The first mention of a town named Watford is in the Anglo-Saxon charter of 1007. Watford developed from an Anglo-Saxon settlement between a ford of the River Colne and the crossroads of two ancient tracks. The town grew thanks to travellers passing through to Berkhamstead Castle and the royal palace at Kings Langley.

Life in Anglo-Saxon Watford would have been very different to life today. Society was divided into three classes – the upper class of thanes, the middle class of churls, and finally a class of slaves called thralls. There were only about one million people living in England at the time – compared to over 53 million today – and most lived in villages of less than 100 people.

Each village was self-sufficient, so most people had no need to ever leave their hometown. They grew their own food, including wheat, peas, apples, raspberries and carrots, and they made their own clothes. They also raised herds of goats, cattle, pigs and sheep. They lived in wooden houses with one room for every member of the family. The poor would share this room with their animals, with a screen to divide the space in two.

Meat was a luxury for the Anglo-Saxons. Most of the poor survived on a diet of bread, cheese and eggs. There was no sugar in the eleventh century, so almost every village kept bees. Honey was used to sweeten foods and to make mead.

Life depended on the class of slaves. Most were people who had been captured during war. Others became slaves if they were unable to pay a fine. Some families even sold their children into slavery if times were hard, to ensure that child’s survival. Slaves did not earn a wage, but were paid in food and lodging. Not every slave remained in servitude for all of their life, however; they could be freed if their relatives paid for them, or if the value of their labour reached the value of the original debt.

Family ties were very important in Anglo-Saxon England. If one of your family members was killed, you were expected to avenge them. However, the law provided an alternative. If you killed or injured somebody, you could pay them or their family compensation. This was known as wergild. The money paid varied according to a person’s rank. Slaves, for example, had no wergild. If the wergild was not paid, the relatives were then entitled to seek revenge.

The Anglo-Saxons spent most of their lives working, either as farmers or craftsmen, but there is evidence that they also took time to enjoy themselves. Their favourite pastimes included dice, elaborate riddles, horse racing and board games. Poetry was also popular.

Women enjoyed considerable independence in Anglo-Saxon England. Some, even if they were married, owned their own land. The system of primogeniture (inheritance by the first-born male) was not introduced to England until after the Norman Conquest, so Anglo-Saxon daughters were equal to their brothers.

When a child turned ten years old, he or she could legally take charge of an inherited property or be held responsible for a crime. The age was so much younger than it is today because average life expectancy was only about 30 and there was a high infant mortality rate. In addition to the ever-present hazard of war, Saxons were at risk from famines and epidemics, as well as from diseases such as tuberculosis.

Anglo-Saxon rule came to an end in 1066. After the death of Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror and his army invaded from France, heralding the beginning of the new, Norman way of life.

The legacy of our Anglo-Saxon ancestors who settled in Watford can still be seen, if you know where to look. St Mary’s Church on the High Street, parts of which date back to Anglo-Saxon times, still stands today.