Rural settlements and society in Anglo-Saxon England

207 Pages·2012·3.21 MB·English

by  Helena Hamerow

Medieval History and Archaeology
General Editors
JOHN BLAIR HELENA HAMEROW
Rural Settlements and Society
in Anglo-Saxon England
MEDIEVAL HISTORY AND
ARCHAEOLOGY
General Editors
JohnBlair HelenaHamerow
The volumes in this series bring together archaeological, historical, and visual
methods to offer new approaches to aspects of medieval society, economy,
and material culture. The series seeks to present and interpret archaeological
evidence in ways readily accessible to historians, while providing a historical
perspective and context for the material culture of the period.
RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN THIS SERIES
PARKS IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
S.A.Mileson
ANGLO-SAXON DEVIANT BURIAL CUSTOMS
AndrewReynolds
BEYOND THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGE
The Diversifi cation of Landscape Character in Southern Britain
StephenRippon
WATERWAYS AND CANAL-BUILDING IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
Edited byJohn Blair
FOOD IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND
Diet and Nutrition
Edited byC.M.Woolgar ,D.Serjeantson, andT.Waldron
GOLD AND GILT, POTS AND PINS
Possessions and People in Medieval Britain
DavidA.Hinton
THE ICONOGRAPHY OF EARLY ANGLO-SAXON COINAGE
Sixth to Eighth Centuries
AnnaGannon
EARLY MEDIEVAL SETTLEMENTS
The Archaeology of Rural Communities in North-West Europe 400–900
HelenaHamerow
RURAL SETTLEMENTS
AND SOCIETY IN
ANGLO-SAXON
ENGLAND
HELENA HAMEROW
1
3
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, ox26dp,
United Kingdom
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of
Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries
© Helena Hamerow 2012
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
First Edition published in 2012
Impression: 1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the
prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted
by law, by licence or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics
rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the
above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the
address above
You must not circulate this work in any other form
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Data available
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Data available
ISBN 978–0–19–920325–3
Printed in Great Britain by
MPG Books Group, Bodmin and King’s Lynn
Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and
for information only. Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials
contained in any third party website referenced in this work.
For Eric, Max, Anna, and Bee
TThhiiss ppaaggee iinntteennttiioonnaallllyy lleefftt bbllaannkk
Contents
List of Figures viii
List of Abbreviations x
Preface and Acknowledgements xi
1. The study of Anglo-Saxon rural settlements 1
2. Anglo-Saxon buildings: form, function, and social space 17
3. Settlement forms and community structures 67
4. The ritualization of domestic life 120
5. Farming systems and settlement forms 144
6. Production, exchange, and the shape of rural communities 1 63
Bibliography 169
Index 191
List of Figures
1.1 Distribution map showing settlements discussed in the text. 4
2.1 Plan of an earth-fast, posthole building from Mucking, with entrances
indicated by arrows. 18
2.2 Building A1 from Cowdery’s Down, showing the annexe projecting
into a fenced enclosure. 23
2.3 The chronological development of Anglo-Saxon timber buildings. 24
2.4 The superimposed plans of Buildings 2, 3, and 4 from Mucking. 25
2.5 Plan of Building B from Steyning. 29
2.6 Building C10 from Cowdery’s Down, showing presumed
‘setting out post’. 30
2.7 Building 9150 from Renhold, Water End West. 36
2.8 Late Saxon long halls: A. Cheddar; B. Sulgrave; C. Goltho; D. Bicester. 42
2.9 The plans of Late Saxon long halls, superimposed. 47
2.10 Late Saxon narrow-aisled halls: A. Portchester; B, C. Goltho;
D. Raunds Furnells; E. Ketton; F. Faccombe Netherton. 49
2.11 Granaries from Yarnton. 51
2.12 A Mid Saxon barn. Higham Ferrers, Building 2665. 51
2.13 A reconstruction of aGrubenhaus as a sunken-fl oored building. 56
3.1 Schematic plan of the Anglo-Saxon settlement at Mucking, showing
broad spatial development. 68
3.2 The Anglo-Saxon settlement at Kilverstone. 7 2
3.3 The Anglo-Saxon settlement at Cottenham, Phase A. 74
3.4 The Anglo-Saxon settlement at Cottenham, Phase B. 75
3.5 The development of the Anglo-Saxon settlement at Cardinal Park,
Godmanchester (one of two alternative sequences). 76
3.6 Schematic plan of the main enclosures at West Fen Road, Ely. 76
3.7 Mid to Late Saxon enclosures at Wolverton Mill. 77
3.8 The development of the Anglo-Saxon settlement at Warmington.
Provisional plans. 79
3.9 The latest settlement phase at West Stow. 80
3.10 The late sixth- to late seventh-century phase at Pennyland. 81
3.11 Phased plan of settlement and burials at Gamlingay. 82
3.12 The tenth-century settlement phase at Yarnton. 8 4
3.13 The Mid Saxon settlement phase at North Elmham. 86
3.14 The Mid Saxon settlement phase at Wicken Bonhunt. 87
List of Figures ix
3.15 The main settlement zone at Quarrington, showing round and
rectangular structures. 92
3.16 Overall plan of Mid Saxon enclosures at Quarrington. 92
3.17 A schematic plan of the settlement at Catholme in relation to fi eld
boundaries mapped in 1812. 9 3
3.18 The Mid Saxon settlement at Yarnton (Phase 2, broadly eighth century). 96
3.19 The Mid Saxon settlement at Yarnton (Phase 3, broadly ninth century). 97
3.20 A comparison of ‘Great Hall’ complexes at Cowdery’s Down
(Period 4C), Yeavering (Phase IIIC) and Drayton/Sutton Courtenay. 103
3.21 Symmetrical arrangements of buildings, courtyards, and entrances. 104
3.22 Building D2 at Yeavering, showing position of the deposit of
cattle skulls. 1 07
3.23 Building A4 at Yeavering, showing the position of Grave AX and
Post AX. 108
3.24 The Late Saxon settlement at Steyning. 110
3.25 The development of the Late Saxon settlement at Springfi eld Lyons. 112
3.26 The enclosed settlement at Bramford. 113
3.27 The Mid Saxon settlement at Higham Ferrers, Phase 2b. 114
3.28 Reconstruction of the Mid Saxon settlement at Higham Ferrers. 115
3.29 The Mid Saxon settlement at Higham Ferrers, Phase 2c. 116
3.30 Anglo-Saxon gated entrances. 117
3.31 The Late Saxon settlement at Ketton. 118
3.32 The Late Saxon settlement at Raunds Furnells. 119
4.1 The Anglo-Saxon settlement and burial ground at Bloodmoor Hill. 125
4.2 A placed deposit in aGrubenhaus at Horcott (Gloucestershire)
consisting of animal bones and an inverted human cranium. 132
4.3 The early medieval settlement at Catholme, Staffordshire. 134
5.1 A reconstruction of the Mid Saxon malting oven at Higham Ferrers. 153
5.2 A reconstruction of the Mid Saxon watermill at Ebbsfl eet. 154
5.3 Age profi les for sheep from Brandon (Mid Saxon) and West Stow
(early Anglo-Saxon). The age categories, based on tooth wear, are
as follows: 1–3 = unworn; 4 = in wear; 5 = full wear; 6 = heavily worn. 158