THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHITECTURE IN ESSEX. 169
Erchwine in 527 to Egbert in 823, when that king established his
supremacy over the whole Heptarchy, and so became king of all
England. The Saxons continued to rule the land until 1013, when
Sweyn, the Dane, and his son Canute obtained temporary posses-
sion, and from this date to 1066 the Saxons and the Danes fought
for the supremacy, sometimes the one and sometimes the other being
the victors ; and it is noticeable that many of the battles between
these two peoples took place on Essex soil, and it cannot be doubted
that the dissensions caused by the break up of the Roman power,
and which continued with more or less interruption from 410 down
to 1066, led to the destruction of many a noble pile of building.
In discussing the remains of this period we must remember that
we are treating of a people who seemed to be the opposite of their
predecessors.
The Romans were ambitious and imperial, great architects
and great engineers, both civil and military ; the Saxons were
agricultural and domestic. The former were never so happy as when
building or constructing or fortifying; the latter as when ploughing or
tending their flocks and herds ; and no doubt they availed themselves,
not only of many of the buildings, but of the earthworks and other
defences of the Romans, altering or adapting them as occasion
required ; and had it not been for the re-introduction of Christianity
in the Saxon period we should probably have had very much fewer
remains of the architecture of this period than we have now, few as
they are, and although the Roman temple did not suit the early
Christians, yet the materials could be adapted ; and so with the pro-
verbial enthusiasm and impulsiveness of converts they would consider
it incumbent upon them to destroy all vestiges of the Pagan religion.
It cannot be doubted that a people so strongly imbued with
religion would, when the country had been divided into parishes,
which practically represented small communities, be eager to con
struct buildings for public worship, and there cannot be any reason-
able doubt but that in very many of our Essex parishes a Saxon
church was built, for we are told that at the time of the Norman
Conquest there were throughout England 1,700 Saxon churches.
In Essex there are only two specimens of Saxon work left that I
am aware of, although there may be fragments of that period which
have escaped attention. The two specimens I allude to are the
tower of Trinity Church, Colchester, and the nave of Greensted
Church, near Ongar.
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