A groundbreaking study has revealed that early England’s population was shaped by long-term, steady migration from both the Mediterranean region and the far north, including areas near the Arctic Circle. This new research challenges the old idea that the country’s early settlers arrived in short, dramatic invasions or were only connected by warfare or conquest.
Instead, the study shows that people moved into and across England gradually over hundreds of years, from the end of Roman rule in Britain through the time of the Norman conquest. These constant movements connected England to distant regions of Europe and created a rich mix of communities long before England became a unified country.
The findings, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh, paint a picture of England as part of a vast web of migration across the continent during the early Middle Ages.
Migration patterns uncovered through teeth and DNA
To better understand how and where people moved, scientists studied human remains from early medieval cemeteries across England, dating from around 400 to 1100. A key part of the research involved analyzing tooth enamel, which forms in childhood and keeps a chemical record of the food and water a person consumed while growing up.
By examining over 700 tooth samples and comparing them with ancient DNA from 316 individuals, the researchers were able to tell where people likely spent their early years, even if their genetic roots told a different story. For example, some individuals had local genetic ancestry but grew up in distant regions, while others had foreign ancestry but spent their childhoods in England.
This comparison between chemistry and DNA highlights that ancestry and birthplace do not always match, and that relying only on ancient DNA gives an incomplete picture of how people moved in the past.
Climate change and female migration, among key findings
The study also uncovered signs of major climate shifts during this time. Researchers found chemical clues in teeth that linked to a colder period in the sixth and seventh centuries, known as the Late Antique Little Ice Age. This climate change likely disrupted farming and may have pushed people to move in search of better conditions. Evidence of a later warm phase, the Medieval Climate Anomaly, was also found.
While migration was a regular part of life during this period, there was a noticeable increase in movement during the seventh and eighth centuries — much later than previously believed. This increase suggests that people continued to travel and settle in new areas long after the early political systems of England began to form.
Men were slightly more likely to migrate, but the study also found a significant number of women among the migrants, especially in areas like the North East, Kent, and Wessex — regions that played major roles in early English history.
The researchers also found connections between England and nearby regions such as Wales and Ireland, along with links to broader parts of Europe, including the Mediterranean. These patterns point to an England that was far from isolated, instead part of a larger European network of constant movement and exchange.
England’s past was deeply connected to wider Europe
Historical texts like The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Ecclesiastical History of the English People often focus on kings, battles, and major events. But this new scientific evidence tells a different story — one of ordinary people who moved across great distances, carried their cultures with them, and helped shape a changing England.
As Sam Leggett noted, early communities were regularly in touch with other regions, sharing ideas, goods, and cultures. Susanne Hakenbeck emphasized that these findings confirm Britain’s deep connections to mainland Europe during the early medieval period.
Overall, the study presents early England not as an isolated island, but as a crossroads between the north and the south — a place shaped by steady human movement over time, rather than by singular events.