Researchers find Britain’s 11th-century ‘Conquest Man’ was Scandinavian – but did he land with the Norman army?

One of the most consequential showdowns in the history of the British Isles, the Battle of Hastings is seen as the foundational event of the Anglo-Saxons’ conquest by their Norman enemy across the Channel. But researchers who have put flesh on the bones of one man who lived through the turmoil of the era are learning more about the fighters who may have belonged to neither side. Dubbed Conquest Man, a skeleton of an unknown male was buried at St Peter’s church in Barton-upon-Humber, with previous analyses revealing the oak used to make his coffin came from a single tree felled in 1079 – probably when the man died.

But while this and other details are clear – he died in his 50s or 60s, was of stocky build, had multiple healed fractures and stood just 5ft 1in tall – his origins are not. According to English Heritage’s head curator of collections, Kevin Booth, who has been leading the project, questions remain over whether the man was even a Norman or Saxon. The new work – which has not been peer-reviewed – was produced by researchers at Historic England, the Francis Crick Institute, the British Geological Survey, the University of Southampton and the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University.

The results helped the team produce a reconstruction of Conquest Man’s face, suggesting he had thin lips, a receding hairline and a frank gaze. According to analyses of the man’s DNA, he had substantial continental ancestry, while studies based on his skull shape suggest he had Scandinavian origins. Levels of strontium isotopes in his teeth are compatible with someone living in the Barton area, while levels of oxygen isotopes suggest he may have spent time in a colder region during adolescence.

And though the man was interred in the cemetery of a pre-conquest church that had been transferred to Gilbert De Ghent, one of William the Conqueror’s knights, his grave goods indicate a Scandinavian influence, with applewood staffs placed by his side. While it is possible Conquest Man came from Barton, Booth said the most likely explanation is that he arrived from Scandinavia – a situation that would not be surprising given pre-conquest Barton would have been in the heart of the Viking-controlled territory known as the Danelaw, with the River Humber providing access to the sea. That pretty much continued through to 1042.

The exchange through the Humber and other east coast ports must have been commonplace,” said Booth. Indeed, the report from the new work stresses it would be “a step” to place Conquest Man with the victorious Norman army. Booth added the work highlights that the events of 1066 were not in isolation, but noted the year was exceptional in putting a final break in the long-lasting connections between Scandinavia and, particularly, the east coast of England.