The Origins of East Anglian Towns
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The Origins of East Anglian Towns: Coin Loss in the Landscape, AD 470-939 by Andrew Robert John Hutcheson being a Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of History, University of East Anglia December 2009 © This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that no quotation from the thesis, nor any information derived therefrom, may be published without the author’s prior, written consent. Contents List of Figures iii List of Tables x Acknowledgements xi Abbreviations xii Abstract xiii 1 Introduction 1 2 Theories of the origins of pre-Viking and post-Viking urbanisation (AD 600–950) 27 3 State formation, money and towns: towards a methodology for an archaeological understanding of the role of towns in the economy and the development of the East Anglian state 54 4 Coinage in the East Anglian landscape AD 470–670 74 5 Coins in the East Anglian landscape AD 670–710: the Primary Sceatta phase 97 6 Coinage in the East Anglian landscape AD 700–765: Intermediate and Secondary Sceatta phases, and the coinage of Beonna 140 7 Coinage in the East Anglian landscape c. AD 749–939: from Beonna through to the death of Athelstan 197 8 ‘Productive’ sites, wics and burghs: a prehistory of East Anglian towns 251 9 Conclusions 315 Bibliography 324 Appendix 1 – CD containing research database 351 ii Figures 1 Map of East Anglia showing land under 5m OD 7 2 Crop-mark evidence at Venta Icenorum, Caistor St Edmund 11 3 Venta Icenorum, illustrating the church within the walls of the Roman town 12 4 Cover of a medieval copy of Notitia Dignitatum 13 5 The ‘Saxon Shore’ 14 6 Middle Saxon coins, pins and pottery and Roman coinage finds from Norfolk 19 7 Ipswich ware distribution across East Anglia 22 8 North Sea and Baltic places 7th- to 10th-century that have been characterised 34 as wics 9 Portchester Castle – the Watergate; the arch is thought to be Alfredian in date 48 10 Plot of metal-detecting ‘events’ recorded within the NHER 57 11 Chart illustrating the proportion of coin finds per county in the East of 59 England 12 Wilton Cross, Hockwold cum Wilton Norfolk (NHER 5303) 76 13 6th-century Merovingian tremissis, EMC No. 2003.0001, from Walsingham, 83 Norfolk 14 Gold ‘A’ racteates SMR: LKH 077, from Lakenheath, Suffolk 86 15 Gold Bracteate Type ‘B’ HER 40776, from Binham, Norfolk 86 16 Two Ae bracteates Type ‘C’ from Morning Thorpe, Norfolk, Grave 80 87 17 Gold Bracteate Type ‘D’ NHER 37793, from Blakeney, Norfolk 87 18 Continental tremissis distribution in East Anglia 88 19 Anglo-Saxon gold thrymsas distribution in East Anglia 94 20 Sutherland Iiii shilling, EMC. No. 1998.0081, Billockby, Norfolk 95 21 Series Pa and Va 100 22 Chart of Series Pa per county – England 101 23 Series Pa Ia (N151), 665–680, EMC No.1990.1287, from Coddenham, 101 Suffolk 24 Series Va B II (N 12.2), EMC No. 1996.0116, from Burnham Market/Overy, 102 Norfolk 25 Chart of Series Va per county – England 102 26 Map of Merovingian deniers – East Anglia 105 27 Chart of Merovingian deniers per county – England 106 28 Series A3 (Type 2a) (N 40), EMC No. 1993.9095, from Caistor St Edmund, 111 Norfolk iii 29 Chart of Series A per county – England 112 30 Map of Series A sceattas – East Anglia 112 31 Series BX (Type 26) (N 124 (680–685)), EMC No. 2008.0039, from nr King’s Lynn, Norfolk 114 32 Series BZ (Type 29a) (N 130)(690-710), EMC No. 1993.9138, Nr King’s Lynn, 114 Norfolk 33 The Hexham Plaque 116 34 Chart of Series B per county – England 117 35 Map of Series B – East Anglia 118 36 Series BZ (Type 29a; N 130), EMC No. 1998.0051, from Norwich, Norfolk 119 37 Chart of Series BZ per county – England 119 38 Map of Series BZ – East Anglia 120 39 Series C (Metcalf C1: Blackburn A) (695–700), EMC No. 1987.047, from Cavendish, Suffolk 121 40 Chart of Series C per county – England 122 41 Map of Series C – East Anglia 123 42 Chart of Series F per county – England 124 43 Series F (Metcalf b.i) (Type 24b) (N62) (695–705), EMC No. 2006.0264, from South Lincolnshire 127 44 Map of Series F – East Anglia 127 45 Series Z (Type 66, N 145 Beast Right), EMC No. 1986.5031, from Caistor St Edmund, Norfolk 129 46 Chart of Series Z per County – England 129 47 Map of Series Z – East Anglia 130 48 Aston Rowant Animal/ cross crosslet type, EMC no. 1985.0047, from Methwold, Norfolk 131 49 Chart of Aston Rowant Animal Type per county – England 131 50 Aldfrith, EMC No. 1995.0112, from Bradenham, Norfolk 132 51 Chart of Aldfrith type per county – England 133 52 VER Group One (Type 3b), EMC 2004.0074, from Watton, Norfolk. 134 53 VER Group Two (Type 91), EMC No.2004.0075, from Watton, Norfolk 134 54 Postulated development of the VER group after Metcalf, T&Si, 142–3 134 55 Chart of VER Group per county – England 135 56 Map of VER Group – East Anglia 135 57 Chart of Saroaldo Group per county – England 136 58 Saroaldo Group, EMC No. 1986.0098, from Great Bircham, Norfolk 137 59 Series W (N 148), EMC No 2005.0262, from nr Fakenham, Norfolk 137 iv 60 Chart of Series W per county – England 138 61 Map of Series W – East Anglia 138 62 Series Ma (Madelinus denier) (670–690), EMC No. 1995: 63, from 142 Congham, Norfolk 63 Series D (BMC Type 2c) (N 169): var. Bust left, EMC 1993.9181, from 143 Bawsey, Norfolk 64 Series D (BMC Type 2c) (N 163/N 168), from Freckenham, Suffolk 143 65 Series D (Type 2c) (N 163/N 168), from Fakenham, Norfolk EMC No 143 1996.0076 66 Series D (Type 8) (N 50), EMC No. 1986.0093, from Great Bircham, Norfolk 144 67 Chart of Series D per county – England 144 68 Map of Series D – East Anglia 145 69 Chart of Series E per county – England 147 70 Series E (Variety G4) (Type 4) (N 45), EMC No. 2002.0261, from 149 Blythburgh, Suffolk 71 Series E (Secondary) (Type 4) (715–735), EMC no. 2006.0185, from Quidenham, Norfolk 149 72 ‘Porcupine’ orientated through 90 degrees 149 73 Series E (Type D) (Type 4) (700–735), EMC No. 1994.0146, obverse from Narborough, Norfolk 149 74 Map of Series E – East Anglia 150 75 Series E (runic Æthiliræd) (Type 105) (N 155–156), EMC No. 1986.0095, from Great Bircham, Norfolk 151 76 Chart of Series E (runic Æthiliræd) per county – England 151 77 Map of Series E (runic Æthiliræd) – East Anglia 152 78 Series G (Type 3a) (N 43) (710–720), EMC No. 2001.0738, from the East Riding of Yorkshire 153 79 Chart of Series G per county – England 154 80 Map of Series G – East Anglia 154 81 Series X (Type 31) (N 116/N 117) (710–750), EMC No.1993.9280, from Briston, Norfolk 156 82 Chart of Series X per county – England 156 83 Map of Series X – East Anglia 157 84 Chart of Series H per county – England 159 85 Series J (Type 85 [Rigold BIIIb]) (N 128), EMC No. 1999.0007, from 160 Humberside v 86 Series J (Type 37) (N 135), EMC No 2005.0231, from Great Shelford, 160 Cambridgeshire 87 Series J (Type 36) (N 134), EMC No. 2001.0543, from ‘East Anglia’ 160 88 Series J (Type 72) (N 141), EMC No. 1987.0083, from Lakenheath, Suffolk 161 89 Chart of Series J per county – England 161 90 Map of Series J – East Anglia 163 91 Series K (Type 330 (N 93: wolf’s head right) (720–740), EMC No. 1988.6001, from nr Reculver, Kent 164 92 Chart of Series K per county – England 165 93 Map of Series K – East Anglia 166 94 Series L (Type 15a) (N 68) (730–760), EMC No. 2005.0256, from Cambridge, Cambridgeshire 167 95 Chart of Series L per county – England 168 96 Map of Series L – East Anglia 168 97 MONITASCORVM Group, EMC No. 2007.0280, from Oxborough 170 98 Victory Group, EMC No 1986.00301, from Bawsey 170 99 ‘Animal Mask’ Group, EMC No. 1993.9354, from Caldecote, Norfolk 171 100 Series N (Type 41a), EMC No. 1988.0133, from Binham, Norfolk 171 101 Series N (Type 41b), EMC No. 1986.0096, from Great Bircham, Norfolk 171 102 Chart of Series N per county – England 172 103 Map of Series N – East Anglia 173 104 Series S, EMC no. 2006.0006, from ‘Suffolk’ 174 105 Chart of Series S per county – England 174 106 Series U (Type 23b), EMC No. 2005.0035, from Diss, Norfolk 175 107 Chart of Series U per county – England 176 108 Map of Series U – East Anglia 177 109 Chart of ‘pre-styca’ Northumbrian sceattas per county – England 178 110 Series Q I g (Type 59) (725–45), EMC No. 1998.1062, from Lincolnshire 179 111 Series Qib (725–45), EMC No. 2004.0174, from Norfolk 180 112 Series QIVa (725–45), EMC No. 1990.0191, from Alderton, Suffolk 180 113 Series Q(R), EMC No. 1993.9388, from Bawsey, Norfolk 180 114 Series QIIIa (725–45), EMC No. 1987.0084, from Bere Regis, Dorset 180 115 Chart of Series Q per county – England 182 116 Map of Series Q – East Anglia 182 117 Series R (Metcalf R8), EMC no.