The People of England: A Discussion of the Races in Layamon’s Brut

“There came to his mind a most splendid idea, / That he would tell of England’s outstanding men […],” writes Layamon in the prologue of his history concerning the island of Britain, Brut (6-7). Using sources such as Wace’s Roman de Brut and Bede’s The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Layamon succeeds in creating a new version of the past of Britain. His work, written in the late twelfth century, is the first historiography written in English since the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and describes the coming of Brutus of Troy to the isle, the exploits of King Arthur, and the ending of British power by the overthrowing of King Cadwalader. Just who were these men of “England,” though, that Layamon strives to speak about in his work? Scholars do not agree about which race of people Layamon seeks to glorify in his history. A strong case can be made for the Saxons, yet Roger Loomis speculates as to why Layamon would utilize a source such as Bede that “execrates” the people for whom he is writing (105). Others argue for the Britons and even for the influence of the Anglo-Normans. Why then did Layamon leave the identity of his intended audience so open for interpretation by scholars? Daniel Donoghue claims that the goal of Brut is to serve as an example of providential history and not as a call for a common nationalism. Nevertheless, this answer fails to make up for all the textual signs of blending of the cultures of Britain within Layamon’s Brut; yes, Layamon mentions God, but Layamon also fails to stress His role in the outcomes of history enough to validate Donoghue’s argument. Instead, all of the indications of Layamon weaving characteristics of Saxon, Briton, and Anglo-Norman influence throughout his work prove that he attempts t...

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...o aid the people of England” (Layamon’s Arthur 255). Consequently, to Layamon at least, the “people of England” are now the people of one land, united by a common history and a common hero.

Works Cited

Allen, R. et al., Reading Layamon’s ‘Brut’: Approaches and Explorations (Amsterdam, 2013).

Harford, T.J., A Comprehensive Study of Layamon’s Brut (Lewiston, 2002).

Layamon. Layamon's Arthur: The Arthurian Section of Layamon's Brut (Lines 9229-14297). Ed. William R. J. Barron. Exeter: Univ. of Exeter, 2001. Print.

---. Brut. Trans. Rosamund Allen. London: J.M. Dent, 1993. Print.

Le Saux, F.H.M., Layamon’s Brut: The Poem and its Sources (Cambridge, 1989).

Loomis, Roger Sherman, ed. Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History. Oxford: Clarendon, 1959. Print.

Tiller, K.J., Layamon’s Brut and the Anglo-Norman Vision of History (Cardiff, 2007).