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600 BCE
The Celts
The first languages in the British Isles are the Celtic ones like Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. These people settled the British Isles about
600 BC. That is more than 2500 years ago! The words of Celtic: Beak, bog, brill, clan,... -
55 BCE
The Romans
In 55BC, there was an invasion by the Romans, who spoke Latin.
They gave Latin names to places and some of these names are still used today. The words of Romans: censor, century,... -
450
The Anglo-Saxons
The first people who spoke English
arrived in England in about the year 450.
These people were the Anglo-Saxons
and their language was Old English. The words of Anglo-saxons: Hors, hen,... -
536
The Jutes
The Jutes were a Germanic people, but not just any one, but one of the most powerful in the Iron Age (536). It is believed that they were originally from the southern area of Jutland, in present-day Denmark. The words of Jutes: Grok, apricity,... -
800
The Vikings
From about 800, the Vikings started to invade Britain.
The Vikings came from countries like Denmark and
Norway and spoke a language that developed
into Norwegian and Danish The words of the Vikings: invade, develop,... -
1066
The Normans
In 1066, the Normans invaded England from Normandy in France.
They spoke an earlier version of French and this became the language of prestige in England. The words of Normans: butler, walsh,...