Southwark is a Borough of South-East London, with a history almost as long as that of the City of London itself. It is commonly referred to as “London’s first suburb.”
As the landing point of Roman London bridge, it had an obvious importance in Roman times – indeed, at Tabard Street in Southwark in 2004, a plaque was discovered with the earliest reference to “London” from the Roman period on it. However, Southwark probably wasn’t considered as a distinct entity from Roman Londinium during this era – rather, it was simply Londinium’s southern extremity. Evidence from the Roman period suggests Southwark was burned to the ground during Boudicca’s revolt in 61 AD.
After Roman withdrawal from Britian, Southwark fell into ruin and London Bridge collapsed. The Anglo-Saxon’s later built their own city centred around modern Covent Garden. However, Southwark was re-established in 886 as a “burh” by Alfred the Great, as part of a general re-fortification of London and Britain following protracted warfare with Viking invaders. It was such a sturdy stronghold that it managed to repel the army of William the Conqueror in 1066, although he then burned the outlying parts of Southwark, marched upstream and entered London from the west. As well as being a fortress – linked, from at least 1000 (possibly earlier), to the City of London by a fortified bridge – it was also a market town, and it quickly began to thrive.
Documentary and archaeological evidence – particularly from the Domesday Book – suggests that by the Saxo-Norman period, Southwark had developed a unique identity and autonomy. It has no specific overlord, and appeared to be populated largely by free – rather than indentured – men, who plied independent trades (fishing among them) and dealt with the Domesday surveryors as a community. The modern Southwark road network began to be established in this period, as did many of Southwark’s churches, and buildings such as Winchester Palace – part of which still stands near the medieval priory which today has become Southwark Cathedral.
