Archaeology in Warwickshire
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| The Anglo-Saxons |
The Anglo-Saxons came originally from a wide area of north-western Europe, what is now The Netherlands, northern Germany and Denmark. They crossed the North Sea in open boats during the 5th Century seeking land on which to farm and settle. From the east coast of England the Anglo-Saxons spread slowly westwards. Recent research suggests that the Anglo-Saxons chose to settle in areas where there were existing communities of Romano-Britons. The two groups exchanged ideas and customs and eventually combined to form a new people.
This process began in what is now Warwickshire about AD 500. Although we have not found any evidence of settlements, several cemeteries have been excavated in the Avon valley, including sites at Bidford, Wasperton and Warwick, as well as in the Stour valley at Stretton-on-Fosse. These cemeteries were the burial places of small farming communities and contained the graves of men, women and children. It was the custom to bury men with their weapons, such as spears and shields, and women with their jewellery. These cemeteries remain in use for more than one hundred years, until the widespread adoption of Christianity led to burial elsewhere.
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