The Castle Eden
Beaker, now housed at the British Museum , is a classic example of what is commonly known as a ‘claw beaker’
– for obvious reasons – and is a remarkable survival of the early years of
Anglo-Saxon England. This exquisite
relic measures approximately 19cm in height by 9.5cm in diameter.
Dated to the late
5th century AD and of Frankish origin, it was unearthed under a
hedge near to St.James Church , Castle Eden, a little to the south of Peterlee, in 1775. The area, at the time being worked upon by
local landowner, Rowland Burdon (the church had been built only a few years
previously), was found by a humble estate worker. The base of the item was protruding out of
the ground when found.
The piece must
have been imported in the decades after the Roman legions left these shores –
perhaps as a possession of its migrant continental owner – and was carefully
buried as the sole grave good alongside its human partner as part of an
elaborate ceremony. It must have been a
highly treasured possession.
The item is made of pale greenish-blue
glass with blue trails. Both body and
claws are all ‘blown’, with the latter having been applied to the cooled body
as a lump of glass which was then blown into shape through the wall, drawn out
and reattached to the body. After its
discovery, it was passed down through various families and individuals, until
it arrived, still intact, at the British Museum in
1947.
It is the only
one of its kind to be found in England .
No comments:
Post a Comment