Nowadays it is just a barley field in the middle of the Fens.
But following a chance find, archaeologists say that in 750 AD the site was a ‘significant’ centre of international trade.
Experts believe that monks, priests and noblemen lived on what was an island – until it had to be abandoned around the time Viking hordes began pillaging the British Isles.
A host of ornate silver writing instruments, coins, brooches and lead weights suggests a previously unknown monastery or trading centre may have stood there.
The site, which may have been in use for a couple of hundred years, was discovered at Little Carlton, near Louth in Lincolnshire. In Anglo-Saxon times it was an island in a channel of the River Lud, five miles from the coast. Centuries of drainage have since made it solid ground.
A glimpse of the site’s secrets was finally revealed when metal detectorist Graham Vickers found an ornate silver pen-like stylus lying in a ploughed field.
A marvel in the marshes: Anglo-Saxon trade citadel teeming with treasures is found in the Fens by an amateur with a metal detector
'Significant' Anglo-Saxon site has been found in Little Carlton, Lincolnshire
Ornate silver writing instruments, coins, brooches and lead weights found
Finds suggest unknown monastery or trading centre may have stood there
Most interest to historians is a lead tablet bearing woman's name, Cudburg
By Colin Fernandez for the Daily Mail
2 March 2016
Daily Mail
Nowadays it is just a barley field in the middle of the Fens.
But following a chance find, archaeologists say that in 750 AD the site was a ‘significant’ centre of international trade.
Experts believe that monks, priests and noblemen lived on what was an island – until it had to be abandoned around the time Viking hordes began pillaging the British Isles.
Liason officer Adam Daubney and metal detectorist Graham Vickers have discovered a 'significant' archaeological site
A host of ornate silver writing instruments, coins, brooches and lead weights suggests a previously unknown monastery or trading centre may have stood near Little Carlton in Lincolnshire. Above, animal bone, which was found on the site
A host of ornate silver writing instruments, coins, brooches and lead weights suggests a previously unknown monastery or trading centre may have stood there.
The site, which may have been in use for a couple of hundred years, was discovered at Little Carlton, near Louth in Lincolnshire. In Anglo-Saxon times it was an island in a channel of the River Lud, five miles from the coast. Centuries of drainage have since made it solid ground.
A glimpse of the site’s secrets was finally revealed when metal detectorist Graham Vickers found an ornate silver pen-like stylus lying in a ploughed field.
The find, which was once used for writing on a wax tablet, was reported to the local board of antiquities. But the 2011 discovery was kept quiet so the site could be excavated, and can only now be reported.
A glimpse of the site’s secrets was finally revealed when metal detectorist Graham Vickers (left picture, right) found an ornate silver pen-like stylus lying in a ploughed field. Above (right), an 8th century sceat or coin
A clay hearth base - possibly of an oven - was one of the many secrets uncovered by the Lincolnshire dig
A further 21 styli have been found, along with 300 dress pins and around 100 silver coins from 680 to 790 AD.
Perhaps of most interest to historians is a small lead tablet bearing a woman’s name, Cudburg. While it may sound strange to our ears, this was a common girl’s name in the Middle Saxon period.
The name has been scratched in by hand, and historians believe the style of writing shows the writer – Cudburg herself or someone inscribing her name – was used to writing on vellum scrolls.
Dr Hugh Willmott, of Sheffield University’s department of archaeology, said: ‘We are talking about hundreds of finds from bits of jewellery, dress accessories, Anglo Saxon pins, lead weights, bits of glass from vessels, gaming counters.
‘It’s probably the largest assemblage of Anglo Saxon finds of its kind.’
Twenty-one styli have been found at the site (pictured), along with 300 dress pins and around 100 silver coins from 680 to 790 AD
Peter Townend carries out a geophysical survey of the site ahead of the dig, which has unearthed a variety of secrets
Dr Willmott said it is believed that monks and priests were present at the settlement because writing in this period was associated with the church.
Of the lead tablet marked ‘Cudburg’, he said: ‘It’s the most exciting find. Someone’s just scratched the name in a bit of lead and it’s been thrown away. It’s like we are almost touching the person. That’s all that survives of a living human being.’
The settlement, which measured 820ft by 656ft, ‘would have been significant’ in the local Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Lindsey, which later became part of Northumbria.
The presence of coins from northern Europe showed the site traded across Western Europe. But it all ended with the coming of the Vikings. ‘Whether people decided to walk away or it was burnt to the ground, we don’t know,’ said Dr Willmott. Details of the dig are published in the journal Current Archaeology.
DARK AGES? THERE WAS PLENTY OF LIGHT RELIEF
It was the Dark Ages, but the Anglo-Saxon island residents of Little Carlton would have lived comfortable lives in their wattle and daub houses with thatched roofs, according to historians.
The mass of brooches and pins found there suggest they wore robes and tunics, coloured green or brown with vegetable dyes and made from wool and linen. Glass vessels – a luxury item in 750 AD when commoners used wooden beakers – have been found.
Coins show the 200 or so inhabitants were connected by trade to mainland Europe.
The bones of scores of pigs mean pork was firmly on the menu, as was fish. Food was somewhat bland, with any spice supplied by horseradish and mustard. The only sweetener was honey.
For alcohol, mead – fermented honey – was the main tipple.
To relax, the Anglo Saxons would play dice and chess. The harp was popular, and other amusements included juggling and asking each other elaborate riddles.
But following a chance find, archaeologists say that in 750 AD the site was a ‘significant’ centre of international trade.
Experts believe that monks, priests and noblemen lived on what was an island – until it had to be abandoned around the time Viking hordes began pillaging the British Isles.
A host of ornate silver writing instruments, coins, brooches and lead weights suggests a previously unknown monastery or trading centre may have stood there.
The site, which may have been in use for a couple of hundred years, was discovered at Little Carlton, near Louth in Lincolnshire. In Anglo-Saxon times it was an island in a channel of the River Lud, five miles from the coast. Centuries of drainage have since made it solid ground.
A glimpse of the site’s secrets was finally revealed when metal detectorist Graham Vickers found an ornate silver pen-like stylus lying in a ploughed field.
A marvel in the marshes: Anglo-Saxon trade citadel teeming with treasures is found in the Fens by an amateur with a metal detector
'Significant' Anglo-Saxon site has been found in Little Carlton, Lincolnshire
Ornate silver writing instruments, coins, brooches and lead weights found
Finds suggest unknown monastery or trading centre may have stood there
Most interest to historians is a lead tablet bearing woman's name, Cudburg
By Colin Fernandez for the Daily Mail
2 March 2016
Daily Mail
Nowadays it is just a barley field in the middle of the Fens.
But following a chance find, archaeologists say that in 750 AD the site was a ‘significant’ centre of international trade.
Experts believe that monks, priests and noblemen lived on what was an island – until it had to be abandoned around the time Viking hordes began pillaging the British Isles.
Liason officer Adam Daubney and metal detectorist Graham Vickers have discovered a 'significant' archaeological site
A host of ornate silver writing instruments, coins, brooches and lead weights suggests a previously unknown monastery or trading centre may have stood near Little Carlton in Lincolnshire. Above, animal bone, which was found on the site
A host of ornate silver writing instruments, coins, brooches and lead weights suggests a previously unknown monastery or trading centre may have stood there.
The site, which may have been in use for a couple of hundred years, was discovered at Little Carlton, near Louth in Lincolnshire. In Anglo-Saxon times it was an island in a channel of the River Lud, five miles from the coast. Centuries of drainage have since made it solid ground.
A glimpse of the site’s secrets was finally revealed when metal detectorist Graham Vickers found an ornate silver pen-like stylus lying in a ploughed field.
The find, which was once used for writing on a wax tablet, was reported to the local board of antiquities. But the 2011 discovery was kept quiet so the site could be excavated, and can only now be reported.
A glimpse of the site’s secrets was finally revealed when metal detectorist Graham Vickers (left picture, right) found an ornate silver pen-like stylus lying in a ploughed field. Above (right), an 8th century sceat or coin
A clay hearth base - possibly of an oven - was one of the many secrets uncovered by the Lincolnshire dig
A further 21 styli have been found, along with 300 dress pins and around 100 silver coins from 680 to 790 AD.
Perhaps of most interest to historians is a small lead tablet bearing a woman’s name, Cudburg. While it may sound strange to our ears, this was a common girl’s name in the Middle Saxon period.
The name has been scratched in by hand, and historians believe the style of writing shows the writer – Cudburg herself or someone inscribing her name – was used to writing on vellum scrolls.
Dr Hugh Willmott, of Sheffield University’s department of archaeology, said: ‘We are talking about hundreds of finds from bits of jewellery, dress accessories, Anglo Saxon pins, lead weights, bits of glass from vessels, gaming counters.
‘It’s probably the largest assemblage of Anglo Saxon finds of its kind.’
Twenty-one styli have been found at the site (pictured), along with 300 dress pins and around 100 silver coins from 680 to 790 AD
Peter Townend carries out a geophysical survey of the site ahead of the dig, which has unearthed a variety of secrets
Dr Willmott said it is believed that monks and priests were present at the settlement because writing in this period was associated with the church.
Of the lead tablet marked ‘Cudburg’, he said: ‘It’s the most exciting find. Someone’s just scratched the name in a bit of lead and it’s been thrown away. It’s like we are almost touching the person. That’s all that survives of a living human being.’
The settlement, which measured 820ft by 656ft, ‘would have been significant’ in the local Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Lindsey, which later became part of Northumbria.
The presence of coins from northern Europe showed the site traded across Western Europe. But it all ended with the coming of the Vikings. ‘Whether people decided to walk away or it was burnt to the ground, we don’t know,’ said Dr Willmott. Details of the dig are published in the journal Current Archaeology.
DARK AGES? THERE WAS PLENTY OF LIGHT RELIEF
It was the Dark Ages, but the Anglo-Saxon island residents of Little Carlton would have lived comfortable lives in their wattle and daub houses with thatched roofs, according to historians.
The mass of brooches and pins found there suggest they wore robes and tunics, coloured green or brown with vegetable dyes and made from wool and linen. Glass vessels – a luxury item in 750 AD when commoners used wooden beakers – have been found.
Coins show the 200 or so inhabitants were connected by trade to mainland Europe.
The bones of scores of pigs mean pork was firmly on the menu, as was fish. Food was somewhat bland, with any spice supplied by horseradish and mustard. The only sweetener was honey.
For alcohol, mead – fermented honey – was the main tipple.
To relax, the Anglo Saxons would play dice and chess. The harp was popular, and other amusements included juggling and asking each other elaborate riddles.
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