Independent study & practice
Early Britain
36 questions · Build a sequence before learning the names. Study the notes, then practise without the clock.
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Study notes: make the connections
Build a sequence before learning the names
Start with Stone Age communities, then bronze and iron working. Follow with Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. Link each arrival to a surviving place or object.
Keep Caesar’s unsuccessful invasion separate from the successful occupation under Claudius. Use 1066 as the turning point between Anglo-Saxon and Norman rule.
| Remember the link | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Stonehenge | Wiltshire Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire. |
| Skara Brae | Orkney Skara Brae is a well-preserved Stone Age village on Orkney. |
| Maiden Castle hill fort | Dorset Maiden Castle in Dorset is an Iron Age hill fort. |
| Boudicca and the Iceni | Eastern England Boudicca led the Iceni in what is now eastern England. |
| Hadrian’s Wall | Northern England Hadrian’s Wall crossed northern England and guarded the Roman frontier. |
| Sutton Hoo ship burial | Suffolk Sutton Hoo in Suffolk contains an Anglo-Saxon royal ship burial. |
| St Columba’s monastery | Iona Columba founded a Christian monastery on Iona. |
| The Bayeux Tapestry today | France The embroidery telling the Norman Conquest story survives in France. |
| the Roman invasion of 55 BC | Julius Caesar Caesar’s invasion in 55 BC did not bring lasting Roman occupation. |
| the successful Roman invasion of AD 43 | Emperor Claudius The invasion under Claudius began the Roman occupation. |
| resistance to Rome as queen of the Iceni | Boudicca Boudicca was an Iceni queen who resisted Roman rule. |
| the Roman frontier wall in northern England | Emperor Hadrian Hadrian ordered a wall to defend the northern frontier. |
| becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury | St Augustine Augustine brought missionaries from Rome and became Canterbury’s first archbishop. |
| founding a monastery on Iona | St Columba Columba’s monastery was part of the spread of Christianity in the north. |
| uniting northern peoples against Viking attacks | Kenneth MacAlpin The handbook links Kenneth MacAlpin with the emergence of Scotland. |
| resisting Vikings as king of Wessex | Alfred the Great Alfred defeated Viking attacks and some Vikings settled under his rule. |
| winning the Battle of Hastings | William of Normandy William defeated Harold in 1066 and became William the Conqueror. |
| being the Saxon king killed at Hastings | Harold Harold died fighting William’s invading army in 1066. |
Handbook reference: Chapter 3: A long and illustrious history — Early Britain. These are original revision notes, not a reproduction of the handbook.
Three quick study checks
Which place is associated with Stonehenge?
Wiltshire
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire.
What is associated with Wiltshire?
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire.
Which place is associated with Skara Brae?
Orkney
Skara Brae is a well-preserved Stone Age village on Orkney.