New
New
Year 10
Edexcel
Change and continuity in Norman England
I can explain the extent of change and continuity in Norman England.
New
New
Year 10
Edexcel
Change and continuity in Norman England
I can explain the extent of change and continuity in Norman England.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The most significant change in Norman England was the change in the ruling elite.
- A positive change was a reduction in the number of enslaved people.
- While some areas were damaged by Norman actions, generally the economy recovered under the Normans.
- Anglo-Saxon government systems were sophisticated and the Normans kept much more than they changed.
- 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.
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.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
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
Loading...
Starter quiz
Download starter quiz
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
Q2.
Why did William claim the English Church needed reform?
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?
Q4.
Fill in the missing language: Lanfranc ordered that all royal documents, originally written in English by the clergy, should instead be written in .
Q5.
Why did William replace most Anglo-Saxon bishops with Normans?
to improve the architectural style of churches
to increase the Church's wealth
Q6.
Which of these were reforms of the English Church made by Lanfranc?
Priests were allowed to get married.
the use of Old English in documents
Exit quiz
Download exit quiz
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
Q2.
Complete this sentence: The Normans introduced stricter landholding rules and many Anglo-Saxon landholders often had their landholdings ...
Q3.
Which of these do historians see as a positive change in society resulting from the Norman conquest?
the expansion of Norman castles
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.
Q5.
How did the role of the sheriff change in Norman England?
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?
20
30
Additional material
Download additional material