What poem has achieved national epic status in England?

Oral tradition was very strong in early English culture and most literary works were written to be performed. Epic poems were very popular, and some, including Beowulf, have survived to the present day. Beowulf is the most famous work in Old English, and has achieved national epic status in England according to the National Endowment For The Humanities, despite the story being set in Scandinavia. Beowulf is considered the national epic of England because it is the first work to be written in English. The only surviving manuscript is the Nowell Codex, the precise date of which is debated, but most estimates place it close to the year 1000. Beowulf is the conventional title, and its composition is dated between the 8th and the early 11th century.