We left our old Barlickers in 100BC comfortably settled with a belief system which we now call Pagan. Before we go on to look at the advent of Christianity I want to mention something that has puzzled me for years. Since at least 1000BC there had been another focus of religion in the Near East, Jehovah, and this practice became known as Judaism. Given that we know there were well-established trading links with the Mediterranean and that trade routes spread culture, why is it that I have never found any mention of the Pagans adopting this new deity? Neither they or the Romans took any interest. If anyone can enlighten me I'd be grateful.
As early as 100AD news of a cult based on a man called Jesus was spreading across the ancient world. We know how extensive trade was and that news travelled with the merchants and there is little doubt that this news reached the shores of England and Ireland quite early. Some believe that the link between us and Brittany was one of the first conduits for this. The 6th century cleric Gildas states that Christianity entered Britain during the reign of Emperor Tiberius who died in AD37. There is no firm proof of this and it seems surprisingly early. There is reasonably firm evidence that in 60AD Glastonbury was populated by refugees from Armorica (present day Brittany). They had been driven out by the Roman invasion of Gaul. They lived on two small crannogs. (artificial islands) at Glastonbury which was a seaport on the Severn estuary and, if Christianity was trade-borne, this would be an ideal candidate for entry. William of Malmsbury, writing in 1126AD was convinced that Glastonbury was the first church in England and established late in the 1st century. Writing in about 200AD Tertullian boasted that Christianity had spread beyond the bounds of the Roman Empire.
Bear in mind that this early evidence is often written hundreds of years after the event and is definitely not impartial, these clerics had an axe to grind, the claim to the first conversions to Christianity. In this respect we are in the same position as our old Barlickers, we are hearing whispers and rumours carried on the trade routes but have no certainties. The first Christian martyr in England was St Alban who was beheaded for converting somewhere between 200 and 300. Even if we had no literary sources, archaeology would show that after 300AD a new religion became established in Britain and by 1400 had spread all over Europe. The first 'official' phase of Christianity was when Constantine was converted in 312AD and established Christianity as the Roman Imperial religion. From 312 to 331 all religions were tolerated. At the Council of Arles in 314 three of the signatories were English bishops.
So, we can be fairly certain that our old Barlickers knew something of Christianity by the end of the 6th century. The interesting question is what did they do about it?
St Alban's Cathedral
