Childhood in Anglo-Saxon England

Never has the term 'Dark Ages' been more relevant than to the study of the early medieval child. Although there is now detailed information on Roman and late medieval families, childhood in Anglo-Saxon England is presented in this study through archaeological evidence such as excavated cemeteries and settlement sites, as well as more limited documentary sources.

The book opens with a brief introduction to the study of childhood and family structure, and an examination of the available evidence. This is followed by a discussion of the age at which an Anglo-Saxon child was thought to have become an adult, and whether there were any rites of passage in the child's progression to adult status. The bulk of the study then follows the child's life right through from infancy to adolescence. Special attention is given to health and childcare, the position of the child within the family, and play and education. In an age when few children grew up with both parents still alive, a chapter is also devoted to the role of fosterage, godparents and adoption.