“The Harrying of the North”
By Professor Gillian Waters
University of York
In 1066, William Duke of Normandy won the Battle of Hastings, but this was only the beginning of the Norman conquest of England. In 1069 the Anglo-Scandinavian North rose in rebellion and ravaged York in conjunction with a fleet of Danish Vikings. William the Conqueror retaliated viciously, Harrying the North, slaughtering livestock and burning seed corn. It is said that recorded that no village remained inhabited between York and Durham and that the countryside remained empty and uncultivated for three generations. This talk examines the events leading up to the Harrying of the North and the impact of this event on the North of England.
The Library, Malton School, Middlecave Road, Malton, YO17 7NH
Time: 7.30
Admission: Friends FOC, Visitors, are very welcome, £3.00.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Author: Richard Croft.