The Story of Sutton Hoo

One that links Mrs Edith Pretty, a Suffolk landowner, to an Anglo Saxon warrior King, thought to be Raedwald, a powerful Anglo Saxon King.

It is about one of the most influential and important archaeological discoveries ever found in Britain.  It links two periods of our country’s turbulent history. One ends mysteriously 1,400 years ago during Anglo Saxon times, when there were vicious wars between overlords, warriors and Kings.  The other was on the eve of the Second World War in 1939, a different, but another violent time.

The 20^th century story tells of a Mrs Edith Pretty who owed some land in Suffolk that included some strange shapes and grassy mounds.  One summers evening in 1939, Edith and a friend claimed they saw ghostly warriors fighting above these mounds. So, she asked an archaeologist, Charles Phillips, to help excavate the mounds.

Ghost Ship

When Charles Phillips opened up Mound 1, he simply swore‘ !!! Godfathers’, as the importance of what he had discovered hit him. It was as if they had won the jackpot and meant that Phillips continued to mutter all through that historical day ‘Oh dear Oh dear’.

Buried in the acidic soil was a huge ancient wooden ocean going ship.  It had been reduced, through time, to shadowy shapes in the soil structure, divided by metal ship rivets, still held in position by the soil. This ship was similar in size and shape to the Longships used by the Vikings a few hundred years later. The discovery was covered in national newspapers and hailed as one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made in Britain.

The Treasure

Buried in this ship was an Anglo Saxon warrior King with all his wealth, gold, silver, ornate swords, armour, and fragments of fine cloths from Syria.  There was also a North African bowl, along with his horses and food, all were buried with him for his journey to the Pagan afterlife.

Unfortunately, the dead king’s body was missing. All that remained of the body was a ghostly chemical trace imprinted in the soil, as the bones themselves and everything else eroded into nothing.

So, who was he?

We don’t know for sure, and will probably never really know for certain.  However, many historians and scholars believe he was Raedwald, a powerful Anglo Saxon King. Readwald is mentioned in the ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English People’ written 300 years after the Anglo Saxons by a monk called Bede. Little is known about Raedwald himself other than his appearances in Bede’s work. The Anglo-Saxon period as a whole is difficult to research, as the Saxons themselves were illiterate. Their history was oral and handed down through story and song, therefore much was lost which is why this discovery was so important.

Treasure Trove.

Many items were recovered from the burial mounds at Sutton Hoo but it is the items from Mound 1 that are the most lavish. These included a ceremonial helmet; a majestic pattern welded sword, a huge shield. Jewellery such as broaches and shoulder clasps. Two buckets made from toxic Yew wood. Tableware such as plates and spoons. Fragments of rich cloth’s that only survived where they were in contact with or wrapped around metal objects, these were clothes such as cloaks, wall hangings and coverlets.

However there was a greater  Treasure.

The real treasure of Sutton Hoo was that we learnt so much more about this period of our history. It meant that we discovered so much about a time archaeologists and historians knew so little.   These discoveries have helped us develop a picture of life in England over 1700 years ago.

That is why this treasure is worth so much more than just gold or silver.

The Saxon King – The Story of Sutton Hoo –  the Musical

Is a musicals about the discovery of the Sutton Hoo treasure that then takes you back to those times, a great way for uypur children to live those times.  Simply click on The Saxon King – The Story of Sutton Hoo  where you can download the show immediately and also read two pages of script and get a feel of the music.

Isn’t history fun?

Ten questions to discuss:

1. Who was Mrs. Edith Pretty and what role did she play in the discovery at Sutton Hoo?
2. Describe the significance of the land owned by Mrs. Edith Pretty in Suffolk.
3. What event in 1939 prompted Mrs. Pretty to seek help from an archaeologist?
4. What did archaeologist Charles Phillips discover when he excavated Mound 1 at Sutton Hoo?
5. Discuss the significance of the discovery of the ship buried at Sutton Hoo.
6. What items were found buried alongside the Anglo-Saxon warrior King in Mound 1?
7. Why is the identity of the Anglo-Saxon warrior King believed to be Raedwald?
8. How did the discovery at Sutton Hoo contribute to our understanding of the Anglo-Saxon period?
9. Apart from gold and silver, what other valuable artifacts were recovered from Sutton Hoo?
10. In your opinion, what makes the Sutton Hoo discovery so significant beyond its material treasures?

Some interesting web sites linked to this: