Hoo = spur of a hill (Anglo Saxon)
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| Replica of helmet found at Sutton Hoo The original is in The British Museum |
Back in the nineteen thirties, Edith Pretty would often sit in the drawing room of her Edwardian mansion - Tranmer House. To the north west was the Suffolk market town of Woodbridge - just across the estuary of The River Deben but on the landward side of her property, beyond the woods Edith Pretty could see some curious hummocks. She often wondered about these mounds and in 1938 her curiosity finally got the better of her.
She contacted Suffolk Museum Services in Ipswich and before very long she employed the services of a local self-taught archaeologist - Basil Brown. Investigating the hummocks in 1939, Brown unearthed something amazing - an entire Viking ship and within it various Anglo Saxon artefacts connected with a royal burial. Who warranted such a burial? Perhaps it was an early Anglo Saxon king - Rædwald or his son Eorpwald . In the seventh century they ruled this part of England.
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| Burial Mound 2 at Sutton Hoo |
What an endeavour it must have been to drag that heavy ship up from the river estuary!
The Anglo Saxons began to arrive in England soon after the Romans left our shores early in the fifth century. Gradually, they filled the void, integrating with local people. Their customs were adopted - even their language. The eastern part of our island became The Land of the Angles - Angleland or England.
Unlike the Romans those early Anglo Saxon colonisers left little of physical substance behind so the discoveries at Sutton Hoo were very special. They taught historians so much more about our Anglo Saxon ancestors - how they lived, what they valued, their culture and their craftsmanship. The echoes of their presence remain to this day. For example, my real surname and the name of the village where I was born are both Anglo Saxon in origin.
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| Giant version of the helmet above the visitor centre entrance |
Fascinating! I feel like I have hitchhiked into your holiday...I would love to do some ferreting around the Museum and stand on Sutton Hoo mound 2..enjoying the above ground view
ReplyDeleteWell I am glad you enjoyed this little diversion Elle. Of course the history of England is also the history of very many Australians with English roots.
DeleteSuper! You made it. Did you see the sheep? I liked the sheep.
ReplyDeleteJust to add a little very recent information to your post, just across the river at Woodbridge, they are beginning the huge job of building a reproduction of the Sutton Hoo ship... http://suttonhoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Saxon58.pdf
I didn't know that Kate. We went into Woodbridge too. I didn't see any sheep at Sutton Hoo but I did see a chicken salad sandwich and a mug of tea. They were heading directly for my big mush!
DeleteYum.
DeleteWas that the place Bill Bryson wrote about in his book? An amazing discovery.
ReplyDeleteIt is a long time since I read Notes from a Small Island... but I believe you are right Sue.
DeleteFor a small island, your country is just filled with fascinating history. I like the thought of a lady sitting in her Edwardian mansion in the 1930s, burning with curiosity about what lay under her land. How thrilling the excavation must have been!
ReplyDeleteShe didn't know it then but that decision ensured that she now has an important footnote in history. She is not forgotten.
DeleteI'm stuck on the buried ship. It seems an extreme thing to do although not as extreme as, say the pyramids or taj mahal.
ReplyDeleteI guess the Anglo Saxons were undemonstrative even then!
There are also a couple of examples of them burying ships in Sweden too. It seemed the thing to do with a royal burial.
DeleteI LOVE the Sutton Hoo hoard...although I think the word "hoard" has gone out of style. I remember when it was displayed in the British Museum in the 1970s, when it was called the Sutton Hoo Hoard and I almost could not believe my eyes, the stuff was so magical. Then I went to see it again in 2016 and the museum had put it in a spiffy new display full of light and air that does it justice and it's not called a "hoard" any more -- and the highlight is that fantastic helmet. It's a thrilling work of art, and delights me in a way that Monet's water lilies do not (to use the world's most beloved paintings for comparison).
ReplyDeleteThe intricacy of Anglo Saxon decoration and metalwork was sometimes astonishing and the Sutton Hoo HOARD underscores that fact considerably. A HOARD is like something that pirates gather from passing galleons.
DeleteWow. Amazing! But I have to say- if I was just one tenth crazier I would say...ALIENS!
ReplyDeleteI know the truth is even stranger but those are some alien looking helmets.
I have heard that some Americans have wacky ideas Ms Moon. Bob Woodward is not amongst them.
DeleteOh my goodness! It is not just Americans! Trust me. The one alien/human hybrid I ever saw was in Mexico. And she was. Again- trust me.
DeleteMay Bob Woodward save our country yet again. That's a lot to ask but if that's his purpose on earth, then god help him.
This reminds me that I'm reading Ivanhoe. The story would make more sense if I knew more of the history and I will know more of the English history after I finish the story!
ReplyDeleteYou might even want to get yourself a horse, a lance and a suit of armour Red.
DeleteThose Sutton Hoo relics at the British Museum are truly amazing.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is a shame that they are not back where they belong - at Sutton Hoo itself. However, I must admit that I have not seen the British Museum presentation.
DeleteHow fascinating that an entire Viking ship was uncovered! Are there photos of the unearthing process? I've always thought archaeology was a most interesting field and your country is so full of much to be discovered!
ReplyDeleteYes Bonnie. There are black and white photos of the discovery. And at The British Museum in London many of the artefacts found at Sutton Hoo are on permanent display.
DeleteAha! So your surname isn't "Pudding", after all. The truth will always out...your surname is, in fact, "Hafrakex" (Viking for Oat Biscuit)!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are like Miss Marple!
DeleteHoo = spur = ?? I'm going to have to look up spur.
ReplyDeleteOther than that - fascinating. I can only imagine how the people felt who were digging it up and finding such treasure.
Sorry - I never thought that "spur" might also cause confusion.
DeleteIt is a fascinating place, when we went a few years ago, it was a bitterly cold winter, and our American friends pottered everywhere ;)
ReplyDeleteThe museum/exhibition hall is excellent. Just the right balance.
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