4. “The Father of English History”
Saint Bede is known as The Father of English History mainly because of his work, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, completed in 731, and from which this extract is taken. A talented linguist, skilled in Greek and Latin, Bede made the writings of the early church more accessible to Anglo-Saxons of his time. This extract from his most famous work talks about the geography of the British Isles and introduces us to the first inhabitants of Britain, who would go on to give us the English language as we know it today.