Thegns of Mercia
@thegns.bsky.social
Sending Britain back to the “Dark Ages”.
A not-for-profit educational living-history group dedicated to promoting interest in, and celebrating the diverse cultures of late-antiquity / early medieval lowland Britain / the broadest-sense ‘Anglo-Saxon’ period
A not-for-profit educational living-history group dedicated to promoting interest in, and celebrating the diverse cultures of late-antiquity / early medieval lowland Britain / the broadest-sense ‘Anglo-Saxon’ period
Child’s Silver Neck-Ring (c6th) — a simple symbol of status, or something darker? #findsfridsy
This neck ring was found in the burial of a child in the piecemeal-excavated early #AngloSaxon cemetery at Ruskington Lincolnshire. (Displayed at Lincoln Museum).
Rare #archaeology finds, such collars…
This neck ring was found in the burial of a child in the piecemeal-excavated early #AngloSaxon cemetery at Ruskington Lincolnshire. (Displayed at Lincoln Museum).
Rare #archaeology finds, such collars…
September 26, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Child’s Silver Neck-Ring (c6th) — a simple symbol of status, or something darker? #findsfridsy
This neck ring was found in the burial of a child in the piecemeal-excavated early #AngloSaxon cemetery at Ruskington Lincolnshire. (Displayed at Lincoln Museum).
Rare #archaeology finds, such collars…
This neck ring was found in the burial of a child in the piecemeal-excavated early #AngloSaxon cemetery at Ruskington Lincolnshire. (Displayed at Lincoln Museum).
Rare #archaeology finds, such collars…
A princely belt from early C7th Kent — thanks to member Phil Ratcliffe.
Replica of the Faversham buckle (found in c19th & displayed in the British Museum @britishmuseum.bsky.social) by Danegeld Historic Jewellery. Belt by member @aedthompson.bsky.social woven from plant dyed wools, on leather.
Replica of the Faversham buckle (found in c19th & displayed in the British Museum @britishmuseum.bsky.social) by Danegeld Historic Jewellery. Belt by member @aedthompson.bsky.social woven from plant dyed wools, on leather.
September 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
A princely belt from early C7th Kent — thanks to member Phil Ratcliffe.
Replica of the Faversham buckle (found in c19th & displayed in the British Museum @britishmuseum.bsky.social) by Danegeld Historic Jewellery. Belt by member @aedthompson.bsky.social woven from plant dyed wools, on leather.
Replica of the Faversham buckle (found in c19th & displayed in the British Museum @britishmuseum.bsky.social) by Danegeld Historic Jewellery. Belt by member @aedthompson.bsky.social woven from plant dyed wools, on leather.
bishop Maximian, deacons, other court officials and armed soldiers flanking Emperor Justinian in an idealised / legible, but clearly non-liturgical scene, suggesting the bending of these rules when it came to public ceremony — the vestments used to make the priests recognisable.
For our c7th priest…
For our c7th priest…
June 20, 2025 at 11:20 AM
bishop Maximian, deacons, other court officials and armed soldiers flanking Emperor Justinian in an idealised / legible, but clearly non-liturgical scene, suggesting the bending of these rules when it came to public ceremony — the vestments used to make the priests recognisable.
For our c7th priest…
For our c7th priest…
Absent from depictions but emerging as a clerical vestment later, in the 8th century, a fabric girdle or ‘cincture’ may have been used, again originally for purely practical reasons, to gather and belt the dalmatic when necessary.
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Absent from depictions but emerging as a clerical vestment later, in the 8th century, a fabric girdle or ‘cincture’ may have been used, again originally for purely practical reasons, to gather and belt the dalmatic when necessary.
we have explored the possibility that the tunic could be cinched up on the shoulders using internal ties, bringing the sleeves up from the wrists.
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
we have explored the possibility that the tunic could be cinched up on the shoulders using internal ties, bringing the sleeves up from the wrists.
it is likely that the precious & expensively dyed clavii would often be recycled & sewn onto new vestments, as with the madder-dyed diamond twill wool clavii here.
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
it is likely that the precious & expensively dyed clavii would often be recycled & sewn onto new vestments, as with the madder-dyed diamond twill wool clavii here.
…woven in. But how might early-mid AS textile workers have emulated this style with their own fabrics and techniques to clothe leaders of the new Anglo-Saxon church?
This dalmatic preserves the over-wide body of the Coptic-cut tunic but with stubby sleeves sewn on rather than woven in…
This dalmatic preserves the over-wide body of the Coptic-cut tunic but with stubby sleeves sewn on rather than woven in…
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
…woven in. But how might early-mid AS textile workers have emulated this style with their own fabrics and techniques to clothe leaders of the new Anglo-Saxon church?
This dalmatic preserves the over-wide body of the Coptic-cut tunic but with stubby sleeves sewn on rather than woven in…
This dalmatic preserves the over-wide body of the Coptic-cut tunic but with stubby sleeves sewn on rather than woven in…
With the church putting down roots in Britain, the clerical costume quickly needed to be adapted to the native textile culture of lowland Britain and its colder climate.
On top of the white linen alb (an adapted Coptic-cut tunic of fine linen) the next layer of priest’s garb was…
On top of the white linen alb (an adapted Coptic-cut tunic of fine linen) the next layer of priest’s garb was…
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
With the church putting down roots in Britain, the clerical costume quickly needed to be adapted to the native textile culture of lowland Britain and its colder climate.
On top of the white linen alb (an adapted Coptic-cut tunic of fine linen) the next layer of priest’s garb was…
On top of the white linen alb (an adapted Coptic-cut tunic of fine linen) the next layer of priest’s garb was…
…as, essentially, late Roman senatorial dress. Many clerical garments would later shift to being exclusively for liturgical use, but in this early period are likely to have been more practical and intended to make the priest visually distinguishable.
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
…as, essentially, late Roman senatorial dress. Many clerical garments would later shift to being exclusively for liturgical use, but in this early period are likely to have been more practical and intended to make the priest visually distinguishable.
scarcely visually depicted in contemporary sources.
Clues from 6-7th century mosaics in Italy provide a starting point, together with evangelist depictions in some of the earliest Anglo-Saxon illuminated manuscripts. Clerical vestments had only recently begun to diverge from their origins…
Clues from 6-7th century mosaics in Italy provide a starting point, together with evangelist depictions in some of the earliest Anglo-Saxon illuminated manuscripts. Clerical vestments had only recently begun to diverge from their origins…
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
scarcely visually depicted in contemporary sources.
Clues from 6-7th century mosaics in Italy provide a starting point, together with evangelist depictions in some of the earliest Anglo-Saxon illuminated manuscripts. Clerical vestments had only recently begun to diverge from their origins…
Clues from 6-7th century mosaics in Italy provide a starting point, together with evangelist depictions in some of the earliest Anglo-Saxon illuminated manuscripts. Clerical vestments had only recently begun to diverge from their origins…
7-8th century Anglo-Saxon priest (team member James Wenn). “Dalmatic” by Æd Thompson.
Previously we shared the foundations of James’ work to reconstruct a plausible image of the Gregorian missionaries and first bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church whose deeds are well documented but… 🧵
Previously we shared the foundations of James’ work to reconstruct a plausible image of the Gregorian missionaries and first bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church whose deeds are well documented but… 🧵
May 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
7-8th century Anglo-Saxon priest (team member James Wenn). “Dalmatic” by Æd Thompson.
Previously we shared the foundations of James’ work to reconstruct a plausible image of the Gregorian missionaries and first bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church whose deeds are well documented but… 🧵
Previously we shared the foundations of James’ work to reconstruct a plausible image of the Gregorian missionaries and first bishops of the Anglo-Saxon church whose deeds are well documented but… 🧵
Rather than a direct copy of the Obenaltendorf pattern they were adapted to fit the specific wearers feet, as was likely done historically. The mouldability of historic leather ensures such shoes become more comfortable over time, though, lacking a thicker sole, they can wear out relatively quickly.
May 8, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Rather than a direct copy of the Obenaltendorf pattern they were adapted to fit the specific wearers feet, as was likely done historically. The mouldability of historic leather ensures such shoes become more comfortable over time, though, lacking a thicker sole, they can wear out relatively quickly.
…in a late 6th century furnished grave in Oberflacht, Germany. This earlier style of shoe was therefore judged to be a better fit for Marc’s developing early 6th century Anglo-British impression. These shoes were made from one piece of leather & feature tunnel-stitching at the heel. …
May 8, 2025 at 12:16 PM
…in a late 6th century furnished grave in Oberflacht, Germany. This earlier style of shoe was therefore judged to be a better fit for Marc’s developing early 6th century Anglo-British impression. These shoes were made from one piece of leather & feature tunnel-stitching at the heel. …
…turnshoes (shown below) scarce across early #AngloSaxon #archaeology with most remains belonging to the c7th (eg. The pair(s) from Sutton Hoo Mound 1) or later, it’s likely that the earlier carbatinae/bog-shoe style persisted into the early AS period, as evidenced by the presence of a pair…
May 8, 2025 at 12:16 PM
…turnshoes (shown below) scarce across early #AngloSaxon #archaeology with most remains belonging to the c7th (eg. The pair(s) from Sutton Hoo Mound 1) or later, it’s likely that the earlier carbatinae/bog-shoe style persisted into the early AS period, as evidenced by the presence of a pair…
One-piece shoes by member Marc Smith based upon the 3rd-4th century shoes found at Obenaltendorf, Germany in 1895. Shoes of this type — represented by many finds from anaerobic bogs (so sometimes called “bog shoes”) — were used across Europe during the #IronAge & #MigrationPeriod…
May 8, 2025 at 12:16 PM
One-piece shoes by member Marc Smith based upon the 3rd-4th century shoes found at Obenaltendorf, Germany in 1895. Shoes of this type — represented by many finds from anaerobic bogs (so sometimes called “bog shoes”) — were used across Europe during the #IronAge & #MigrationPeriod…
Furnished burial ended not long after the arrival of this fashion, but our few pictorial depictions of seaxes (such as from the St Andrews Sarcophagus in Scotland) suggest this became the predominant style of seax sheath through mid-late Anglo-Saxon period.
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Furnished burial ended not long after the arrival of this fashion, but our few pictorial depictions of seaxes (such as from the St Andrews Sarcophagus in Scotland) suggest this became the predominant style of seax sheath through mid-late Anglo-Saxon period.
…together with various metalworking tools and a seax hilt fitting, suggesting that sheaths of this style had begun to be manufactured, or at least refitted in Britain. Identical rivets were found with a seax from Shrubland Hall Quarry, Coddenham, Suffolk.
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
…together with various metalworking tools and a seax hilt fitting, suggesting that sheaths of this style had begun to be manufactured, or at least refitted in Britain. Identical rivets were found with a seax from Shrubland Hall Quarry, Coddenham, Suffolk.
The rivets / studs (which may have doubled as strap attachment points) were often decorated with animal-style-II motifs, but a set of rivets with a triskele design like the ones shown (cast by our friend Andrew Mason) were found in ‘the smiths grave’ at Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire…
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
The rivets / studs (which may have doubled as strap attachment points) were often decorated with animal-style-II motifs, but a set of rivets with a triskele design like the ones shown (cast by our friend Andrew Mason) were found in ‘the smiths grave’ at Tattershall Thorpe, Lincolnshire…
….the 7th century Cuthbert / Stonyhurst Gospel - our best surviving exemplar of early Anglo-Saxon decorative leatherwork. ….
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
….the 7th century Cuthbert / Stonyhurst Gospel - our best surviving exemplar of early Anglo-Saxon decorative leatherwork. ….
Matt added simple tooled decoration, evidenced, for example, on a sheath of an early seax from Ozengell Kent. The tooled design at the mouth of the sheath reflects the twisted rods combined to form the blade, and the leather’s vibrant colour is inspired by the cover of….
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Matt added simple tooled decoration, evidenced, for example, on a sheath of an early seax from Ozengell Kent. The tooled design at the mouth of the sheath reflects the twisted rods combined to form the blade, and the leather’s vibrant colour is inspired by the cover of….
Mineralised remains on blades show two different approaches were used for sheaths of large seaxes; either thicker leather was moulded, folded and stitched or riveted along the blade edge, or alternatively, a fur-lined wooden core was wrapped in thinner leather — analogous to sword scabbards…
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Mineralised remains on blades show two different approaches were used for sheaths of large seaxes; either thicker leather was moulded, folded and stitched or riveted along the blade edge, or alternatively, a fur-lined wooden core was wrapped in thinner leather — analogous to sword scabbards…
This large slaughter-knife (‘wælseax’), previously shared, features an intricately twist-welded blade forged by Matthijs himself; an uncommon feature on early seaxes but one for which there is growing evidence as more blades are radiographed. …
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
This large slaughter-knife (‘wælseax’), previously shared, features an intricately twist-welded blade forged by Matthijs himself; an uncommon feature on early seaxes but one for which there is growing evidence as more blades are radiographed. …
Sheath for a 7th century broadseax; a project by member Matthijs Demedts, inspired by various finds but particularly Dover Buckland grave 93. Cast rivets (Tattershall Thorpe and Shrubland Hall Coddenham) by Andrew Mason. 🧵
April 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Sheath for a 7th century broadseax; a project by member Matthijs Demedts, inspired by various finds but particularly Dover Buckland grave 93. Cast rivets (Tattershall Thorpe and Shrubland Hall Coddenham) by Andrew Mason. 🧵
Thegns of Mercia at Sutton Hoo in summer 2024; we will return in spring 2025! (Date to be announced). Pictured; members Æd and Andrew Thompson, photo credit: AHLewis.
#earlymedieval #medieval #anglosaxon (cooler than #viking #vikings) #migrationperiod #livinghistory #archaeology #reenactment
#earlymedieval #medieval #anglosaxon (cooler than #viking #vikings) #migrationperiod #livinghistory #archaeology #reenactment
February 27, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Thegns of Mercia at Sutton Hoo in summer 2024; we will return in spring 2025! (Date to be announced). Pictured; members Æd and Andrew Thompson, photo credit: AHLewis.
#earlymedieval #medieval #anglosaxon (cooler than #viking #vikings) #migrationperiod #livinghistory #archaeology #reenactment
#earlymedieval #medieval #anglosaxon (cooler than #viking #vikings) #migrationperiod #livinghistory #archaeology #reenactment
Proud to announce that work by Thegns of Mercia members has featured in the British Museum’s innovative ‘Silk Roads’ temporary exhibition, which shares our goal of promoting awareness of the cultural richness, diversity and interconnectedness of the early medieval world. …🧵
December 21, 2024 at 4:31 PM
Proud to announce that work by Thegns of Mercia members has featured in the British Museum’s innovative ‘Silk Roads’ temporary exhibition, which shares our goal of promoting awareness of the cultural richness, diversity and interconnectedness of the early medieval world. …🧵