Lay of Havelok the Dane

Havelok is the second oldest surviving romance written in English. It is often categorized in the so-called Matter of Britain, which tell the story of English heroes and history. It is believed to have been composed somewhere between 1295-1310. The romance survives in one imperfect version, as well some fragments. A copy of the 3001 line poem is available to view in Grimsby Public Library. The story of Havelok has had a rich textual life and surely must have held great fascination for readers of many nationalities up until the 20th century. It is a story that unites the local interest of the founding of Grimsby in Lincolnshire to a cosmopolitan acknowledgment of the complex national identity of England in the Middle Ages, bringing together Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Danish and British influences.