Slavery in Early Mediaeval England from the Reign of Alfred until the Twelfth Century by David A.E. Pelteret

This important study seeks to assemble the evidence, drawn from a variety of sources in Old English and Latin, to convey a picture of slaves and slavery in England, viewed against the background of English society as a whole.

Slaves were part of the fabric of English society throughout the Anglo-Saxon era and the twelfth century, but as the base of the social pyramid, they have left no known written records; there are, however, extensive references to them throughout the documents and writings of the period. 

This important study seeks to assemble the evidence, drawn from a variety of sources in Old English and Latin, to convey a picture of slaves and slavery in England, viewed against the background of English society as a whole. An extensive appendix on the vernacular terminology of slavery reveals the concepts of enslavement to be embedded in the religious imagery of the period.