The queen also was held in high honor. She sat by the king in the assemblies, and she possessed a separate establishment from that of the king though on a smaller scale. Next in rank and dignity to the king were the ealdor men. These were at the head of the adminis tration of justice in the shires, possessing both judicial and executive authority, and had as their officers the scir-gerefan, or sheriffs. One of their most important functions was the lead ing of the armed force of the county, a duty which often fell to their share during the per iod of the Danish invasions. The ealdorman, as such, held possession of certain lands at tached to the office, and he was also entitled to a share of fines and other moneys levied for the king's use and passing through his hands. ((Thus the position which his nobility, his power, and his wealth secured to the ealdorman was a brilliant one. In fact, the whole executive gov ernment may be considered as a great aristo cratical association, of which the ealdormen were the members, and the king little more than the president. They were in nearly every respect his equals, and possessed the right of intermarriage with him; it was solely with their consent that he could be elected or appointed to the Crown, and by their support, co-opera tion, and alliance that he was maintained there. Without their concurrence and assent, their license and permission, he could not.make, abro gate, or alter laws; they were the principal witan or counsellors, the leaders of the great gam& or national inquest, the guardians, up holders and regulators of that aristocratical power of which he was the ultimate representa tive and head" (Kemble, Vol. II, p. 142).
Under the Danish kings the ealdorman fell into a subordinate position, the eorl or earl taking his place in the county. The ealdorman and the king were both surrounded by a num ber of followers called thegns or thanes, bound by close ties to their superior. The king's thanes were the higher in rank, and formed a kind of nobility by themselves. They possessed a certain quantity of land smaller in amount than that of an ealdorman, and filled offices connected with the personal service of the king or with the administration of justice. Accord ing to Leppenberg they were in all respects the predecessors of the Norman barons. We fre quently hear of a class of functionaries called gerifan or reeves, such as the scir-gerifa (shirereeve or sheriff), the port-gerefa (port reeve), the tun-gerefa (farm-reeve or bailiff ; Scotch, grieve). These, of course, had different duties to perform, those of the shire-reeve being the most important. He presided at the county court along with the ealdorman and bishop, or alone in their absence; and had to carry out the decisions of the to levy fines, collect taxes, etc. In virtue of his office he had a por tion of land allotted to him, hence called reeve land. The shires were divided into hundreds and tithings, the former being equal to 10 of the latter. The tithing consisted of 10 heads of families, jointly responsible to the state for the good conduct of any member of their body.
For the trial and settlement of minor causes there was a hundred court held once a month. The place of the modern Parliament was held by the untena-gemet, the representative council of the nation. Its members, who were not elect ed, comprised the alhelings or princes of the blood royal, the bishops and abbots, the ealdor men, the thanes, the sheriffs, etc.
Agriculture, including especially the raising of cattle, sheep and swine, was the chief occu pation of the Anglo-Saxons. Large tracts of the marshy land in the east of England were embanked and drained by them and brought into cultivation. Gardens and orchards are fre quently mentioned, and vineyards were common in the southern counties. The forests were ex tensive, and valuable both from the mast they produced for the swine and from the beasts of the chase which they harbored. Hunting was a favorite recreation among the higher ranks, both lay and clerical. Fishing was largely car ried on, herrings and salmon being the principal fish caught. The whale fishery was also pur sued, when the Anglo-Saxon vessels used to go as far as Iceland. The manufactures were naturally of small moment. Iron was made to some extent, and some cloth, and salt works were numerous. In embroidery and working in gold, however, the English were famous over the continent, and very elegant specimens of gold work have come down to our times. There was already a considerable trade at London, which was frequented by Normans, French, Flemings and the merchants of the Hanse towns. The Anglo-Saxon forefathers were no torious for their excessive fondness for eating and drinking, and in this respect formed a strong contrast to the Normans who invaded the country. Ale, mead and cider were the common beverages, wine being limited to the higher classes. Pork was a favorite article of food, and so were eels, which were kept and fattened in eel ponds and sometimes paid as rent. The houses were rude, ill-built structures, mostly of wood and without proper chimneys, but were often richly furnished and hung with fine tapes try. The dress of the Anglo-Saxons was loose and flowing, the materials being linen, woolen and also silk; and their garments were often adorned with embroidery. The men looked upon the hair as one of their chief ornaments, and wore it long and flowing over their shoul ders, while they also usually wore beards.
Christianity was introduced among the Anglo-Saxons in the end of the 6th century by Saint Augustine, who was sent by Pope Greg ory the Great and became the first archbishop of Canterbury. Kent, then under King Ethel red, was the first place where it took root, and thence it soon spread over the rest of the country. It must, of course, be remembered that the Britons and Scots had already em braced Christianity, and missionaries from these labored in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons Monasteries were founded at an early period and became numerous. For a time the Anglo Saxon Church maintained customs different in discipline from Rome, but uniformity was es tablished in 670 by Theodore,.the archbishop of Canterbury.