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Year 10
Edexcel

Change and continuity in Norman England

I can explain the extent of change and continuity in Norman England.

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Year 10
Edexcel

Change and continuity in Norman England

I can explain the extent of change and continuity in Norman England.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The most significant change in Norman England was the change in the ruling elite.
  2. A positive change was a reduction in the number of enslaved people.
  3. While some areas were damaged by Norman actions, generally the economy recovered under the Normans.
  4. Anglo-Saxon government systems were sophisticated and the Normans kept much more than they changed.
  5. One area of law that changed significantly was Forest law.

Keywords

  • Elite - elite refers to the richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society

  • Continuity - continuity is the fact of something continuing for a long period of time without being changed or stopped

  • Government - government is the group of people who officially control/rule a country

Common misconception

That the Normans destroyed all Anglo-Saxon government.

Anglo-Saxon government systems were sophisticated, perhaps more developed than Normandy’s. The Normans retained and built on the existing Anglo-Saxon governmental institutions.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Change and continuity in Norman England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Have students create posters or digital presentations. Students can imagine they are a Norman sheriff delivering a royal writ informing local people of their new sheriff and the introduction of forest laws.
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Adult supervision required

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Why was William the Conqueror keen to have influence over the English Church?
to enforce the marriage of priests
to improve the Church's financial stability
to promote the use of the Norman French language
Correct answer: to spread Norman control in England
Q2.
Why did William claim the English Church needed reform?
Correct answer: The English Church was in moral decline.
The English had failed to convert more people to Christianity.
The English had spent too much money on repairing church buildings.
Q3.
Which term describes the act of holding more than one position within the Church?
Correct Answer: pluralism, Pluralism
Q4.
Fill in the missing language: Lanfranc ordered that all royal documents, originally written in English by the clergy, should instead be written in .
Correct Answer: Latin, latin
Q5.
Why did William replace most Anglo-Saxon bishops with Normans?
to improve the architectural style of churches
to increase the Church's wealth
Correct answer: to remove a threat to his rule
Q6.
Which of these were reforms of the English Church made by Lanfranc?
Correct answer: Bishops were transferred to cities.
Priests were allowed to get married.
Correct answer: programme of church-building
the use of Old English in documents

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What does the word elite refer to?
the fact of something continuing for a long period of time
the people who provided a service to an overlord in return for land
Correct answer: the richest, most powerful, best-educated or best-trained group in a society
Q2.
Complete this sentence: The Normans introduced stricter landholding rules and many Anglo-Saxon landholders often had their landholdings ...
Correct Answer: forfeited, Forfeited
Q3.
Which of these do historians see as a positive change in society resulting from the Norman conquest?
the expansion of Norman castles
Correct answer: the reduction in the number of enslaved people
the rise in agricultural production
Q4.
An example of negative change in Norman England’s economy was:
The links between agriculture and towns became stronger.
The links between the castles and garrisons became weaker.
Correct answer: The links between the towns and countryside became weaker.
Q5.
How did the role of the sheriff change in Norman England?
Correct answer: Norman sheriffs had a greater role in local government.
Norman sheriffs had a smaller role in the collection of taxes.
Norman sheriffs had a lesser role in local government.
Q6.
How many of William’s top-ranking lords held 25% of the land in England?
Correct answer: 10
20
30

Additional material

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