Tag: Ad Gefrin

On this day in history, the anniversary of the battle of Maserfeld in either 641 or 642. I thought I’d share some photos of Ad Gefrin, Yeavering Bell and Bamburgh castle as well as some book recommendations

On this day in history, the anniversary of the battle of Maserfeld in either 641 or 642. I thought I’d share some photos and book recommendations

It’s the anniversary of the Battle of Maserfeld on August 5th (641 or 642), fought between Penda of Mercia (go Penda) and his allies, and Oswald of Northumbria and his allies, so I thought I’d reshare some photos I took while writing the Gods and Kings trilogy of Bamburgh Castle and Northumberland in general, which was the home of Oswald of Northumbria. Admittedly, the battle of Maserfeld is said to have taken place at Oswestry on the Welsh border with Mercia, but I didn’t go there, although I certainly visited as a child.

‘A.D. 641/642.  This year Oswald, king of the Northumbrians, was slain by Penda, king of the Southumbrians, at Mirfield, on the fifth day of August; and his body was buried at Bardney.  His holiness and miracles were afterwards displayed on manifold occasions throughout this island; and his hands remain still uncorrupted at Barnburgh.  The same year in which Oswald was slain, Oswy his brother succeeded to the government of the Northumbrians, and reigned two less than thirty years.’

(Taken from the online version of the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, a ninth century creation so, not very contemporary).

Ad Gefrin, a Northumbrian royal palace, although no longer visible above ground
Antique images of Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle,or rather, the keep, in its depths is the oldest part of the castle
More antique prints of Bamburgh Castle
The view from Bamburgh Castle
Looking towards the coast from Yeavering Bell, above Ad Refrain
The well and well cover at Bamburgh Castle in the keep – the oldest part of the castle

  • The original excavation map (I think)
  • Looking towards Yeavering Bell (there’s a picture above of what the view looks like on a clear day)
  • The entrance to Ad Gefrin
  • The history of Ad Gefrin board from the site
  • The remains of Ad Gefrin, explained to us by archaeologist Roger Miket
  • More damp Ad Gefrin
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  • The site of the 2023 excavation
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  • Views of Ad Gefrin from a visit in October 2023 to hear about the 2023 excavation

You can hear the archaeologist, Sarah Semple, talking about the recent excavations at Ad Gefrin in this Society of Antiquaries Lecture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A7eRTvajtA

You can also visit the Ad Gefrin trust website here.

The battle of Maserfeld is the book Pagan King follows in my Gods and Kings Trilogy (the second book in the trilogy). I had a lot of fun writing it, making use of locations I visited as a child to make them come alive, and even setting one of the fictional battles in the lead up to the clash at Maserfeld, close to where I used to live.

If you’re curious about the period, I highly recommend these non-fiction titles. Perhaps start with Max Adams’ The King in the North. It’s also the most modern of the three. The other two were texts I read while at university (so yes, decades ago:))

books2read.com/PaganKing

Check out the Gods and Kings trilogy page on the blog.

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A photo diary of my experiences on the Bamburgh Research Project Post Excavation Week

If you’ve not heard of the Bamburgh Research Project then WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, no I jest. It’s fine if you’ve not heard of them. Briefly, because you can check out their blog for all the details, they’ve been excavating at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland for about twenty years – maybe a little bit longer. Their most famous finds were the Bamburgh Bones, discovered in the Bowl Hole, and now reinterred in St Aidan’s Church, in a crypt, in an ossuary, and there is an entire database about the individuals, and what their lives might have been like in seventh century Northumbria. It is certainly worth checking out. I mean, as a historical fiction writer, there is a lot of scope for a fabulous story there.

But the BRP aren’t just all about bones. They’ve also been trying to rediscover the secrets of Bamburgh Castle, a rocky outcropping on the Northumbrian coast, which shows signs of habitation dating back into the Iron Age. Now, they are a field school so volunteers can sign up to help them with the excavations, but this year they offered something else, a post-excavation week, which is much more my sort of thing. (I have excavated elsewhere, but I don’t much like getting dirty hands, so it was not much fun for me – I’m most certainly a ‘sit down’ and read the excavation report sort of historian.)

So, I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to all week, and what I’ve been learning.

Various views of Bamburgh Castle, from the cricket ground, from the windmill inside the castle walls, and from the Bowl Hole.

Day 1 – look at this year’s excavation site and also, finds recording

This year’s excavation site
Some of the finds made at the various sites, and also some coins found in the village of Bamburgh itself

Learning how to record finds did involve some experimenting with pencils and pen width – it’s important to get the right sort of pencil and pen!

Day 2 – tour of Bamburgh Castle interior (including the Last Kingdom exhibition) and the chapel, and getting my hands wet with some environmental sampling

I didn’t take many photos of my wet hands:) In true ‘historian’ style, I did not enjoy getting my hands dirty and wet:)

Day 3 Processing and cleaning finds and a talk about Saxon textiles as well as a demo – bone is animal bone!

You can really tell the difference between the early medieval finds and those from a more ‘modern’ layer. I did clean a lot of glass – I would say they were discarded milk bottles:) I forgot to take many pictures during the textiles talk but it was fascinating, and alas, I’ve been told that toggles are only found from the 1300s so I need to rewrite a bit of my current writing project.

Day 4 Site visits to Lindisfarne/Holy Island and Ad Gefrin/Yeavering

Thank you to the teams excavating at the two locations for sharing their experiences with us. You can find details of the two excavations online. Lindisfarne Dig Ventures. Ad Gefrin Trust. Lindisfarne is the site close to the ruined priory in the background. Ad Gefrin is essentially a field in a beautiful valley with the hill, Yeavering Bell, looking down on it. I also took a quick stroll through the museum at Lindisfarne Priory.

Day 5 Visit to the Bowl Hole, St Aidan’s Church and a talk by an osteoarchaeologist

The well-known Bamburgh Bones were discovered in the Bowl Hole – there’s little to see there now but overgrown weeds but the view from the Bowl Hole to the castle is important. The skeletons excavated from the Bowl Hole have now been interred in St Aidan’s Church in the village. You can visit the database for the Bamburgh Bones and learn about the individual skeletons. I’ve not included any photos from the osteoarchaeologist because I was too busy making notes, but it was fascinating to discover what can be discovered about the lives people led from their bones.

It was a fabulous week. Being allowed to ask as many questions as I wanted was fantastic, and I’d like to thank my fellow students, the Bamburgh Research Project Team, Dig Ventures, the Ad Gefrin Trust and all the specialists who shared their knowledge with us for contributing to the amazing experience.