Hereward the Wake

Hereward the Wake was a Saxon warrior who organised the resistance to the Norman invasion in our project area. He used the Old West as a natural moat and famously defeated a Norman army when they attempted to cross the Aldreth causeway.

Æthelthryth was the Abbess of Ely Abbey, which was the dominant social, economic and cultural force in our area. The monastic communities of our area not only provided education and medical services, but they also managed the landscape, including maintaining the sluices and drains.

Hereward is a popular local hero, but he is not known for conserving the natural environment. We have already explained why Æthelthryth is a Fenland natural hero, but she is also representing the work of the monastic communities who worked with the local people and landscape for 1000 years.