'Eventually,

All things decline

Everything falters, dies and ends

Towers cave in, walls collapse

Roses wither, horses stumble

Cloth grows old, men expire

Iron rusts and timber rots away

Nothing made by hand will last

I understand the truth

That all must die, both clerk and lay

And the fame of men now dead

will quickly be forgotten

Unless the clerk takes up his pen

And brings their deeds to life again...'

Wace - 'Roman du Rou' ca: 1170

Hereward appeared at the Hereward Relay & Ultra cross-fen Cross-Country race on Sunday 26th JANUARY. Click image for details.

Here Hereward is pictured with the man who conceived the idea of the Hereward Relay 26 years ago, founding member of March Athletic Club, Mr Peter Jackman

Welcome to the WakeHereward Project the official organisation and website for the legendary Anglo-Saxon warrior Hereward the Wake,

the folk-hero of the Fenlands of Eastern England.

Read about the project and its activities by clicking on the link below.

WakeHereward Project

Take the Hereward Trail across Hereward Country in search of Hereward! Full details soon, find out more by subscribing to our newsletter (below) or click on the Hereward image (left) for some details or the Crowland Abbey image (right) for the latest news on the WakeHereward Project developments. Soon you will be able to access maps and routes and location information for your trip to the Fens for you to take the Hereward Trail across Hereward Country in search of Hereward, Subscribe now!

Visit Crowland Abbey on the Hereward Trail across Hereward Country in search of Hereward! Click on the image for details.

1066 & all that...

In the aftermath of the Battle of Hastings a series of rebellions broke out across a defeated and demoralised Anglo Saxon state that lay prostrate under the oppressive grip of William 'the Conqueror' and his barbaric Norman knights.

Uprisings in Kent, Chester, Durham and York, led by various disaffected English nobles, were savagely and mercilessly beaten down and quashed, with thouands upon thousands slaughtered or left to perish in the devastation and ethnic cleansing that came to be known as the

'Harrying of the North'.

In the Fenlands to the East one of history's mysterious shadowy-figures by name of Hereward 'the Outlaw' rose to the fore and, armed with a multitude of dissidents, peasants and refugees, stopped the most formidable fighting force of the time dead in its tracks, inflicting humiliating damage to their number.

After a resistance of what appears to have been at least eighteen months, the fortified monastery on the Island of Ely in the southern Fenlands eventually capitulated, through treachery, and Hereward is reported to have fled, disappearing into the mists of the wild fen and on into legend...

Image: Hereward fighting on Aldreth Causeway by A.A.Dixon

Pause to remember Hereward, Folk hero of the Fens and his brave army of adherents who stood valiantly against insurmountable odds in defence of their own land, their own institutions and their own folk on the Isle of Ely against William the Conqueror. When Ely fell England fell.

We will remember them.

27th October 1071 - 27th October 2024

'his actions at Aldreth passed into legend'

'To raise the profile of Hereward the Wake across his native Fenlands and beyond'

Hereward the Wake Spotted leaving Peterborough Cathedral 955 years later...

2nd June 1070-2025

On June 2, 1070, Hereward the Wake, the legendary Anglo-Saxon rebel, led a daring raid on Peterborough Abbey, a pivotal moment in his resistance against Norman rule.

Known as the “Folk Hero of the Fens,” Hereward’s actions 955 years ago cemented his legacy as a symbol of defiance following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Drawing from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (E manuscript) and The Peterborough Chronicle of Hugh Candidus, this account captures the drama and significance of that day.The raid was sparked by news that a Norman abbot, Turold of Fécamp, was set to replace Hereward’s uncle, Abbot Brand, at Peterborough Abbey, a wealthy monastery famed as the 'Golden Borough' for its treasures rivaling those of Glastonbury and Ely.

Hereward, joined by a Danish Viking force led by Earl Osborne and Bishop Christian of Aarhus, saw an opportunity to strike a blow against Norman encroachment. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that Hereward and his band, supported by local Fenlanders, stormed the abbey, seizing “gold and silver of such great value that no one man could reckon it to the other.”

Their stated aim was to protect the abbey’s relics and treasures from falling into Norman hands, though the loot was reportedly carried off to Denmark, a detail that underscores the complex motives of resistance and opportunism.

The Peterborough Chronicle of Hugh Candidus paints a darker picture, condemning the raiders for doing “all manner of evil things.” To the pious monks, the sacking was an outrage, and the Church later excommunicated Hereward and his allies, branding their actions as devilish.

Yet, to the Fenlanders, Hereward’s raid was a rallying cry. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle notes that “all the folk of the Fenlands came to them thinking they would win all the land,” reflecting the hope his rebellion inspired among those resisting Norman rule. After the raid, Hereward and his forces retreated to the Isle of Ely, invited by Abbot Thurstan, who feared a similar fate for his monastery. This move set the stage for Hereward’s later stand at Ely in 1071, where he became a beacon of Anglo-Saxon resistance.

While the raid shocked the religious establishment, it showcased Hereward’s boldness and strategic use of the Fens’ terrain, leveraging local support and alliances with Danish forces. This fleeting but fiery episode, as recorded in the chronicles, captures Hereward the Wake’s enduring image as a champion of the oppressed Anglo-Saxons.

Hereward's raid on Peterborough Abbey, exactly 955 years ago, remains a testament to his defiance against the Norman yoke, blending historical fact with the mythic aura of a

folk hero.

Visit Peterborough Cathedral and

find Hereward in there!