Bede, a monk at the Northumbrianmonastery of Jarrow/Wearmouth in theearly eighth century, wrote A History ofthe English Church & People. There henoted that Swithelm, king of the EastSaxons, was baptised at the royalsettlement of Rendlesham. This musthave happened between ad655 and 664. Swithelm, the son of Seaxbald, was

successor to Sigeberht. He was baptisedby Cedd in East Anglia [OrientaliumAnglorum], in the royal village [vicusregius] called Rendlesham[Rendlaesham], that is, the residence ofRendil. King Aethelwold of East Anglia,the brother of King Anna, the previousking of the East Angles, was his sponsor.(Colgrave & Mynors’ translation fromthe Latin)Today Rendlesham is a modern

village set apart from its isolatedmedieval church close to the riverDeben in Suffolk. Thanks to Bede’smention there has long been interest inthe site as a possible Anglo-Saxon royalsettlement – interest which intensifiedafter 1939, with the discovery of theSutton Hoo ship burial four miles(6.5km) down river to the south-west. Cremation burials were found there

in the late 18th and early 19th centuries,but fieldwork in the 1940s, by Basil

Brown and Rupert Bruce-Mitford –excavators at Sutton Hoo – failed tolocate the cemetery or any other Anglo-Saxon evidence. A scatter of early andmiddle Anglo-Saxon pottery was foundin 1982, in fields west and north of thechurch; small-scale excavationundertaken before a barn was builtnearby revealed a ditched trackway ofthe same date, as well as later medievalfeatures. There was thus archaeologicalevidence for an Anglo-Saxon settlementat Rendlesham – but nothing to indicatehigh status. This changed in 2008. The

landowner, Sir Michael Bunbury, wroteto a local historian, concerned aboutillegal metal detectorists looting hisfields at night. He wanted to know whatcould be done about it? His letter waspassed to the Conservation Team atSuffolk County Council ArchaeologicalService (sccas), which put together apilot survey to see what was being taken.Some of the looted finds were in fieldsnot surveyed in 1982, expanding the areaof archaeological interest. The Archaeological Service looked

for objects in the ploughsoil withsystematic metal-detecting, and fordeeper intact evidence withmagnetometry. They also reviewed

East Anglian kings of the earlyseventh century AD were

buried with splendour at thefamous Sutton Hoo cemetery.But where did they, and theirfamilies and supporters, live?Faye Minter, Jude Plouviez

and Chris Scull think they havefound the answer to this

old question

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Wherekings lived

Rendlesham rediscovered

Above: Rendlesham is in the Deben valley upriver from Sutton Hoo

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SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL (3)

documents and aerial photographs. Itsoon became clear that there weresignificant Anglo-Saxon artefacts over awide area. The survey team noticed thatfootprints and holes appeared afterploughing in these same fields overnight– people were stealing importantarchaeological and historical evidenceeven as the archaeologists worked.

sccas therefore set up a full project tostudy the archaeology of Rendlesham,with two aims: to understand humansettlement and activity in its landscapesetting, and, through better knowledgeof the archaeological resource, todevelop ways of protecting it here and atother similar sites.

Total field surveyThe first step was to establish the extentand density of the artefact scatter.Robert Atfield, Roy Damant, TerryMarsh and Alan Smith – the same fourskilled metal detectorists whoundertook the initial survey – workedvoluntarily in an agreement with thelandowner, systematically detecting all of the estate to give a full picture offinds of all periods. sccas providedproject management and infrastructure,including identifying and recording all finds. The survey area of 160ha (400 acres)

forms a transect 2.25km north-southalong the east bank of the river Deben,and 1.25km east-west across the grain ofthe landscape from valley bottom tointerfluve. This is enough to be sure thatpatterns of concentration, presence andabsence of archaeological material aregenuine, and to examine how pastactivity changed with terrain. Thesurvey was mostly undertaken inautumn and winter, in fields free ofstubble or crops. The metal-detectingteam has spent about 170 man-days on the survey every year for the past five years.The project for complete coverage,

with all fields being walked at least once– most have been walked in more thanone direction and in differentconditions to enhance recovery. Thedetectorists recorded date, transectdirection and hours walked, and groundand weather conditions, so that rates ofrecovery and concentrations of materialcan be compared and calibratedbetween fields. As well as metalwork,they collected materials such as potteryand worked flint, dropped in the soil orploughed up from buried archaeological

Right: All Anglo-Saxon finds from thesurvey area, outlinedin black

Above: RobertAtfield plotting afind with hand-heldGPS during thedetecting survey

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features. Mostly they recovered brokenfragments discarded as rubbish – just asmuch a part of the story as rarer findssuch as coins. The precise location of every find

was recorded using a hand-held gpsdevice. All finds were then passed tosccas for identification, cataloguingand visual recording. The data are held

on a Microsoft Access database,integrated with other survey data in aproject gis for ease of handling andanalysis. The density and distributionsof different find types, for example, canbe mapped easily.To date 3,563 finds have been

recorded, representing activity fromprehistory to the 21st century. Although

there are shifts in the concentrations ofmaterial over time, the overall patternpoints to Rendlesham as a favouredlocation for settlement and farmingfrom the late iron age (100bc) if notearlier, with finds clustering on themore fertile soils between 10m and 30mabove sea level. Magnetometry over46ha (110 acres), where theconcentration of finds is most dense,confirms a complex palimpsest ofarchaeological features from the bronzeage to post-medieval. Trial excavationsin autumn 2013 confirmed that some ofthese are Anglo-Saxon sunken huts andother settlement elements.

Anglo-Saxon settlementThe proportion of Anglo-Saxon finds isunusually high, indicating a rich andimportant community. Though activitycontinued between the fifth and 11thcenturies, most of these finds date tothe sixth to eighth. At this time thesettlement covered an area of up to 50ha(125 acres). Within this were varyingconcentrations, but the area is as large asthe eighth century emporium atIpswich, and much larger than any otherknown contemporary rural settlement. There is direct evidence for a range of

activities and a socially diversepopulation. Skilled craft workers weremaking dress fittings, jewellery andother items at Rendlesham in the latesixth and seventh centuries. Theevidence for this comes from metalfinds that represent different stages ofmanufacture. These include scrap (gold,silver and copper alloy) from old itemsdue to be melted down; lead modelsused in making moulds for casting metal items; globules and otherfragments spilled during melting andcasting; casting sprues cut from objectsafter they had been released frommoulds; and items which had beendiscarded unfinished after casting –these can be recognised because theywere thrown away before the castingflash was removed. Most metalworking finds came from

a single area, perhaps indicating thelocation of one or more workshops.Completed items of the same type asunfinished pieces have been found,indicating that some at least of thematerial made at Rendlesham was made for and used by the people wholived there. Both continental and Anglo-Saxon

gold coins and silver pennies have been

Left: Metaldetecting, lookingacross the Debenvalley

Left: Screenshot of a catalogue entry

Above: Roy Damantexcavating anAnglo-Saxon sunkenhut in 2013

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SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL (5)

found at Rendlesham. There are alsoweights, used to check gold coins and toweigh bullion for currency. Thedistribution of finds tells us that theseare not from hoards, but were lost whencoins changed hands during payments.So we know that high-value currencytransactions were taking place atRendlesham from at least the beginningof the seventh century.No coins were minted in Anglo-

Saxon England before then. Instead,gold and silver valued by weight wereused as currency, and gold coins fromthe continent acquired as raw materialfor smiths and for their bullion value.The first Anglo-Saxon coins were goldshillings. Towards the end of theseventh century these were replaced bysilver pennies (also known as sceattas).Minted in England and on thecontinent, these were an internationaltrading currency.Coin may have changed hands at

Rendlesham in the payment of taxes orfines, or as gifts by a lord or king to hisfollowers for services rendered and tosecure future loyalty; this may explainmuch of the earlier gold coinage. Silvercoinage is more likely to have been usedin commercial transactions, and itseems likely that Rendlesham was a sitefor markets or fairs. Foreign traders in expensive and luxury goods would have been attracted to a high-levelsettlement when the king and hisretainers were in residence, and where the important folk of thekingdom might gather for councils and assemblies. Further evidence for trade and

exchange at Rendlesham includesmounts from hanging bowls, whichwere acquired from north and westBritain, and two fragments from thefoot-rings of Coptic bowls made inthe eastern Mediterranean. Contacts

with Europe are seen in continentalbrooch types as well as by importedcoins of the sixth and seventh centuries. The pattern of coin loss shows that

commercial activity at Rendleshamdeclined in the early eighth century, atexactly the time that the port at Ipswichexpanded to become a major centre formanufacture and international trade.Rendlesham probably remained animportant administrative centre andresidence, but burgeoning trade wasincreasingly handled through Ipswich.

Links to Sutton HooThe discovery of high-qualitymetalwork and jewellery indicates thatRendlesham was an elite residence.Items such as a sword pyramid mountand a bead made in gold-and-garnet, anda gold pin, were owned, worn and lost bymembers of the highest aristocracy orroyal kindred. Such ostentatiousjewellery in precious materials was astatement of rank and wealth. We seehere evidence of the use in life of thesort of possessions that were buriedwith the dead at Sutton Hoo.This social elite would have been

supported by a large population of slavesand servants, farmers, craft specialists,administrators and retainers. Thediversity of skills, roles and socialpositions among this permanentpopulation at Rendlesham is reflectedin the range of personal items. Simplepins and buckles made of copper alloy

are the everyday equivalents ofaristocratic jewellery. Accommodating the king and his

household would have required a lot offood and drink, gathered from theRendlesham estate and as rents in kindfrom surrounding farms. The kingprobably travelled around his otherestates in a regular circuit, spreading theload and making himself visible to thelocal population. He and his householdmay have stayed at Rendlesham only at

certain times of the year or forparticular occasions, such as assembliesto transact justice or to review thekingdom’s fighting men. Many people would have come to

Rendlesham at such times and whenfairs or markets were held. We shouldimagine the open spaces of thesettlement, and the paddocks andpastures around it, being used forgatherings and booths, and withtemporary accommodation in huts andtents. In some ways it would have beenlike a modern music festival such asGlastonbury! The coins and many of the other items found by metaldetecting may have been lost ordropped at such events.Our evidence shows that the seventh

century settlement at Rendlesham wasparticularly rich and extensive. Webelieve that it was an important central

Below: Unfinishedcopper-alloy Anglo-Saxon buckle andpin with finishedexamples beside andbelow, with a piece ofbronzeworkingdebris (unfinishedpin 24mm long)

Below: Gold andgarnet sword-handlefitting (width at base21mm), and cutfragments suggestinga goldsmith’sworkshop (to scale,decorated piece12mm long)

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DAMIAN GRADY/NMR 27585_052 FLIGHT 2936

sponsored the baptism of KingSwithelm of the East Saxons.If the vicus regius at Rendlesham was

the main central place in the seventhcentury Deben valley, it was not unique.There may have been an importantsettlement closer to Sutton Hoo atBromeswell, and others are known at

place at the time of Sutton Hoo: a localadministrative centre, the focus of afarming hinterland where livestock andagricultural surplus were gathered, and a royal residence where assembliesmight be convened and markets held. It was at one such gathering, as Bederecords, that King Aethelwold

Coddenham and Barham in the Gippingvalley north of Ipswich. It is likely thatthere were equivalents in each of themain river valleys of south-east Suffolk. Further afield, there is evidence for

such sites more widely in East Anglia.Just as Ipswich became the place whereinternational trade was channelled andprofits taxed, so central places likeRendlesham were the infrastructure ofthe early kingdom through which theland’s wealth and the kingdom’smanpower were mobilised, and theking’s rule exercised. While we believe royal kindred were

buried at Sutton Hoo, the permanentpopulation are likely to be have beenburied in one of at least two cemeteriesindicated by surface finds atRendlesham. Cremations, where thebody was burned on a pyre and the ashesburied in a pot, are signified by sherdsfrom decorated cremation urns andmetal grave goods melted in the flames.For inhumations, the body was buriedfully clothed with a range of gravegoods. These are indicated by metaldress-fittings of types known fromexcavations elsewhere to have beencommonly placed in graves. At sometime cultivation has disturbed some ofthe burials, pulling pottery and goods

Above: Coins andtwo copper-alloyweights (latter8mm/13mm across)

Below: Men detect afield at Rendleshamin August 2012,leaving tracks andpits in the ploughsoil

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ROBERT EDWARDS

SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL (4)into the ploughsoil.

So the settlement at Rendlesham puts Sutton Hoo in context.Rendlesham is everyday life, whileSutton Hoo is extraordinary death. It isas if we can now study London bylooking at the whole city, instead of justHighgate cemetery, or the crypt of StPaul’s Cathedral.

Completely newAn important feature of the settlementis that it endured. Until now it had beenthought that Anglo-Saxon royal or high-status sites were short-lived, but thatwas not so here: Rendlesham remaineda significant central place for at leastthree centuries. This in turn tells us thatthere was a greater continuity andstability of administration and powerthan we had thought. As a long-lived central place complex,

Rendlesham is also somethingcompletely new in the archaeology ofthe early Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Suchsites are known in Sweden andDenmark, for example at Gudme andUppåkra, but have not yet beenrecognised elsewhere in England. Thearchaeology at Rendlesham therefore isof international importance: it pulls ourunderstanding of seventh centuryEngland forcibly into the broaderEuropean picture. In the past we have perhaps under-

estimated the economic andadministrative sophistication (if not theartistic abilities) of the society thatcreated the burials at Sutton Hoo – theearliest English kingdoms. Now we areseeing at Rendlesham the ways in whicha kingdom, a complex political entity,could flourish and be ruled without theurban infrastructure – towns – that arethe hallmark of government andcommerce in the classical, medieval andmodern worlds.Finally, because all periods from

prehistory to modern are represented in

the archaeology at Rendlesham, there istremendous potential to examine notonly how settlementand activity herechanged across theperiod that saw theemergence of thedocumented EastAnglian kingdom, butalso to put this into amuch longer sequenceof development. Illegal metal-

detecting is theft. Butresponsible detecting,especially whenundertakensystematically as one ofseveral complementarysurvey techniques, canbe enormously valuable. At Rendlesham the partnership of expertdetectorists with professional andacademic support, managed throughwith support from the PortableAntiquities Scheme, has identified a siteof international significance andsecured the academic and public benefitof the ploughsoil assemblage. Thesupport of landowner and farmer andthe local museums service have alsobeen critical in creating an effectivepartnership. In a time of austerity thismay be an exemplar for how toapproach other sites.The project also displays a new

attitude to dealing with damage causedby illegal metal-detecting and theft.Instead of seeking to sterilise a site bypre-emptive detecting, as has beensuggested in the past (an impossibletask), the Rendlesham project seeks toprotect the site’s significance byestablishing a baseline of understanding.Local knowledge and informalstewardship, and an approved presence,also afford protection: since the surveybegan, illegal activity has greatlyreduced. In this case, the result has beena very significant addition to ourunderstanding of early England.

The Rendlesham Survey Project is managedby Suffolk County Council ArchaeologicalService with the co-operation of thelandowners, Sir Michael and Lady CarolineBunbury, and Colchester and IpswichMuseums. It is funded and supported by theSutton Hoo Society, English Heritage, thePortable Antiquities Scheme, the SuffolkInstitute of Archaeology & History, theSociety of Antiquaries of London, and theRoyal Archaeological Institute.

Faye Minter manages the project’s findsidentification, recording, cataloguing andanalysis; she is senior finds recording officerwith the Conservation Team of sccas. JudePlouviez is project manager and a co-director; she is a senior archaeological officerwith sccas. Chris Scull is a project co-director, and an honorary visiting professorat the Department of Archaeology &Conservation, Cardiff University, and uclInstitute of Archaeology.

Rendlesham Rediscovered, a smallexhibition of recent finds, is at the NationalTrust Sutton Hoo visitor centre until thebeginning of November 2014. On August 811am–3pm, visitors can meet the detectoristsand bring archaeological finds for FayeMinter to identify

Above: A gold andgarnet bead (15mmlong) and a gold bead(11mm long)

Right: Gilt-bronzedecorative mountfrom a harness, verysimilar to one fromMound 17 at SuttonHoo (53mm across)

Below: St Gregory’schurch, Rendlesham