"The Normans came over, lance in hand, burning and trampling down every thing before them, and cutting off the Saxon dynasty and the Saxon nobles at the edge of the sword; but the right of petition remained untouched"

Caleb Cushing’s evocative statement contrasts the violence of conquest with the resilience of certain traditions. The Normans, with their “lance in hand", signal an image of a ruthless military invasion, emphasizing the destructive force they brought to the English landscape during the Norman Conquest of 1066. Their campaign is portrayed as relentless, “burning and trampling down every thing before them", suggesting not just the defeat of armies, but the scorched-earth tactics that overturned livelihoods, property, and the existing Saxon social order. The deliberate use of “cutting off the Saxon dynasty and the Saxon nobles at the edge of the sword” further illustrates a decisive and brutal replacement of one ruling elite by another, highlighting the erasure of established power structures through violence.

Amidst this narrative of upheaval and the abrupt end of Saxon rule, Cushing points to something remarkable: “but the right of petition remained untouched.” Despite conquest’s chaos and the transfer of authority from Saxon to Norman hands, certain foundational liberties endured. The right of petition refers to the enduring principle whereby subjects could appeal to the sovereign or governing authority for redress of grievances. Its survival implies a deep-rooted custom, valued enough to transcend dynastic change and foreign imposition. Cushing implies that while conquest can alter political landscapes, destroy ruling classes, and even attempt cultural erasure, some civic rights are so ingrained within a society’s collective conscience that they persist, unbroken and unyielding.

This contrast serves as a testament to the resilience of fundamental freedoms. The passage suggests that the right to petition, as a symbol of the people’s voice against authority, was embedded too deeply in the societal fabric to be destroyed, even by victorious conquerors. Cushing thus celebrates the idea that the essence of liberty can withstand the most violent disruptions of history, surviving across generations and rulers.