6th July, 2007
Anglian Settlement -1, circa 570 - 600
Introduction
It is unclear exactly what happened in England after the decline of Rome. There are few written records and little archaeological evidence. For this reason the era is sometimes called the "Dark Ages".
Place-name and geographical evidence can be used to make some deductions, but historians disagree about the timescale and the exact nature of the Anglo-Saxon invasions.
The following article is based largely on the ideas of J.J. Bagley in his book "A History of Lancashire", supplemented by information from "The Place names of Lancashire" by David Mills. It must be stressed, however, that other historians have interpreted the sparse evidence differently.
Decline of Rome
Rome was in decline from the 4th century onwards. It is not known when their administration ceased in Wigan, but certainly by the end of the 5th century, Roman influence would have been slight and the local Romano-British (Celtic) population would have reverted to their pre Roman way of life.
Anglo-Saxons
After the withdrawal of Roman military support in the early 5th century, a number of Germanic tribes, usually referred to collectively as the Anglo-Saxons, settled in England and gradually expanded their holdings. Kingdoms were formed and Romano-British influence began to wane.
It is not known to what extent the invaders displaced the Romano-British population. There was certainly some violence involved in the takeover but some historians believe that much of the "conquest" was a spread of Anglo-Saxon culture, rather than a displacement of people. In other words the Romano-British population were not driven out but adopted Anglo-Saxon customs and language and stayed where they were. In effect, the Wigan Britons became Anglo-Saxons.
First Settlers in the Wigan Area
It is not known when the invaders reached the Wigan area, but the fact that several towns and villages, including Wigan itself, have retained their Celtic names, suggests that this area was settled relatively late.
(Read more about Wigan's place-name here.)
Anglians from Deira (Yorkshire) and Bernicia (South-east Scotland, Northumberland and Durham) arrived in this area in about 570. They were probably peaceful family groups who settled in the Lune and Ribble valleys, and also on the coastal plain on sites free of marshland.
Place-name evidence, again, has been used to reach this conclusion. Settlements, which originally contained the element "inga", are evidence of the first Anglian invaders from Northumbria. Billinge, near Wigan is possibly, one such place. Melling, (about 14 miles west of Wigan) is certainly an "inga" name and means "where the family or followers of Mealla settled".
There were further peaceful incursions in about 600, leading to the formation of settlements containing the "ingaham" element. There were none of these in the Wigan area.