The English as an ethnic group traces its heritage maily to several groups including: indigenous Ancient Britons; Anglo-Saxons, descended from peoples who settled south and east Great Britain between the 5th and 7th centuries (Teutonic tribes thought to be involved in this settlement include the Angles, the Jutes, the Saxons and the Frisians); and Danish-Vikings who formed the Danelaw during the time of Alfred the Great.The Adventure of English, Melvyn Bragg, 2003. Pg 21 The name of England derives from the Angles.
At one time it was widely believed that the Anglo-Saxons supplanted the native Romano-British populations. But genetic studies indicate that there was not a complete replacement or displacement of the Romano-British population, but that the English are descended from the mixing of indigenous Ancient Britons, Anglo-Saxon and Danish-Viking people. The relative contribution of the Anglo-Saxons may be smaller than originally believed, though there has been no definitive study yet.A Y Chromosome Census of the British Isles; Cristian Capelli, Nicola Redhead, Julia K. Abernethy, Fiona Gratrix, James F. Wilson, Torolf Moen, Tor Hervig, Martin Richards, Michael P. H. Stumpf, Peter A. Underhill, Paul Bradshaw, Alom Shaha, Mark G. Thomas, Neal Bradman, and David B. Goldstein Current Biology, Volume 13, Issue 11, Pages 979-984 (2003). Retrieved 6 December 2005. Some archaeologists also see only limited evidence of immigration in the record, Francis Pryor writes I also can't see any evidence for bona fide mass migrations after the Neolithic.Britain BC: Life in Britain and Ireland before the Romans by Francis Pryor, p. 122. Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-00-712693-x.
Y chromosome analysis of people from Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Friesland and the Basque Country has revealed that the Germanic (Danish/North German/Frisian) component in the male line of descent is higher in some areas of England than others. It is highest in York and Norfolk, where the Germanic Y chromosome occurs in about 60% of men, while indigenous Y chromosomes comprise about 40%. The research cannot distinguish between Danish (the presumed source of Danish-Viking settlers to East and Northern England), North German (Schleswig-Holstein, modern era) and Frisian (Anglo-Saxon) Y chromosomes. It concludes these data are consistent with the presence of some indigenous component in all British regions. Also, this research cannot make reference to the extent of settlement by Anglo-Saxon/Danish-Viking women. Therefore even in places like York, the total genetic contribution of these peoples would be less than 60% if fewer women than men migrated, and conversely it would be greater if more women than men settled. Computer simulations have shown that it is theoretically possible for a small Anglo-Saxon population that was politically and economically dominant to support larger families, which in turn could have resulted in a faster population growth for the dominant class. This model has been likened to apartheid in South Africa.Evidence for an Apartheid Like Social Structure in Early Anglo-Saxon England by Mark G. Thomas, Michael P. H. Stumpf and Heinrich Härke: Proceedings of the Royal Society, July 2006. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3627. Retrieved 06 August 2006. These data assume that there is a 50-100% Anglo-Saxon Y chromosome occurrence throughout England, but this assumption has previously been shown to be questionable. In some areas, notably Cornwall (and to a lesser extent Cumbria), some people claim a stronger ethnic connection to the ancient Britons, consequently some historians claim that Cornish people are distinct from English people.What makes Cornwall unique?: Cornwall24, independent Cornish news and comment. Retrieved 22 July 2006. A further settlement of Danes under Guthrum occurred in 878 in northern and eastern England, forming the Danelaw.The Age of Athelstan by Paul Hill (2004), Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2566-8
The influence on the English language by Danes, particularly in the former Danelaw, is most pronounced in places like York, formerly the settlement of Jorvik, although Jorvik is ultimatelly derived from the Brythonic name Eborakon and was a settlement long before the Danes). COLONIA (AVRELIA?) EBORACENSIVM / EBVRACVM: roman-britain.org website. Retrieved 10 July 2006. These groups had a noticeable impact on English language, for example the modern meaning of the word dream is of Old Norse origin.Online Etymology Dictionary by Douglas Harper (2001), List of sources used. Retrieved 10 July 2006. Additionally place names that include thwaite and by are Scandinavian in origin.The Adventure of English, Melvyn Bragg, 2003. Pg 22
England in AD 600 after the Saxon invasion
The Anglo-Saxons established several kingdoms, commonly referred to as the Heptarchy. These were united in the early 9th century under the overlordship of Wessex, forming what eventually became the modern nation of England.
From the 9th century onwards, these kingdoms were subjected to a series of raids, conquest and settlement by Vikings from Denmark. The Treaty of Wedmore gave the Danes dominion over territory north and east of a line between London and Chester called the Danelaw and represented the beginning of a period of acceptance and assimilation of the Danes.
Most notably, this period saw the rise of Alfred the Great, the only king in English history to receive 'the great' appended to his name. Alfred was king of the region of Wessex which effectively held off the Danish conquest of what would later become England. Wessex grew from a relatively small kingdom in the South West to the complete annexing of all remaining Anglo-Saxon kingdoms not in the Danelaw.
The Norman Conquest of 1066 brought English and Danish rule to an end, and began a diminished period, both culturally and socially, for the native inhabitants. The new Norman elite almost universally replaced the English aristocracy and church leaders. The English existed as a subject class for about 300 years with the aristocracy speaking French until a full assimilation was made by the time of Chaucer, in the late 1300s. By this time a large number of French words had been added to the English language. The impact of the Normans on English government, law and culture was out of all proportion to the small number who settled there. A. L. Rowse, The Story of Britain, Artus 1979 ISBN 0-297-83311-1
Black and Asian people are known to have had a presence in those parts of Britain that were to become England at the time of the Roman Empire.The Black Romans: BBC culture website. Retrieved 21 July 2006.The archaeology of black Britain: Channel 4 history website. Retrieved 21 July 2006. There has also been a small Black and Asian presence in England since at least the 16th century.Black Presence, Asian and Black History in Britain, 1500-1850: UK government website. Retrieved 21 July 2006.
English people traditionally speak the English language, a member of the West Germanic language family. The other language traditionally spoken is Cornish, a Celtic language originating in Cornwall spoken by about 3500 people. In addition to these languages, Welsh is still spoken by a few people in the area adjacent to the border with Wales.
Religion
Ever since the break with the Roman Catholic Church in the sixteenth century, the English have predominantly been members of the Church of England, a branch of the Anglican Communion, a form of Christianity with elements of Protestantism and Catholicism. Perhaps the moment when the Protestant identity of England began to be questioned most radicallly was during the ritualist controversies of the nineteenth century. Today, most English people practising organized religion are affiliated to the Church of England or other Christian denominations such as Roman Catholicism and Methodism (itself originally a movement within the Anglican Church). At the 2001 Census, a little over 37 million people in England & Wales professed themselves to be Christian however some would argue that in practice the English are generally secular today.
Jewish immigration since the seventeenth century means that there is a relatively ethnically and culturally assimilated Jewish English minority mostly in urban areas. 252,000 Jews were recorded in England & Wales in the 2001 Census; however this represents a decline of about 50% over the previous 50 years, caused by emigration and intermarriage, and the long-term future of the community is a matter of some concern to community leaders.
The gradual assimilation of migrants from India and Pakistan since the 1950s means that there is a growing groups of people who are culturally English and practise Islam (818,000), Hinduism (467,000), or Sikhism (301,000).
The 2001 census also revealed that 7,171,332 (15%) of the population of England claim no religion.
England, like the other nations of the United Kingdom, competes as a separate nation in many international sporting events. The English Football, Cricket and Rugby teams have contributed to an increasing sense of English identity. Supporters today (2006) are more likely to carry the St George's Cross whereas twenty years ago the British Union Jack would have been the more prominent.
The late 1990s saw the beginning of a gradual renaissance of English national identity, spurred by devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some English people now question what it is to be English and its relationship with being British, and are calling for the creation of a devolved English Parliament, claiming that there is now a discriminative democratic deficit against the English people.An English Parliament...: Campaign for an English Parliament Website. Retrieved 26 June 2006.
