Anglo-Saxon society was divided into classes. At the top was the king, followed by his nobles (thegns) who owed him absolute loyalty and expected to be rewarded for it. Thegns were originally a military aristocracy, but they became landowners and administrators for the king as well. They had to pay taxes and attend legal assemblies, but they could expect to live well. The wealth of some thegns can be seen in written records, which appear from the late 7th century AD. Between 871 and 888, a nobleman called Alfred left 100 hides of land in Kent and Sussex to his kinsmen – a hide was the amount of land that would support a family.

Women of aristocratic rank appear to have had some degree of legal independence in Anglo-Saxon England. Their wills show they could own and dispose of substantial property, including slaves, livestock, furnishings, jewels, gold, silver, and books. Little is known of ordinary women, but the wives of kings and nobles were expected to be gracious hostesses and to display their husbands’ wealth in the jewellery they wore. They were also responsible for running large households – particularly when their husbands were away fighting – and could be landowners in their own right.