Site investigation (AQA GCSE History): Revision Notes
Site investigation for Norman England's historic environment
Understanding the site investigation approach
When studying Norman England's historic environment, you'll focus on one specific Norman site and examine it thoroughly. This detailed investigation connects your chosen site to the broader story of Norman England between 1066 and 1100. The goal is to understand both the specific details of your site and how it fits into the wider historical context of Norman rule and society.
The site investigation method allows you to develop deep understanding by focusing intensively on one location while connecting it to the big picture of Norman England. This approach mirrors how professional historians work - examining specific evidence to understand broader historical patterns.
Your investigation involves examining seven essential aspects of your chosen site, each offering different insights into Norman life, power, and culture. Additionally, you'll need to consider important historical concepts that help explain how and why things changed or stayed the same during this period.
The seven key aspects of site investigation
1. Location
Understanding where your Norman site is positioned reveals crucial information about Norman strategic thinking and social organisation. You should examine the geographical setting carefully - whether the site sits near important towns, coastal areas, or major roads that connected different parts of Norman England.
The location often tells us about the site's original purpose and importance. Norman leaders typically chose locations for specific reasons, such as controlling key routes, defending territory, or demonstrating power over local populations. Consider whether your site was built on an existing Anglo-Saxon location, as this can reveal how the Normans adapted or replaced earlier English structures and systems.
Location analysis should consider both the immediate geographical features (hills, rivers, coasts) and the broader strategic context (proximity to major towns, trade routes, or potential threats). This dual perspective helps explain both practical and political reasons for site selection.
2. Function
The function of your site - what it was actually used for - provides insight into Norman priorities and daily life. Norman sites served various purposes: some were military strongholds designed to control conquered territory, others were religious centres reflecting Norman Christian beliefs, and some demonstrated wealth and status within the new Norman social hierarchy.
Understanding the function helps explain why certain features exist and how different groups of people would have interacted with the site. A monastery would have very different daily activities compared to a castle, and this would be reflected in the site's layout and construction.
Function is not always obvious from appearance alone. A building that looks purely religious might also have served administrative or defensive purposes. Always consider multiple possible functions and how they might have operated simultaneously.
3. Structure
The physical layout and construction of your site reveals information about Norman building techniques, resources, and organisational capabilities. Examine the key features and areas within your site, noting how they relate to each other and support the site's overall function.
Norman architecture often combined practical defensive needs with displays of power and wealth. The arrangement of buildings, the thickness of walls, the height of towers, and the quality of stone work all communicate messages about Norman control and sophistication. Consider how the structure would have impressed or intimidated both Norman subjects and potential enemies.
4. People
Your site connected with various groups of people who each played different roles in Norman society. This includes those who commissioned and built the site, people who lived or worked there regularly, and visitors who came for specific purposes.
Understanding the social relationships between different groups helps explain the site's significance. Norman society was highly hierarchical, with clear distinctions between Norman nobles, Norman clergy, Norman soldiers, and the conquered Anglo-Saxon population. Consider how these social divisions would have been reflected in who had access to different parts of your site.
Don't forget about the Anglo-Saxon population who often continued to live and work around Norman sites. Their experiences and roles are just as important for understanding how the site functioned in practice, even if they're less visible in the surviving evidence.
5. Design
The architectural design of your site reflects both practical requirements and cultural values of Norman society. Norman builders drew on various influences, including Romanesque styles from continental Europe, and adapted these to English conditions and materials.
Design choices communicate messages about power, religious beliefs, and cultural identity. The style and decoration of buildings demonstrated Norman sophistication and their connection to European Christian civilisation. Consider how the design would have differed from earlier Anglo-Saxon buildings and what this communicated about Norman rule.
6. Culture, values and fashions
Your site provides evidence of Norman cultural practices, social values, and lifestyle preferences. This might be visible in architectural styles, decorative elements, the types of activities the site supported, or the way space was organised to reflect social hierarchies.
Norman culture blended continental European influences with adaptations to English conditions. Religious buildings might show Norman interpretations of Christian architecture, while secular sites might demonstrate Norman approaches to governance, defence, or displaying wealth. Consider how the site reflects the cultural differences between Norman rulers and their Anglo-Saxon subjects.
Cultural evidence can be subtle - look for details like the style of stone carving, the layout of living spaces, or the types of activities different areas were designed to support. These details reveal daily life and social values that major historical sources might miss.
7. Important events and developments
Your site exists within the broader context of major events and changes happening across Norman England. Understanding contemporary developments helps explain why your site was built, modified, or gained particular significance during this period.
Key events might include rebellions against Norman rule, church reforms, administrative changes, or conflicts with neighbouring territories. Consider how national events would have affected your local site and the people connected with it. This helps demonstrate the site's role in the wider story of Norman conquest and consolidation.
Context and second order historical concepts
Understanding the bigger picture
Your site investigation must consider the broader historical context of Norman England. This means understanding what was happening across the country and how your site fits into these larger patterns of change and development.
The Norman Conquest of 1066 triggered massive changes in English society, politics, religion, and culture. Your site will reflect some of these changes, helping you understand how Norman rule affected different aspects of English life. Consider what existed before the Normans arrived and how this was transformed or adapted.
Context is crucial for accurate interpretation. A castle built in 1067 during the initial conquest serves a very different purpose from one built in 1090 when Norman rule was more established. Always consider when your site was built and what was happening at that time.
Analysing change and continuity
Examine how your site demonstrates both changes brought by Norman rule and elements that continued from Anglo-Saxon England. The Normans often built on existing foundations, both literally and metaphorically, adapting English traditions to serve Norman purposes.
Understanding continuity helps explain why Norman rule succeeded - they didn't completely replace everything but strategically changed key elements while maintaining others. This balance between innovation and adaptation was crucial to Norman success.
Exploring causation and consequence
Consider what caused your site to be built or developed in particular ways, and what consequences this had for the surrounding area and people. Norman decisions about where and how to build were driven by specific needs and priorities, and these decisions had lasting effects on local communities.
The consequences of Norman building projects extended beyond the immediate site to affect trade routes, settlement patterns, and social relationships across the region. Understanding these cause-and-effect relationships helps explain the broader impact of Norman rule.
Making connections between the aspects
The seven aspects of your site investigation don't exist in isolation - they connect and influence each other in important ways. The location affects the function, which influences the structure and design. The people involved shaped cultural elements, which connected to contemporary events and developments.
Example Connection: Norman Castle Analysis
A Norman castle's location on a hilltop (location) served defensive purposes (function), required specific architectural solutions like thick walls and narrow windows (structure and design), housed Norman nobles and soldiers while excluding Anglo-Saxons (people), reflected Norman military culture and power (culture and values), and responded to threats of rebellion in the 1070s (important events).
Looking for these connections helps create a comprehensive understanding of your site's historical significance. Consider how each aspect reinforces and explains the others to build a complete picture of your site's role in Norman England.
Timeline of major Norman developments (c1066-c1100)
- 1066: Norman Conquest at Battle of Hastings
- 1066-1070: Initial conquest and establishment of Norman control
- 1067-1071: Major castle building programme begins
- 1069-1070: Harrying of the North suppresses Anglo-Saxon resistance
- 1070: Lanfranc becomes Archbishop of Canterbury, begins church reforms
- 1086: Domesday Book compiled, demonstrating Norman administrative control
- 1087: Death of William I, succession of William II
- 1088: Rebellion of Norman barons against William II
- 1096-1099: First Crusade involves many Norman nobles
- 1100: Death of William II, accession of Henry I
Key Points to Remember:
- Site investigation requires examining seven key aspects: location, function, structure, people, design, culture/values, and important events
- Each aspect provides different insights into Norman society and should be connected to the others for comprehensive understanding
- Consider both the specific details of your site and how it fits into the broader context of Norman England
- Use second order concepts (change, continuity, causation, consequence) to analyse your site's historical significance
- Your site reflects the complex process of Norman conquest, adaptation, and rule in England between 1066 and 1100