Early England
An Introduction to the History of England from the Earliest Times to 1204. By Douglas Jerrold. (Collins. 21s.) THE publishers' " blurb " describes this book as "highly important and challenging." Mr. Jerrold in his introduction, on the other hand, is becomingly modest about the result of ten years' work on the synthesis of these difficult periods. The fact seems to be that the book is a very gallant effort, but that the author has been almost too conscientious. For example, it is not until page 46 that, having escaped from the Ice Ages, we come to the early dynasties of Egypt. And it is on page 165 that, after two chapters about Roman Britain, we go back to Abraham and the Exodus in preparation for an account of the origin and character of Christianity. This rather topsy-turvy thoroughness is all according to Mr. Jerrold's principles, and is explained by him ; but even in this age, when knowledge of ancient history and sometimes of the Bible may be lacking, there is much to be said for the old methods when men were left to discover 'about the Ice Ages and early Christianity in books which were not introductions to the history of England. Mr. Jerrold claims that "the proper purpose of historical writing is, first and foremost, to show the extreme complexity of the historical process and its immense' extension in time." But "the best may be the enemy of the good " ; and it would be a pity if Many of the "ordinary educated public" for whom this Introduction Is mainly intended were discouraged from reading it by its length and cost. For it is well worthy of the ten years' labour which the iluthor has put into it. In some ways Mr. Jerrold comes nearest to Mr. Hilaire *hoc as an English historian. Like Mr. Belloc he is a Catholic ; he has been through the Oxford mill ; he has written about the war of 1914-18, and about modern politics ; and he has been a novelist. But though a comparison with Mr. Belloc is in some ways high praise, in others it does not do justice to this later historian. For Mr. Jerrold is no propagandist. He holds that " the real question in a general history is whether the writer's judge- ment is sound on the facts as known " ; and he illustrates this principle by his views on these obscure centuries.
But a historian who covers so wide a held is bound occasionally to stumble over details. The reader naturally turns with special Interest to see what he says about the discoveries at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, excavated in 1939. It is disappointing to find him repeating he view first held about this marvellous ship-burial—that it is a memorial to Raedwald, King of East Anglia (misprinted Raldwald)— since this king died before 626, and it has now been shown that
one of the coins in the dead man's purse can be assigned to a Frankish king who reigned 628-38.
In a book dealing with .so long a period it is scarcely fair to stress mistak-:s in details. It is, however, lisconcerting to the reader when he finds an archbishop appearing as Egbert on one page and as Ecgbeorla on another ; and when the sites of battles in the maps often do not correspond with the names given to the battles in the text. Details such as these will no doubt be corrected in a second edition ; but, unfortunately, there are others which will be more difficult to eradicate. Mr. Jerrold's frequent quotations from modern secondary historians help to give readers the latest views, but there are so few quotations from the primary authorities that they will scarcely-et "the feel" of these dark centuries.
Mr. Jerrold is more in sympathy with the Normans than with the Anglo-Saxons ; owing tr,- this, and to the less complex story,' the book improves as it nears the Norman Conquest. The reader, how- ever, must expect not so much a straightforward narrative as discussions about the beginnings of feudalism, honours and knight's fees, the fate of the thanes and freemen, the relation of gelded hides to real hides, and the origins of canon law. Mr. Jerrold's summaries will probably be welcomed by many students who wish to acquire as easily as possible general ideas about subjects and documents intro- duced into Stubb's Charters. It is doubtful whether they will attract so many readers among the "ordinary educated public." If they do, the educated public is to be congratulated on its persever- ance, as well as the author on his achievement.
R. H. HODGKIN.
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