Tribal Hidage facts for kids

The Tribal Hidage is an old list from Anglo-Saxon England. People think it was made in the 7th century or 8th century. It lists 35 different groups of people, or tribes. These tribes lived in southern England a long time ago. Each tribe or kingdom on the list had a number next to it. This number was for 'hides,' which was a way to measure land back then. Today, people who study history think powerful rulers from Mercia or Northumbria made this list. They likely used it to collect payments, called tribute, from the other groups.

Map of the tribes mentioned in the Tribal Hidage

What is the Tribal Hidage?

The Tribal Hidage is a very important historical document. The oldest copies we have were written around the 11th century. By this time, many of the old names for regions were already forgotten. Sometimes, this list is the only proof that a certain region or group of people ever existed.

Historians believe there were older versions of the Tribal Hidage. Some think it might even date back to when Penda of Mercia was a very powerful king (from 642 to 655 AD).

Why was the list created?

People who study history have different ideas about where the Tribal Hidage came from. Some think it was written by Paulinus of York for King Edwin of Northumbria. Others believe it was made for King Offa of Mercia.

Some historians suggest it was written between 670 and 690 AD. No one is completely sure why the list was made. Most agree it was probably used to collect tribute. The list also seems to have been updated over time. This means it might have been used for more than one reason.

The list of tribes

The original documents of the Tribal Hidage are a bit hard to read. Not every name is perfectly clear. The names on the list are for groups of people, or tribes, not for the exact places they lived.

A historian named David Dumville has found three different versions of the list. He calls them Recension A, Recension B, and Recension C.

The list is split into two main parts. The first part has 20 names. At the end of this group, the total number of hides is given as 66,100. If you add up the hides for each group, this total is correct.

The second part has 15 names. The total listed for this group is 242,700 hides. However, this number is wrong. If you add up the hides for each name in this group, the total is actually 244,100. These are most likely simple math mistakes.

Main tribes listed

The first part of the list includes several well-known groups:

• Mercian lands - 30,000 hides.
• Wrekin dwellers - 7,000 hides (people from Staffordshire and northern Shropshire).
• Lindsey–folk - 7,000 hides (including Hatfield).
• Western men - 7,000 hides (people from Worcestershire and Herefordshire).
• South Gyrwas - 600 hides.
• North Gyrwas - 600 hides.
• Elmet dwellers - 600 hides.
• The other 13 names in this part had between 300 and 1,200 hides each.

Other tribes listed

This second part of the list seems to have been added later:

• Hwicce - 7,000 hides (people from Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and parts of other areas).
• East Angles - 30,000 hides.
• East Saxons - 7,000 hides (people from Essex, Hertfordshire, and Middlesex).
• Kent men - 15,000 hides.
• South Saxons - 7,000 hides.
• West Saxons - 100,000 hides.
• The remaining nine names in this part had between 300 and 4,000 hides each.

See also

In Spanish: Tribal Hidage para niños