Anglo-Saxon society was divided into three main social classes: the nobility, the freemen, and the slaves. Domestic slaves were at the bottom of the social hierarchy and had few rights. They could be beaten, sold, or even killed by their owners. However, they were not considered to be property, and could sometimes gain their freedom by paying their owner a sum of money or by serving them for a period of time.
The number of domestic slaves in Anglo-Saxon England is not known, but it is thought to have been relatively small. However, they were an important part of the economy, and their labor helped to support the upper classes.