Letters from readers challenge the notion that English nation origins lie solely in pre-1066 Anglo-Saxon culture, as suggested by Rev Dr John Caperon. Rev Dr Richard Cleaves argues that respect is due to the Danelaw and Vikings, Celts of the fifth to seventh centuries, Roman occupiers from continental Europe, Middle East, and north Africa, and iron-age Celts. He points to Celtic language vestiges in English place names from Dover to Cornwall and Cumbria, and the Old North (Yr Hen Ogledd) as described by Cymry. He encourages delight in English hybridity.
George Nicholson adds that while details of Harold's death in the Bayeux tapestry may be uncertain, his defeat by Norman wisdom is beyond question.
