Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service (SCCAS) are planning a community archaeology project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to investigate the archaeology of the Deben valley. Here is the story so far…
The presence of an Anglo-Saxon royal settlement in the parish of Rendlesham, Suffolk was first recorded by The Venerable Bede, a Northumbrian monk writing in the 8th century AD. In his Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum Bede refers to a vicus regius (royal settlement) at Rendlesham where Aethelwold, King of the East Angles attended the baptism of Swithelm, king of the East Saxons in the 7th century.
However, the exact location of this royal settlement has eluded historians and archaeologists for centuries, until recently…
Since 2008, SCCAS has been investigating a site at Rendlesham, initially due to a report by a local landowner of illegal metal detecting on his field. The investigations have involved a systematic metal detecting survey, by four responsible local metal detector users, and to date over 5,000 objects dating to all historical periods have been recovered and recorded from the plough soil. A high proportion of these artefacts, more than 1,000, have been dated to the 5th-8th century. Many of the high-quality objects are on display at Ipswich Museum.
(photo courtesy of Rendlesham Revealed)
SCCAS have also carried out geophysical, topographical and geochemical survey and aerial photo plotting to help build up a picture of what might be buried beneath the ground. In 2014, targeted small-scale excavation was also conducted to test the survey results. This work was made possible thanks to generous contributions from Historic England, The Sutton Hoo Society, The Society of Antiquaries, The Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, the Royal Archaeological Institute, the Society for Medieval Archaeology and the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
Local volunteers, including members of the Suffolk Archaeological Field Group (SAFG), worked alongside SCCAS, Professor Chris Scull (University College London and University of Cardiff) and a local archaeological unit Suffolk Archaeology CIC during the excavation. Together we unearthed evidence of an Iron Age oval enclosure, medieval green-edge settlement, post-medieval boundary ditches, but most importantly Anglo-Saxon settlement features and part of an associated cemetery.
Evidence shows that Anglo-Saxon activity spreads over a 50-hectare area and includes burials, settlement and metal working workshops. The artefact evidence especially indicates the presence of the highest levels of society, with objects revealing links to Sutton Hoo and further afield.
(photo courtesy of Rendlesham Revealed)
The site at Rendlesham is now recognised as the largest and wealthiest settlement of Anglo-Saxon (5th-8th century) date, known in England. It is identified as a royal estate centre; a place where the East Anglian kings would have stayed, feasted their followers, administered justice, and collected dues and tribute.
But…the work doesn’t stop there!
Research continues. The inter-disciplinary research project ‘Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia AD 400-800’ is integrating the evidence from this past fieldwork with the study of place-names, landscape history, numismatics and materials science to analyse and characterise Rendlesham, setting it in its wider geographical context of East Anglia, Eastern England and Scandinavia.
What is next? A new community archaeology project!
This internationally significant archaeology buried beneath our feet at Rendlesham was discovered by chance, so what else might be hidden in the Deben valley yet to be found?
A community archaeology project is now being developed by SCCAS to answer this question. Rendlesham Revealed: Anglo-Saxon Life in South-East Suffolk will not only further investigate the site at Rendlesham but will also identify and explore lesser known sites in the Deben valley.
With support from local and national partners we aim to explore this archaeologically-rich landscape by engaging local communities in on-site survey, excavation and conservation, as well as through experimental archaeology, workshops and exhibitions. Together we will connect the unique stories of Rendlesham and Sutton Hoo, putting these royal sites into the context of the wider Anglo-Saxon communities of which they were part.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund (previously known as the Heritage Lottery Fund) has awarded SCCAS a grant for a 1-year development phase to help us plan these community activities, undertake public consultation and try out some of the geophysical survey and fieldwalking training sessions with local volunteers.
We had fun (despite the freezing weather) at the first trial training session in January 2019, where geophysical survey was undertaken at Rendlesham. Local volunteers were trained by the University of Bradford with support from experienced members of the SAFG. We’re out again in April with Tom Williamson from University of East Anglia and Rendlesham Primary School to train their Year 5 pupils how to field walk.
Following a (hopefully successful) second round application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a further £500,000 this August, we hope to run the project from 2020-2023, with support from local partners including CBA East. So, look out for updates on our website and social media to find out how you could get involved.
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More information about Rendlesham Revealed can be found here: https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/rendleshamrevealed
More Information about past investigations at Rendlesham can be found here: https://heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/past-investigations-at-rendlesham
More information about the Lordship and Landscape in East Anglia project can be found here: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/research/directory/lordship-landscape-east-anglia
Blog written by Alice Saunders, Project Delivery Officer for Rendlesham Revealed
