Transformations of Identity and Society in Anglo-Saxon Essex

Alexander D. Mirrington is a specialist in the early medieval archaeology of north-western Europe. He earned his Doctorate in archaeology from the University of Nottingham in 2013 for his research on Anglo-Saxon Essex.

"Mirrington’s volume on changes in identity and society in early medieval Essex makes a valuable contribution to the archaeological study of this period. [...] There is much to recommend in this volume. The 44 maps showing the distributions of dress ornaments, pottery types, and coinage are very useful and represent a significant contribution to the archaeology of Essex. The book is well organized and clearly written, and Mirrington’s conclusions are well supported by the archaeological evidence that he presents. [...] Mirrington’s volume is an important contribution to the archaeology of early medieval Essex and its place in the North Atlantic community. I recommend it to readers who are interested in how material culture can be used to reconstruct changes in identity and society during this period in England."- Pam J. Crabtree, The Medieval Review, 21.10.11 (2021) "Alexander Mirrington has written an important history of Essex between the collapse of Roman Britain and the Norman Conquest from the perspective of archaeology, placed within a wider European context. One of its strengths is that it connects the archaeology of Essex with Anglo-Saxon London, thereby bridging a significant disciplinary divide in both history and archaeology which separates the history of London from its wider hinterland. The book will also be of value to local historians because it fills a significant gap in the early history of Essex. [...] [Mirrington] is to be congratulated."- Andrew Wareham, University of Roehampton, Speculum 96/3 (July 2021)

• Chapter 1: Introduction General introduction Topographical background of the Essex region The research context Group identity Trade, exchange and networks Social complexity Previous literature on Anglo-Saxon Essex / Previous work in the region Sources of evidence Dress accessories Pottery Coinage The quality of the evidence and limits of inference from excavated and unstratified data How this book is structured Major themes and findings Chapter 2: c.AD 400-650 Introduction Dress accessories, c.AD 400-c.650 Dress and identity in the 5th century Dress and identity in the early 5th century Late Roman military belt fittings 5th-century Continental imported brooches Dress accessories with Quoit-Brooch Style decoration Roman fashion Patterns of dress and fashion, c.AD 450-600 Beads Metal dress accessories AD c.450-c.600 'Saxon' dress among the 'East Saxons' 'Anglian' dress Other influences on regional fashion Francia Kent Changes in costume, c.AD 600-650 Kentish affiliation and the 'Final Phase', c.600-650 Conclusions A new picture of early medieval dress use in Essex Coinage use in 5th- and 6th-century Anglo-Saxon Essex The earliest evidence of coinage use Byzantine coins Reuse of Roman coins Coinage in Essex, c.AD 500-c.675 Tremisses and solidi Shillings Conclusions Pottery use in 5th- and 6th-century Essex Handmade local pottery Fabric, chronology and distribution Form Origins Imported French pottery Summary Discussion Dress and identity in Essex c.400-600 Results from the study of early dress in Essex The wider context of the construction of 'Anglo-Saxon' costume in the formation of Anglo-Saxon society in Essex A middle-way interpretation Early exchange systems evidenced by the use of material culture c. AD 400-600 5th-mid-7th-century coastal exchange Early exchange and the expression of elite status Summary Chapter 3: c.AD 650-c.800 Introduction Coinage c.AD 650-c. 800 Introduction Silver deniers English pale gold coinage Coinage in Essex, c.AD 675-c.760 Primary and intermediate phase sceattas (c.675-c.710) Secondary phase sceattas (c.710-c.760) Coinage from Essex Series B Series S Coinage from Kent Series A Series C Kentish secondary phase sceattas Coinage from London East Anglian coinage Mercian coinage Northumbrian coinage West Saxon coinage Continental sceattas Frisian Danish ?French (Quentovic) Coinage in Essex, c.760-c.850 Northumbrian stycas English broad flan pennies Mercian coinage Offa Conclusions Pottery The local pottery background Imported pottery Ipswich ware Rhenish wares French wares Conclusions Dress accessories c.AD 650-c.800 Dress and the reflection of maritime identities Conclusions General discussion The end of regional styles and its implications An alternative explanation Contemporary landing places and sites of exchange in Essex Tilbury Barking North-west Essex Lashley Wood / Green Canvey Island / Benfleet Creek ?Goldhanger Creek Great Bromley Bradwell Fingringhoe Little Oakley, Great Oakley, and the Harwich area Summary and conclusions The expansion of the coastal network in the 7th and 8th centuries The evidence and conclusions from the present study Exchange hubs and the relationship between town and country Conclusions Chapter 4: c.AD 800-1066 Introduction Dress in Essex c.AD 800-1066 Disc brooches (9th-11th-centuries) Strap-ends and the adoption of new art styles (9th-11th-centuries) Lobed disc brooches (11th-century) Scandinavian cultural affiliations The first phase of Scandinavian rule (c.AD 877-917) The second phase of Scandinavian rule (c.1016-42) Summary Coinage c.800-1066 Coinage c.AD 800-50 Mercian coinage after Offa, 796-c.850 West Saxon coinage, c.800-50 Coinage in Essex, c.850-973 West Saxon and Danelaw coinage, c.11