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No.46 - January 2001 | Contex HOME LECTURE REPORT Anglo-Saxon
Warfare and Weaponry In June, 2000, Dr Richard Underwood gave a hugely entertaining and informative talk on Anglo-Saxon warfare and weaponry, drawing not only on his academic researches but also his personal experience over eighteen years as a re-enactor of 6th century skirmishes. He described how over the years he has come to appreciate the choice of flat terrain and a brief exchange of hostilities, not least because of the sheer weight of arms and armour. He had been prompted to look behind archaeological finds of the period to move through "how were the articles made?" to "how were they used?" To demonstrate these arguments to COLAS, Dr Underwood arrived fully dressed and equipped as a Anglo-Saxon noble warrior - a noble because the rank and file would not have the advantage of the full kit but be dependent on shield and spear only (even that limited armoury a privilege of status as only free men were permitted to carry spears), or carry the specialised equipment of the archer. Evidence for the weaponry comes from grave goods from the earlier pre-Christian period, manuscripts such as the Cotton Tiberius and illustrations such as the Frank’s casket - leaving many gaps in knowledge to be filled by experimental work. We were shown, with gusto and humour, the significant properties of the armour and weaponry. These included: Shield: Poplar willow is favoured as resistant to splitting, with iron boss and grip. The face, curved or flat, is covered in leather. Rawhide is boiled until soft then applied to the rim. A modern day source of rawhide? Dog chews! Large shields while clumsy in single combat were designed for use en masse, as shown in the Bayeaux Tapestry. Francisca: A curved, heavy throwing axe with a range of about forty feet and an unpredictable bounce, designed to inflict maximum damage on impact even if it failed to cut. Sword: The sword blade was made from the very small pieces of iron that 6th century technology could produce, melded together to produce the metal patterns cited in heroic tales. Despite its strength, a blade could blunt and bend in use. Our lecturer demonstrated the broad sword, balanced for hacking at undefended parts of the body: 1.
Cut down to head. The evidence for use from practical trials is supported by the battle scars on skeletons. Hilts were probably usually just wood - cheap and expendable in comparison with the precious blade - and so lost to the record. The gold and jewels of the Sutton Hoo example would not have been risked in battle. The Vikings introduced a tapering blade and more metal hilts, shifting the balance of the weapon nearer to the hand allowing for more finesse in use, including the opportunity to fence and parry. Helmets: As only four have been found in England, it is likely that metal helmets were rare and only for the richest warriors. The cutting edge of 6th century technology is represented in the solid iron bowl of the Sutton Hoo helmet. A more common design across all of northern Europe is of riveted plates attached to a highly decorated browband. The boar crest of legend is seen in two of the English examples. Mail shirt: Sutton Hoo is the source of the only ring mail shirt found in England, also known from literature. A Danish find demonstrates the extraordinary amount of work required to protect one warrior, and the method of construction: 20,000 links, made by wrapping the metal round a former and cutting it into rings, then overlapped and linked together. The shirt - its weight of two stone being supported on a waist belt - is worn over a padded tunic. In battle, the mail shirt is effective against sword blows but less so against spear thrusts, which can break open the links - and then compound the wound damage by pushing metal fragments into the pierced flesh. Shoes: We learnt that these simple leather articles last a maximum of two years in a weekend re-enactment wear; but that as they take only two hours to make, their frequent replacement would have not proved problematic for 6th century active service. "… Their
mail shirts glinted, hard and hand-linked; the high gloss iron of
their armour rang. So they duly arrived in their grim war-graith
and gear at the hall, and, weary from the sea, stacked wide shields
of the toughest hardwood against the wall, then collapsed on the
benches; battle dress and weapons clashed. They collected their spears
in a seafarer’s stook, a stand of greyish tapering ash …" Dr Underwood's informed illustration allowed us to see and feel that war gear. Anglo-Saxon
Weapons & Warfare |
Spear: Although
difficult to be sure from the remains found, Dr Underwood suggested
average length between 6 feet 6 inches and 7 feet 6 inches (he was
unrepentantly pre-decimal in all his quantities), which would permit
flexibility of use: good control and poor reach underarm - vice versa
overarm.