Anglo Saxon East London

Anglo Saxons is just a phrase as to who arrived in Britain after the Romans departed, they were all northern europeans but the Angles came from southern Denmark, the Saxons from Germany and the Jutes, who also arrived came from Jutland.

Although these were the main groups of newcomers there were also others that came along as well, so it's just convenient to use the term Anglo Saxon for this period of history. Although it is from them that we inherited our name, Angles Land over time became England there is very little remaining arctifacts of their early history in east London.

When the Romans left Londinium was deserted and in spite of the city being a well built up, for after the destruction by Boudicca the city was rebuilt but this time in stone rather than wood as it was before, even so the first Anglo Saxons choose not just to move in, instead they built their own city, Lundenwic, which was built to the west of the Roman city walls.

East London seems to have been neglected, possibly because the terrain of wooded areas and marshland were only suitable to small settlements,  though some names are thought to have their origin in Anglo Saxon times, Stepney for instance is thought to have derived from Steben and Hythe meaning a wooden wharf so some activity may have been going on there, then there is Bethnal Green or Blithehale meaning a happy corner, Hackney is thought to have been named after a Dane called Haca or Hacon and ey meaning island. So it looks likely that there were small settlements at these places.

There has been some evidence though that they continued to use the Old Ford crossing and a Roman causeway to cross the marshes, for much of east London

was marshy with little inlets of rivers.

It would appear that the area which is now Lefevre road was a much favoured place to build a settlement since the Bronze/Iron age. The Anglo Saxon's also choose this area to build their settlement. Their homes were very similar to those of earlier times differing only in shape.

At first the Romano/British carried on in the way they had under Roman rule, but as the new invaders spread across the country they began to adopt their ways. As they intermarried the differences between them dissolved, they began speaking the same language and adopting their ways and dress. Finally and naming themselves a corruption of one of the invading tribes they became known as the English.