The Evening and the Morning

Acknowledgments

The Dark Ages left few traces. Not much was written down, there were few pictures, and nearly all buildings were made of wood that rotted away a thousand years ago or more. This leaves room for guesswork and disagreement, more so than with the preceding period of the Roman Empire or the subsequent Middle Ages. Consequently, while thanking my historical advisers, I must add that I have not always followed their advice.

That said, I have been greatly helped by John Blair, Dave Greenhalgh, Nicholas Higham, Karen Jolly, Kevin Leahy, Michael Lewis, Henrietta Leyser, Guy Points, and Levi Roach.

As usual my researches were assisted by Dan Starer of Research for Writers in New York City.

On my research trips I was grateful for the kind help of: Raymond Armbrister at Saint Mary’s Church, Seaham; Véronique Duboc at Rouen Cathedral; Fanny Garbe and Antoine Verney at the Bayeux Museum; Diane James at Holy Trinity Minster Church, Great Paxton; Ellen Marie Naess at the Viking Ship Museum; and Ourdia Siab, Michel Jeanne, and Jean-François Campario at Fécamp Abbey.

I particularly enjoyed meeting Jenny Ashby and the English Companions.

My editors were Brian Tart, Cherise Fisher, Jeremy Trevathan, Susan Opie, and Phyllis Grann.

Family and friends who commented on drafts of the book included John Clare, Barbara Follett, Marie-Claire Follett, Chris Manners, Charlotte Quelch, Jann Turner, and Kim Turner.