The Year 1070 - Survival

The Harrying of the North series: The series is woven around historical fact and tells the story of Hravn and Ealdgith, friends in their mid-teens who witness, then flee from, the Harrying of the North in Richmondshire in January 1070. It follows their rapid transition from adolescence to adulthood, their evolving relationship and changing fortunes. The series brings to life the Northern Dales, Cumbria and Northumberland at a time of great social upheaval and in so doing it explores how English daily life was affected and forced to change.

Hravn is Norse-Cumbrian by birth, and Ealdgith is Angle. An underlying theme is how these races blended together to form the English nation within the North.

The Year 1070 - Survival: Torn away from their homes and families due to the sudden and devastating ‘Harrying of the North’ by William the Conqueror’s soldiers, teenage friends Hravn and Ealdgith are forced to flee through the Yorkshire Dales in the bitter winter of 1070.

Theirs is a tale of harsh survival and rapid transition from adolescence to adulthood under the constant threat of discovery, slavery or death at the hands of the Norman invaders or vicious outlaws.

Ealdgith is the daughter of an English thegn and kinswoman of Earl Gospatrick of Northumberland and Cumberland. He is an historical character and one of the leaders of the English rebellion that triggered the Harrying of the North. Their intention is join him in Cumberland.

As they flee through Wensleydale, Ealdgith disguises herself as a boy in order to avoid harassment. They take sanctuary with a hermit monk and former soldier who teaches them the arts of swordsmanship and self-defence. This is the start of Ealdgith’s development as a young woman who is able to defend herself and make a stand against oppression.

The couple are taken hostage by Cumbrian outlaws, escape, and eventually return to Richmondshire to see if any of their families have survived.

Set in the Northern Dales and Cumbria, The Year 1070 weaves a tale around historical fact and real places, bringing to life the diverse people of the North and the challenges they faced at a time of rebellion, repression and great social upheaval.

‘The Year 1070 – Survival’ is a glimpse into life in an often forgotten moment at the time of one of the greatest social upheavals England has ever faced; it is a tale that will be continued.