It was with a sense of anticipation I rose early to drive to the West Stow Anglo Saxon Village for the AGM of the Bead Society of Great Britain. Having last attended in 2023 when they were holding the AGM in Norwich Castle, I knew it would be an opportunity to indulge in my beady passion. I was looking forward to catching up with some of the other members, seeing the incredible finds that members brought to 'show and tell' as well as having the opportunity to listen to Sue Heaser discuss her research on Anglo Saxon beads and watch a live demonstration of her creating these lamp-worked beads.
The West Stow site has uncovered artefacts from intermittent human habitation dating from the Mesolithic through Neolithic, Bronze age, Iron age as well as the Romano-British periods but, is most well known for the Anglo Saxon occupation between 420 and 650 AD. Many of the finds are on display in the comprehensive museum on the site. The site is of particular interest as, after the excavations in the 1950's and 1960's, an Anglo Saxon village was reconstructed by Cambridge undergraduates using experimental archaeology techniques in the 1970s. The village offers a realistic depiction of everyday life for the people living during the Anglo Saxon period in England.
Inside one of the thatched huts.
Display of early Saxon finds including a long string of glass beads.
Roman jewellery including pins
I recommend joining the Bead Society of Great Britain for their journal if you have an interest in beads as the articles cover a variety of subject matter, including historical articles. And do check out Sue Heaser's work (the front image of this blog post is of her lampwork beads) if you are curious about the material culture of the Anglo Saxons based in England. Front image by Sue Heaser.