Sutton Hoo

Replica of the boat found in the burial mounds at Sutton Hoo

If you are like us, Sutton Hoo was not a place or a story we had either heard of, or interested ourselves in. Then we stumbled across the Netflix film The Dig and everything changed. We were inspired by the historical finds , the human effort to haul these boats from the river to the Royal burial grounds and also the human force what was Edith Pretty. This is not of course to diminish the role played by Basil Brown, so earthly cast and played by Ralph Fiennes.

We love English films and have rated Carey Mulligan , who played Edith Pretty , since she was first cast as Kitty Bennett in the film version of Pride and Prejudice, this being the reason we watched the film. The Dig has a cast which not only included Mulligan Fiennes , but Lilly James and Ken Stott , although his efforts as Rebus will never be matched. There is some artistic license taken with the film , as there always is, but it was a reasonably fair reflection of the events and characters involved from our reading.

So duly inspired we headed for Sutton Hoo as soon as we could.

 

The site has been refurbished with modern displays, catering and exhibitions, the most impressive being that the replica of the 90 ft long boat excavated from the burial mound of the King of the day, and shown in the image above. This in addition to the construction of a tower which will afford excellent views of the burial mounds when finally opened. . Many of the mounds have shrunk as the earth has settled, so this will help provide visual topographical context. Our VLOG below gives the visual context to the site.

Stood on the ground with the Tranmere residence at our back and looking down the hill towards the River Deben at Woodbridge, it takes considerable imagination to plot in your minds eye a gateway to the Anglo Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia. There are two medieval cemeteries here both significant in charting a period which has been lacking in historical and archaeological documentation previously.

The main story of the film concerns the excavation, as war looms in 1939, of what is believed to have been a royal burial mound, complete with a ship pulled from the river and buried with its owner as a representation of their importance both in this life and the hereafter. There are many significant artefacts , some even believed to have been diplomatic gifts from Scandinavia recovered.

Most iconic among the treasures is undoubtedly the Sutton Hoo helmet. Corroded and broken into more than one hundred fragments when the burial chamber collapsed, the helmet took many years work by the British Museum conservation team to reconstruct. 

Today, it is arguably the face of the Anglo-Saxon period.  Coins and other items found and dated suggest the burial was from round AD625

The new viewing tower at Sutton Hoo

Although there are impressive exhibitions relating to the finds at Sutton Hoo the main artefacts from the excavation are in the hands of the British Museum. An Inquest made the find the property of Edith Pretty , and there was debate as to whether the property should be located locally or in the Ipswich Museum but Edith Pretty felt that they were property of the nation and therefore gave them to the British Museum for exhibition.

We have focused on the main find from 1939 and the plot of the film but there have been longstanding archeological digs , some loosely named as such where others would call it grave robbing . For more details of this history please check out the National Trust site here https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-hoo/features/history-of-archaeology-at-sutton-hoo

There is something quintessentially English about this story , or at least the way the discovery unfolded but thankfully Edith Pretty was strong enough and knowledgable enough to navigate through the layers of bureaucracy and some would say pomposity associated with the times. Edith Pretty died in December 1942, before her time at the age of 59. Knowing about someone is to ensure they’re not forgotten. She was also born in Elland in Yorkshire , a short ride from our home of many years. Yorkshire people are stoic and resilient , knowing her history explains her success. We will not forget her.

For those who have not seen the film The Dig - there is a link to the Trailer below.

Kindest Regards

Helen and Martin