiting. Ella has avoided the pitfall of long passages of turgid prose, which many of these volumes fall into; he also manages to include evidence of a more visual nature to engage the attention. However to appeal to the general reader, a more flowing narrative would be useful. The book lacks a discernable theme to the narrative, and as such makes for a rather choppy read - off putting to those hoping for a tale of four kings. To those generally interested in this period of history, Four Anglian Kings does contain many interesting snippets, helpfully collated together in one volume, and works well on that level.

Four Anglian Kings is available in the UK from the author, priced £2.95 plus 50p postage. Write to
Raymond E.O. Ella
28 Edrich Way
Bowthorpe
Norich
UK
NR5-9NX

In Canada and the USA copies are available from Anglo-Saxon Imports, 1134 Somerville Street, Oshawa, Ontario L1G-4K5, Canada (Contact: Martin Field) priced $9.75 plus $3.25 CAD shipping in Canada and $6.45 plus $3.00 USD shipping in the USA.

 References

Ella, R.O. (2002). Four Anglian Kings of Northumbria (Or Four Yorkshire Anglo-Saxon Crowns). Otley, Old Yorkshire Publications.

Slack, R. (2000). Lead Miner's Heyday: The Great Days of Mining in Wirksworth and the Low Peak of Derbyshire. Published by author, Brampton, Chesterfield.

Pam Macpherson (biography)

Pam Macpherson is a research student at the University of Sheffield. She is currently carrying out stable isotope analysis of teeth for her PhD on Anglo-Saxon childhood diet. She can be contacted at p.macpherson@sheffield.ac.uk