In 2016, archaeologists excavated an Anglo-Saxon royal palace and settlement in Rendlesham, located just 3.7 miles from the famous Sutton Hoo Cemetery in Suffolk, England. Continued work over the years has yielded a series of fascinating finds, revealing more about the kingdom of East Anglian and a likely link between the palace and the well-known burial site.
Professor Christopher Scull, an Honorary Visiting Professor at University College London and University of Cardiff and the academic leader of the project called Rendlesham Revealed: Anglo-Saxon Life in South-East Suffolk, said that “Rendlesham and Sutton Hoo in their wider landscape promises new insights into the early kingdom of East Anglia, its people and rulers, and the wider English and North Sea worlds of which they were a part. ”That community archeology project would run from 2020-2024 and included the exploration of lesser known sites in the Deben Valley, in the hope to provide more context for the great discoveries at Sutton Hoo and Rendlesham.
Top: an incomplete copper alloy early medieval (Anglo-Saxon) mount, dating from 450-700 AD. (Suffolk County Council / CC BY 2.0) Bottom: an early medieval (Anglo-Saxon) silver sceat (proto-penny), dating from 680-710 AD. (Suffolk County Council / CC BY 2.0) Both artifacts were found in Rendlesham.
The Royal Palace at Rendlesham and the link to Sutton Hoo
The Suffolk Heritage Explorer website, which provides in-depth coverage of the excavations at the royal settlement of Rendlesham, reports that “after 12 years of archaeological research, the site of the early East Anglian royal settlement at Rendlesham has been identified, first mentioned in the 7th century. by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Bede wrote, “Swithelm, the son of Seaxbald, was the successor of Sigeberht. He was baptized by Cedd in East Anglia, in the royal village called Rendlesham, that is, the residence of Rendil. King Aethelwold of East Anglia, the brother King Anna, the previous king of the East Angles, was his sponsor. ”
Rendlesham is close to Sutton Hoo Cemetery, known for its undisturbed ship burial, beautiful Anglo-Saxon helmet and wealth of ornate artifacts of exceptional historical and archaeological significance. It is one of the most famous discoveries ever made in Britain and has recently returned to popular attention following the release of the movie ‘The Dig’ on Netflix. Sutton Hoo is the speculated burial place of a king who lived in Rendlesham.
Replica of Anglo-Saxon mask discovered at Sutton Hoo. (Bill Tyne / CC BY-SA 2.0 )
In 2016, Rendlesham’s project coordinator Faye Minter reported that her team had discovered the remains of a 23m by 9m structure that could once have been a royal hall or palace. She concluded that it was possible that there are other royal tombs similar to Sutton Hoo, which was first excavated in 1939 and dates back to the 7th century. It consists of about 20 burial mounds, and the excavations have revealed many fascinating and impressive treasures. The researchers hope to find more graves that could have been located along the Deben River.
This LIDAR survey shows the main Anglo-Saxon areas in Rendlesham, including the main residence area. (Suffolk Archaeological Service / Colchester + Ipswich Museums)
“We’ve discovered what we think is a large Anglo-Saxon hall, what could be the palace itself, if you can call it that,” said Faye Minter [ via BBC ]. “We are confident that we have found a royal settlement of very high standing, and I assume it would be a great hall rather than a palace, as it occurs to us.”
As the researchers announced at the 2016 conference in Bury St Edmunds, the remains of the palace cover an area of 50 acres and were discovered through aerial photography analysis and geophysical surveys.
To date, more than 4,000 items have been found in Rendlesham, including intricate metalwork, coins and weights. However, only about 1,000 of them are Anglo-Saxon. According to Dr. Helen Geake of the British Museum, the discovery of the palace was an “incredibly exciting” moment.
Finds of high quality jewelry indicate that Rendlesham was likely a royal residence. (Rendlesham rediscovered )
More hidden archeology in the region
The researchers hypothesize that there may be a few more palaces or halls like the one in Rendlesham or that there are graves in the area, which is why excavations have continued in the region. The king is said to have traveled through his kingdom to display his power, greatness and charisma, therefore it seems logical to have many palaces for him to settle in the area that belonged to him. Finds made during the excavations can also provide more context for the Rendlesham Palace and Sutton Hoo in the early medieval communities and local landscape to which they belonged.
In 2018, excavations offered archaeologists the discovery of treasures in the form of Roman coins, gold jewelry fragments and a massive silver ingot from the Viking or Anglo-Saxon period. Those artifacts were found near Woodbridge. Minter told BBC News that the finds “add to the picture of what we have for that 7th century site of high standing [Rendlesham]. ”
Anglo-Saxon band end with Borre style decoration and silver ingot as evidence of metalwork in Rendlesham. (Suffolk County Council Archeology Service / Colchester + Ipswich Museums)
Top image: Sutton Hoo burial mound ( Public domain ). Insert: A gold and garnet bead discovered in the royal settlement of Rendlesham. ( Rendlesham rediscovered )
Updated February 4, 2021.