The chronicles (chronicle of Hugh Candidus, Peterborough Chronicle) offer us only a skeletal picture of Hereward the Wake. We can supplement this picture from the 'Life of Hereward' written in the early 12th century on the basis of oral tales circulating in East Anglia - tales which were still popular among the peasants long after the events. The Domesday Book suggests that Hereward was, before the Conquest, a thegn with lands in Lincolnshire. He rises to prominence in 1070 when he leads a spectacular raid on Peterborough Abbey, allegedly to save the monastery's treasures. He burns part of the monastery and evades Norman forces because of good local knowledge of the fenlands. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is soon speaking of Hereward and his gang as if they are well-known features of East Anglian politics and the implication is that they are conducting hit-and-run raids. Through 1071, Hereward and some of the remaining Anglo-Saxon aristocracy base themselves in Ely in order to hold out against William the Conqueror's forces, the isle offers a perfect defensive location as the maze of waterways which constitute the fens make it very difficult to strike at the rebels. Equally, the rebels themselves can take fish and fowl from the watercourses, making it possible for them to withstand a very protracted siege. William responds by blockading the principal rivers and attempting to force a passage across a causeway constructed in the vicinity of Aldreth. These strategies fail - there are florid accounts in the 'Life of Hereward' of skeletons, many years later, still trapped in the marshes still in their rusting armour. Ultimately Hereward is betrayed by the monks of Ely. Many of his supporters fall into the King's hands but he slips away through the fens and out of the historical record and into legend.

What were Hereward's motives? He was probably dispossessed in aftermath of Norman Conquest. The 'Life of Hereward' says his younger brother had been killed by the Normans as they took possession of the family lands and that Hereward in turn killed the men responsible. This launches his outlaw career.

Why do men support Hereward? The Ely rebellion is one rising among many. Although the Anglo-Saxon regime has been decapitated at Hastings with the death of Harold and many of his supporters, regional risings persist, especially in the north, west country and East Anglia. There is also a Scandinavian dimension here - the 1069-71 disorder in the Fens initially had support from a Scandinavian fleet. Individuals are drawn to Hereward because Norman strategies of dispossession (in order to plant Norman knights on the land) helped to create a class of men with little to lose by rebelling.

What strategies were use to deal with him? Bid to bottle him up in Ely e.g through the blockade. Direct assault: construction of causeway to attack Ely. the 'Life of Hereward' says that in his desperation William the Conqueror even engaged a witch to hurl incantations at the isle. Eventually, it seems that William puts pressure on his supporters (the monks of Ely). More generally, William is securing England and preventing these kinds of risings by allocating land to his great men with obligations to supply him with troops, building castles (as bases, strong-points and surveillance centres), instituting new laws (especially the 'murdrum' fine which punished a whole community with a financial penalty if a Norman was killed and the culprit could not be found.

Betrayal by the Ely monks? The 'Life of Hereward' claims that after failing to take the isle by direct assault, William seized the abbey lands and parcelled them out among his followers. Leading monks then opened negotiations with the King, secretly agreeing to yield up the monastery.

The myth. Hereward is able to slip in and out of the King's camp outside Ely almost at will (on one occasion disguised as a potter). He uses tricks such as reversing shoes on his horse to confuse pursuers. He has supernatural help - appeals to the Ely saints and guided through the fens at night on one occasion by a spectral wolf and magical lights (like willo-the-wisps) which cling to the lances of his men. Many different legends circulate about his eventual end including one in which he is reconciled to the Normans and allowed to live in honour on his ancestral lands.

What about the afterlife of Hereward? Stories are still circulating in the early 12th century which suggests continued hostility to Normans in some quarters. There are also other legends about native heroes which suggest the same such as Edric the Wild in the Welsh borders; Waltheof of Crowland who was executed in 1075 and became the focus of a cult when his remains were thought to work miracles.