This morning, listeners of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme heard a familiar voice at the helm. Our friend and frequent Soulton visitor, the historian Tom Holland, took over as guest editor to issue a polite but firm correction to the national memory: England is much older than we think.
The “1,100th Birthday” Argument
While 1066 is the date etched into every schoolchild’s mind, Tom argued today that England was truly forged in the early 10th century. He is championing a national celebration for the year 2027—the 1,100th anniversary of the real founding of the nation.
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The Year 927: Tom points to this as the true “birth” date. It was when Æthelstan (grandson of Alfred the Great) became the first king to rule over all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, officially becoming Rex Anglorum (King of the English).
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1066 was a “Hostile Takeover”: By the time the Normans arrived, England was already a sophisticated state with its own tax systems, laws, and deep-rooted identity.
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The Forgotten Architects: Figures like Æthelstan and his aunt Æthelflæd (the “Lady of the Mercians”) are the true builders of our country.
A Friend of Soulton
We at Soulton Hall wholeheartedly agree with Tom’s mission to take the Saxon foundations of England more seriously.
Tom has been a steadfast friend to Soulton for years; many will remember his piece in The Times, where he spoke movingly about the Soulton Long Barrow. His connection to this landscape is deep—he even laid one of the stones in the barrow’s construction, helping us bridge the gap between the deep past and the present day.
Taking Antiquity Seriously: The Legacy of Erkenwald
Our interest at Soulton in this “older England” isn’t just academic; it is a somber and serious part of our heritage.
We share Tom’s earnest desire to see the Saxons and the culture of this antiquity taken more seriously.
A key part of this for us is the figure of Saint Erkenwald, the 7th-century Bishop of London and “Light of London” Erkenwald represents the intellectual and spiritual sophistication of England centuries before the Normans arrived.
At Soulton, we look to Erkenwald as a symbol of that “older” England—a time of immense creativity, law-building, and deep-rooted faith that predates 1066 by four hundred years. When we celebrate the 1,100th birthday of England in 2027, we are also celebrating the long, rich lineage of people like Erkenwald who laid the spiritual and social foundations of the land.
A Program of High History
In true Rest is History style, Tom’s guest edit also featured Salisbury Cathedral (where he is Canon Historian), the impact of AI on research, and even a segment on hedgehogs.
It was a classic Holland move: using a major national platform to remind us that our history is deeper, stranger, and much more wonderful than a single date in 1066. As we look toward the 1,100th anniversary of Æthelstan’s unification, we invite you to visit Soulton, see the Long Barrow, and stand in a landscape that remembers the “forgotten” founders of England.
