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Transformations of Identity and Society in Essex, C.AD 400-1066

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Transformations of Identity and Society in Essex, C.AD 400-1066 Transformations of Identity and Society in Essex, c.AD 400-1066 Alexander Mirrington, BSc., MA Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy [July 2013] I ABSTRACT This study examines the archaeological reflections of group identity and socio- economic networks in the region of Essex and London in the Anglo-Saxon period, between c.400 and 1066. Given its location in the south-east of England, Essex was a key zone of socio-political interaction during the early medieval period. This doctoral research has brought together the stray and excavated archaeological material from the region for the first time. The thesis presented here is centred on diachronic, quantified distributional analyses of three key material culture classes: dress accessories, pottery, and coinage. The discussion synthesises the results of these analyses, examining the observed patterns within their broader archaeological context. The thesis reveals the emergence of a hybrid dress style in the 5th and 6th centuries. This appears to have been actively created in Essex to reflect a diverse cultural inheritance, but not a specific ethnic identity. However, from the mid-7th century these styles were rejected in favour of dynamic fashions, reflecting the maritime focus of the region, and especially links with the Merovingian/Carolingian Continent. From the later 9th century, Scandinavian dress and cultural practice are also apparent, particularly in north Essex This Continental orientation reflects the emergence and transformation of the North Sea network. The engagement of Essex communities with this network is studied in detail in this thesis. The coinage and pottery analyses reveal the II emergence of several exchange hubs along the North Sea coast, as well as a generalized engagement with long-distance exchange among coastal communities. This system was disrupted, but not destroyed, by the Vikings, who linked Essex with wider Scandinavian networks. However, the long-term pattern shows the decline of coastal sites in favour of urban centres from the later 9th century. III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would firstly like to take the opportunity to thank Dr Chris Loveluck, under whose supervision my PhD research was carried out. I am hugely indebted to him for his support, encouragement, and guidance during this project. I should also like to thank my secondary supervisors, Professor Lloyd Laing and Dr Naomi Sykes, and my examiners, Dr John Naylor and Dr Chris King, for their invaluable advice and input. I am also extremely grateful to the School of Humanities at the University of Nottingham for funding this project. This research has made great use of the data contained within the Sites and Monuments Records of Greater London, Southend-on-Sea, Colchester, and Essex, as well as that provided by the Fitzwilliam Museum‟s Corpus of Early Medieval Coinage, and the Portable Antiquities and MoLAS databases. I would like to express my gratitude to those who have made this data available. In particular I should like to thank Sally Gale and Sue Tyler (Essex HER); Ken Crowe (Southend SMR); Alex Richards (Colchester UAD); Mark Atkinson (Essex CC field archaeology unit); and Krystyna Truscoe (Greater London SMR) for assisting me in my data collection. Last but not least I would like to thank my family and friends for their great support and understanding, which has meant so much to me. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE .................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..............................................................................IV TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. V TABLE OF PLATES ......................................................................................... X Chapter 1 ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1. General introduction ...................................................................................... 2 1.2. Previous work in the region ........................................................................... 4 1.3. Specific aims and objectives ........................................................................ 13 Chapter 2 ........................................................................................................... 16 2.1. Introduction.................................................................................................. 16 2.2. Anglo-Saxon Essex: the historical context .................................................. 16 2.2.1. 5th and 6th centuries .............................................................................. 16 2.2.2. 7th century ............................................................................................ 19 2.2.3. 8th century ............................................................................................ 22 2.2.4. 11th century .......................................................................................... 27 2.3. Topographical background .......................................................................... 28 Chapter 3 ........................................................................................................... 30 3.1. Introduction.................................................................................................. 30 3.2. Group Identities ........................................................................................... 30 3.2.1. Ethnic affiliation .................................................................................. 30 3.2.2. Social complexity ................................................................................ 35 3.3. Exchange and social networks ..................................................................... 38 3.4. Social setting – impact of world view. ........................................................ 53 3.5. Specific approaches to analysis and interpretation in this study:................. 56 3.5.1. Group identities ................................................................................... 56 3.5.2. Social complexity and role .................................................................. 59 3.5.3. Trade, exchange, and networks ............................................................ 61 V Chapter 4 ........................................................................................................... 64 4.1. Introduction.................................................................................................. 64 4.2. Sources of evidence ..................................................................................... 65 4.2.1. Dress accessories ................................................................................. 66 4.2.2. Pottery .................................................................................................. 68 4.2.3. Coinage ................................................................................................ 70 4.3. The quality of the evidence and limits of inference from excavated and unstratified data ....................................................................................................... 75 4.4. Research process .......................................................................................... 81 4.5. Structure of analysis .................................................................................... 85 Chapter 5 ......................................................................................................... 100 5.1. Introduction................................................................................................ 100 5.2. Dress and identity in the early 5th-century ................................................. 102 5.2.1. Late Roman military belt fittings ....................................................... 102 5.2.2. 5th-century Continental imported brooches ........................................ 104 5.2.3. Dress accessories with Quoit-Brooch Style decoration ..................... 105 5.2.4. Roman fashion ................................................................................... 106 5.3. Patterns of dress and fashion, c.450-600 ................................................... 109 5.3.1. Beads.................................................................................................. 110 5.3.2. Metal dress accessories ...................................................................... 111 5.4. Kentish affiliation and the „Final Phase‟, c.600-50 ................................... 134 5.5. Summary .................................................................................................... 138 5.6. Conclusions................................................................................................ 140 Chapter 6 ......................................................................................................... 144 6.1. Introduction................................................................................................ 144 6.2. Dress and the reflection of maritime identities .......................................... 145 6.3. Scandinavian cultural affiliations .............................................................. 155 6.4. Summary ...................................................................................................
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