Rise & Fall of Paganism in the U.K.
Paganism in the UK likely started with the Celts, who arrived around 800 BCE and practiced a polytheistic religion centered on nature and fertility, led by druids. During the Roman occupation from 43 CE to 410 CE, their beliefs mixed with Roman religion, creating a syncretic form. After the Romans left, the Angles and Saxons brought their own paganism in the 5th century, featuring gods like Woden and Thunor, with distinct sacred sites and burial practices.
Christianity's spread began in earnest in 597 CE with Augustine's mission to Kent, converting King Aethelberht. By the late 7th century, most of England was Christian, with Wales, Scotland, and Ireland adopting it earlier from the 5th century. The Viking invasions in the 9th and 10th centuries briefly reintroduced paganism, but they too converted. By the 11th century, paganism was largely extinct, though lots of elements persisted in folklore.
Let’s look under the carpet and see what was swept away…
