It was Kingsley 's last historical novel , and was instrumental in elevating Hereward into an English folk - hero .
It tells the story of Hereward , a historical Anglo - Saxon figure who led resistance against the Normans from a base in Ely surrounded by fen land .
It was Kingsley 's last historical novel , and was instrumental in elevating figure into an English folk - hero .
It tells the story of Hereward , a historical Anglo - Saxon figure who led resistance against the Normans from a base in Ely surrounded by fen land .