Hello, and thanks for joining me again for another Oak Academy history lesson.

My name is Mrs. Knox, and today I'll be your teacher guiding you through all of the resources and materials required for this lesson.

So let's begin.

The lesson today forms part of the AQA GCSE historic environment topic of Norman England.

In the lesson today, we'll be looking at the sources and historical context of Castle Acre Priory.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain the strengths and the limitations of key sources for Norman England.

Now before we get started, I want to introduce you to several keywords that we'll come across in our lesson together today.

The first word that we'll use in the lesson is the word source, which is the direct or firsthand piece of evidence from the past.

We'll also use the term historical context, which is what is happening at the time of a historical event, possibly shaping it.

And finally, we'll use the word contemporary today, which means from the same time as something.

Now our lesson today will take the form of three sections.

So we'll begin now with section one, which will focus on visual sources for Castle Acre Priory.

The most famous visual source for Norman England is the Bayeux Tapestry.

This 70-meter-long embroidery was created sometime between 1066 and the 1080s.

If you have a look at the photo on the right, it shows the Bayeux Tapestry.

It tells the story of the Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings.

And while it is of key importance to the battle of Hastings, it also illustrates many aspects of Anglo-Saxon and Norman life and culture.

For example, this scene shows a motte-and-bailey castle in France being attacked.

And if you have a look at the image, it shows Norman's attacking Dinan Castle in a war against Brittany.

And we can see key features of the castle are shown.

We can see a motte, which is the mound or the hill.

We can see a palisade, and we can see a tall tower in the middle.

We can also see that it's surrounded by ditches, and there's a steep walkway or drawbridge to the left.

The Tapestry shows how castles were defended and attacked with fire and on foot.

Much of what we know about 11th-century Norman weapons, armour, and equipment comes from the Bayeux Tapestry.

And in this scene from the Bayeux Tapestry, we can see Norman knights attacking the Anglo-Saxon shield wall on the left at the Battle of Hastings.

And here we can see a castle being constructed at Hastings.

In this scene, we can see the Normans, which have a very distinctive Norman haircut, building the castle.

Castles were constructed very quickly by conscripting local people to dig the ditches and pile up earth for the motte.

This scene appears to show two of the workers fighting each other behind the Norman overseers' back.

We also get a picture of daily life amongst the Normans, including the Norman elites.

This includes food and drink, hunting, that's William's favourite hobby, and travel.

If you have a look at the scene from the Bayeux Tapestry, it shows Bishop Odo in the centre blessing a meal, and William is next to him.

Women rarely feature, in fact, there are only three in the whole Tapestry compared to 35 dogs and 190 horses.

All right, it is time to have a check of your understanding so far.

I'd like you to discuss this question with a partner.

What makes the Bayeux Tapestry a useful source for understanding the historical context of Norman England? Press Pause to have your discussion, and then press Play to see what you might have discussed.

Welcome back.

Your discussion might have included some of the following.

The Bayeux Tapestry is useful because it tells the story of the Norman invasion, and illustrates key events.

Much of what we know about 11th-century Norman weapons, armour, and equipment comes from the Bayeux Tapestry.

It illustrates important features of castles and castle building, and it shows scenes from everyday life: meals, religious practises, and hobbies.

However, the Bayeux Tapestry does have limitations as a source.

It was almost certainly made on the orders of Bishop Odo of Bayeux, who became the Earl of Kent in 1066.

The Tapestry shows Odo playing an important role.

Perhaps the embroiderers made his role seem more important than it was because he was their boss.

Another limitation is that the Tapestry shows events from the Norman point of view.

It makes a big deal of Harold swearing an oath to William, and then breaking the oath.

The Tapestry is also incomplete.

It is likely that it originally had a final section showing the events up to William's coronation in December 1066.

Also the Tapestry is not always clear.

This may be because the embroiderers were English women from Canterbury, and so it is more sympathetic to Harold and the English than to the Normans.

If you have a look at the scene on the right, it shows Harold's coronation, and the caption calls him king or rex, even though the Normans never accepted that Harold was ever king.

In addition, the Tapestry may not be very accurate.

For example, the chainmail hauberks worn by knights could not have had onesie-style legs as depicted.

And if you have a look at the scene on the right, we can see William riding into battle in a chainmail hauberk with legs.

This would've been too restrictive and uncomfortable for horse riding.

They must have been more like skirts.

Perhaps the women embroiderers had not seen Norman knights' armour in detail at the time the Tapestry was made.

Okay, let's have another check now of your understanding.

I'd like you to decide whether each feature is a strength or a limitation of the Bayeux Tapestry as a source for the historical context of Norman England.

You need to tick the column to show your choice or choices.

Press Pause now to complete the task, and then press Play to see the correct answers.

Let's see how you got on.

The first feature was the fact it was a contemporary source created in the period 1066 to 1080s.

This is a strength.

The second feature is it stops at the end of the Battle of Hastings.

This is a limitation.

Also a feature is that it was made by order of Bishop Odo of Bayeux, Earl of Kent.

This is a limitation.

Another feature is that the Tapestry was embroidered by English women from Canterbury.

This could be seen as both a limitation and a strength.

Another feature is generally it represents the Norman view of events.

This would be seen as a limitation.

And finally, it shows a range of features of everyday Norman life.

This is a strength.

Finally, in this section, I'd like you to complete this task.

How far do you agree with Sofia's view? Sofia says, "The Bayeux Tapestry is not a valuable source for understanding Norman England, because it only covers the period 1064 to 1066." I'd like you to write one paragraph that states whether you agree or disagree, and explains why.

Press Pause to write your paragraph, and then press Play to see what you could have written.

Welcome back.

Let's see how you got on.

Your answer might have included some of the following.

I disagree with Sofia's view that the Bayeux Tapestry is not a valuable source because it only covers a short period.

One reason for this is that the period covered is extremely important in English history, and, as a result, the Tapestry is a key source for understanding the events of the Battle of Hastings, and Norman weapons and armour.

A second reason is that the Tapestry is a contemporary source for information on features of Norman England, such as castles and how they were constructed.

This means that the Tapestry is also a viable source for a much larger time period.

However, you might also have agreed with Sofia, in which case you might have said the following.

I agree in part with Sofia's argument.

The Bayeux Tapestry only goes up to the point at which the Normans won the Battle of Hastings.

And even for the years 1064 to 1066, the Tapestry is not a fully reliable source.

It was made for a Norman audience, and so only puts forward the Norman view of events.

However, I do think it has some value as a source.

For example, from the Tapestry, historians can understand a lot about the Norman military, and the role of innovations, such as knights and castles, which had a long-lasting impact on England.

Okay, we're now ready to move on to the second section of today's lesson.

In this section, we'll be looking at text sources.

So compared to later periods of history, Norman England does not have many contemporary text sources.

In other words, primary sources written in the Norman period.

However, there are three important contemporary sources that we can look at.

The first is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

The second is the Domesday Book, and the third is William of Poitiers' "Gesta Guillelmi", the Deeds of William.

Okay, so let's start by having a closer look at the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle provides year-by-year accounts of key events in Anglo-Saxon and Norman England.

Its strengths include the fact it is a contemporary source, so events are usually described within a year of them happening.

It was also written by English monks.

So historians get insights into English culture and reactions to the Norman invasion and conquest.

And finally, it details key events such as battles and revolts, with different accounts written in different monasteries sometimes providing different details.

However, as with all sources, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle does have some limitations.

These include that it provides an Anglo-Saxon and monastic viewpoint, which is sometimes biassed against the Normans.

And sometimes descriptions of key events are very brief, or described vaguely, or are simply missing.

Different accounts of the same event do not always match up, making it hard to know what really happened.

And finally, it does not have many accounts of everyday life.

It's mainly focused on religious matters, and key military and political events.

So let's have a look at a passage from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

Below we've got a passage about William from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 1087, and that was the year of William's death.

So in the passage, it says, "He caused castles to be built, which were a sore burden to the poor.

The rich complained and the poor cried, but he was too relentless to care, even though everyone hated him.

Everyone had to submit themselves completely to the king's will if they wanted to keep their lives, and their land, and their goods, and be in the king's favour." Okay, let's have another check now of your understanding.

Which two of the following are limitations of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as a source about Norman England? Is it A, the fact it was written within a year of the events it describes? B, that some events are only described briefly or vaguely? C, that it provides insights as to how the English felt about the Normans? Or D, the accounts are often biassed about Norman actions? Press Pause, and then press Play to hear the correct two answers.

The first correct answer was B, some of the events are only described briefly or vaguely.

A second limitation is that accounts are often biassed about Norman actions, and therefore you should also have ticked D.

Okay, let's have a look at our next text source.

The Domesday Book was compiled from William's Great Survey in 1086.

It provides an incredibly detailed record of landholding and resources in Norman England.

Some of its strengths include that it provides masses of reliable data that historians can use in many different ways.

For example, they can look at population sizes, economic growth, and regional differences.

It's also evidence of how the Norman's administration functioned, and what information the Norman government was most interested in, probably money.

And finally, the records are not just for 1086, but also for 1066.

So Domesday Book shows the impact of the Norman conquest.

However, the Domesday Book does also have limitations.

It doesn't cover all regions of England.

For example, there are no records for London.

The records are also very difficult to interpret.

It often uses a confusing coding system, and has lots of abbreviations.

And finally, the records are most detailed for William's tenants-in-chief, and provide less detail for ordinary people.

Okay, let's have a look at an entry from the Domesday Book, so we can get further understanding of how useful this source can be.

So for our first entry here, this is from Earley in Berkshire.

The entry states that, "The King, William the Conqueror, holds the land in Earley.

Almar used to hold it freely from King Edward." So from here, historians can work out how much land William held personally by collating all similar entries.

And if this was done for Almar, we can see that Almar was linked to 179 places in 1066, but just 17 in 1086.

So clearly the Norman conquest was not a good time for Almar who lost most of his land within 10 years.

Okay, let's have a look at another entry.

This one's from Newington in Oxfordshire.

"The Archbishop of Canterbury holds Newington.

In the time of King Edward, it was worth 11 pounds.

Now it is worth 15 pounds." So from this, historians can learn that land in this part of Southern England became more valuable.

However, if we have a look at this entry from Carleton in Yorkshire, we read that, "Ulfkil holds Carleton.

In the time of King Edward, it was worth 40 shillings, that's two pounds.

Now it is worth 20 shillings, one pound." So we learn here that land in this part of Yorkshire became less valuable, and this might have something to do with William and his harrying of the North.

Okay, let's have another check of your understanding.

For which two of the following questions can historians use the Domesday Book to help find an answer? Is it A, did most people support the collection of information into Domesday Book? B, did land in England become more or less valuable after 1066? C, did William the Conqueror personally control lots of land after 1066? Or D, did people give information about landholding enthusiastically? Press Pause, and then press Play for the correct answers.

The first correct answer was B, did land in England become more or less valuable after 1066? The other correct answer is C, did William the Conqueror personally control lots of land after 1066? Both of these questions could be answered by looking at the Domesday Book.

Okay, we are ready to move on now to our final text source.

The "Gesta Guillelmi" was written in the 1070s by a Norman priest known as William of Poitiers.

It is a historical record of William of Normandy's life.

Strengths of the source include that William of Poitier served as a priest of William of Normandy, and so he knew William very well.

The "Gesta" provides all sorts of insights into William's life that historians would otherwise not know about.

And it provides in-depth information about preparations for William's invasion, and for the events of the Battle of Hastings, written only a few years after they happened.

And of course, as with all sources, there are limitations to the "Gesta", which include that William of Poitiers was a loyal supporter of William of Normandy, and therefore much of the "Gesta" is written to praise and to flatter his lord.

Also the "Gesta" is one-sided, and does not consider the English perspective on the invasion at all.

And finally, the account provided by the "Gesta" stops in 1071.

So it does not include an account of later key events of Norman England.

Okay, time to check your understanding again.

When using the "Gesta Guillelmi", why do historians need to keep in mind that William of Poitiers wrote it in order to promote William of Normandy and his claim to the English throne? I'd like you to discuss your ideas with a partner.

Press Pause now, and then press Play to see what you could have discussed.

In your discussion, you could have said, historians need to keep in mind that Poitiers was writing in order to promote William's claim to the English throne.

He therefore includes details that support William's claim whilst neglecting that suggest other claims were also valid.

Finally, in this section, I'd like you to complete this task now.

The most important written source for understanding the historical context of Norman England is the Domesday Book.

I'd like you to list three points that agree with this, and three points that disagree.

You might want to consider using strengths of other text sources for your counterarguments.

Press Pause now to complete the task, and then press Play to see what you could have written.

In terms of the points that agree, the Domesday Book is the most important historical source for understanding Norman England.

You might have said that it holds masses of reliable data about landholding and resources.

You could also have said that it shows how the Norman government's administration functioned.

And the records are not just for 1086, but also for 1066.

So the Domesday Book shows the impacts of the Norman conquest.

However, the points that disagree that this was the most important source are as follows.

Some areas are not covered by the Domesday Book, for example, London.

And unlike the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, it does not tell us how English people felt about living under Norman rule.

And finally, unlike the "Gesta", it does not provide an account of how the Normans justified the conquest and their rule over England.

Okay, let's go on now to the final section of today's lesson.

In this section, we'll be looking at material sources.

So material sources are physical objects from the past that can be analysed to gain insights into historical events, culture, and daily life.

For Norman England, buildings are an example of material sources.

The photograph on the right is of the ruins of St.

Oswald's Priory in Gloucester, an Anglo-Saxon priory that declined in importance in Norman England.

So for us to interrogate and understand Norman buildings, there are certain questions that we can pose.

For example, what does it tell us about Norman culture and values? Why was it built in that specific location? What was its purpose? And what can we learn about Norman life from that? What were its impacts and consequences? And why was the building built in that way? What was its function or functions? And why did someone want to build this specific building? What was their motivation? And finally, what important events and people are connected to the building? Like other types of sources, material sources have limitations as well as strengths.

Strengths include that buildings provide evidence of technology and engineering skills.

Coins and trade goods show us where people traded.

And it's also direct evidence from Norman England.

It's not rewritten or recorded by later writers.

And it can show us how non-literate people lived and worked, people who did not record things in writing.

Limitations include that if there are no written records, we can struggle to interpret how a material source was used, or what it was used for.

And material sources have often been remodelled, extended, or damaged, and so their evidence can be incomplete, or complex to untangle.

And most buildings survive because they were important.

Surviving buildings for ordinary people are very rare.

So here's a photo of Totnes Castle in Devon.

So the question we can pose for this building is, what was the purpose of the motte-and-bailey castle at Totnes? So in this photo of Totnes Castle, you can see how steep and imposing the sides of the motte are.

And by the way, the path would not have been there in Norman times.

One purpose of the motte was defence.

The steep-sided, fireproof Mott made the castle difficult to attack.

The castle had a military purpose to control Totnes and the area around it, and it housed the garrison of soldiers who would ride out to deal with any trouble.

So what does Totnes Castle tell us about Norman culture and values? Well, the motte raised the castle high above Totnes, dominating the settlement.

The Normans clearly wanted everyone to know that they were in control.

Time for a check of your understanding again.

Choose the two correct answers.

Motte-and-bailey castles were constructed to, A, provide homes for Anglo-Saxons, B, defend the soldiers who lived in them, C, make the landscape look more interesting, or D, intimidate potential rebels.

Press Pause now, and then press Play to hear the two correct answers.

You should have said the first correct answer was B, to defend soldiers who lived in them.

And the second correct answer was D, to intimidate potential rebels.

Okay, so let's interrogate another material source.

But here we're going to look at Winchester Cathedral.

So the first question we'll pose is why was the building built in that way? So Winchester was the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex.

A cathedral was built here in the seventh century, and by the ninth century, it was one of the largest cathedrals in Europe.

In 1079, the Normans pulled down the Anglo-Saxon cathedral and started building a new one.

William installed a new Norman bishop at Winchester in 1070, Bishop Wakelin.

And Wakelin introduced Church reforms. Wakelin was responsible for starting the construction of the new cathedral in 1079.

It was built in the Norman's favourite Romanesque style.

If you have a closer look at the building, we can see the central tower.

And this was built in the early 12th century.

The transepts were completed under Wakelin's supervision, and survive to this day.

The Romanesque style featured huge stone walls, representing strength.

The arched windows were small to allow high walls.

And the cathedral towered over everything, representing Norman power and control.

The style was based on Roman architecture.

The Romans had ruled Britain like the Normans, and the Normans wanted the English to think of them as being like the Romans.

The Normans built many cathedrals, and of course, cathedrals were places of worship, and the Normans were pious, which means very religious.

Okay, let's have another check of your understanding again.

Which two of the following can be learned from studying Winchester Cathedral? A, the image which the Normans wished to project.

B, the values which existed in Norman culture.

Or C, the thoughts and feelings of Anglo-Saxons about Norman reforms to the Church.

Press Pause, and then press Play for the correct answers.

You should have said that the first correct answer was A, the image which the Normans wished to project.

The other correct answer was B, the values which existed in Norman culture.

Okay, I'd now like you to put everything you've learned here into practise.

Answer each of the following questions in one sentence.

Press Pause now to complete the task, and then press Play for the correct answers.

Welcome back, let's see how you got on.

For the first one, you should have said that historians have learned that Totnes Castle was built to house soldiers and to deter rebellions.

For the second question, you should have written, historians have learned that Totnes Castle would've dominated the settlement of Totnes, and intimidated the local Anglo-Saxon population.

Finally, I'd now like you to answer this question.

What can historians learn about Norman changes to the English Church from the study of Winchester Cathedral? I'd like you to list three points.

Press Pause now, and then press Play when you've completed your answer.

Here are three things you could have said.

Number one, the Normans were trying to recall the power of the Roman Empire.

Two, the Normans wanted to show their piety and Christian devotion.

And three, that the buildings asserted Norman power and control over England.

We've now reached the end of our lesson today.

So let's have a summary of what you should take away.

Visual sources, text sources, and material sources could all be used to deepen our understanding of the historical context of Norman England.

There are strengths and limitations to each type of source.

Historians ask questions of sources to produce evidence for a particular inquiry.

For example, what does Totnes Castle tell us about Norman culture and values? Many thanks for your hard work in our lesson today.

I hope you feel confident now that you can use sources and their historical context.

I look forward to you joining me in a future Oak Academy history lesson.