England's Darling
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A name given to Here- ward the Wake (fl. 1070). the patriot who held the Isle of Ely against William the Conqueror. After a blockade of three months, Hereward and some of his followers escaped.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “England's Darling” mean?
A name given to Here- ward the Wake (fl. 1070). the patriot who held the Isle of Ely against William the Conqueror. After a blockade of three months, Hereward and some of his followers escaped.
Is “England's Darling” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.