Sutton Hoo Anglo Saxon burial mounds 6 th

Sutton Hoo

Anglo Saxon burial mounds 6 th and early 7 th century grave-yard

Things to research #1 CONTENT Who/what/when are the Anglo-Saxons? Where IS Sutton Hoo? What is the National Trust? Why is Sutton Hoo so special?

King Raedwald Of East Anglia Burial place of a king?

Promenade performance An ‘Illustrated Tour’

Site- or location-specific performance For example: Gridiron Theatre Company Welfare State International Talking Birds Forced Entertainment

The show could include singing, dance, scenes, spectacle, slapstick, solos, duos, groups… Possibly puppets, banners, instruments, drumming, acrobatics - the lot!

Promenade Performance Illustrated Tour • • Things to research #2 FORM What is a promenade performance? Are they all the same? Can you find other examples based on heritage venues or historical stories? What are the implications of a promenade at a site like Sutton Hoo?

Extraordinary treasure & grave goods: food, a musical instrument, sword, helmet, money, clothing; gold jewellery. (The era was previously called ‘The Dark Ages’ and Sutton Hoo disproved that title. )

Her Say - the NT Sutton Hoo focus for 2018

Wife of King Raedwald NOT a Christian convert like her husband. We don’t know her name

Elizabeth 1 and Dr Dee This is speculation only!

Edith Pretty Her choice to have the mounds excavated

Peggy Piggot (Margaret Guido) A notable archeologist in her own right

Barbara Wagstaff and Mercie Lack Teachers on a photography holiday who struck lucky

Land army girls billeted in the house. They scratched their names into the stone fireplace.

Annie Tranmer who bought the house after the war & bequeathed it to the National Trust (it is now named after her) Very modest woman - nothing to be found on internet about her in person. Her daughter still happy to collaborate with National Trust.

Best guess This kind of archeology is either proven with evidence (like artifacts or photographs or coins with dates on) OR speculative - the most likely educated guess. On a tour it must be made clear what is proven fact and what is a best guess

Remember: FORM CONTENT

Top tip: Get hold of a copy of ‘The Dig’ by John Preston It’s a fictionalised version of the story of the excavation - so some of it is made a bit more dramatic, but it will give you a flavour of the time. It’s very short! Try your local library or buy a cheap second hand copy between a few of you. On Kindle it’s £ 2. 99 - which is less than a packet of fags.

Places to look: https: //www. nationaltrust. org. uk/sutton-hoo (Look at the sections about the mounds and the house in particular) http: //britishmuseum. org/pdf/Visit_AS_Sutton_Hoo_KS 2 b. pdf (Good for timeline as place as a burial mound) http: //earlybritishkingdoms. com/adversaries/bios/redwald. html (Info about Raedwald’s Queen) Wikipedia on Sutton Hoo; King Raedwald; Doctor Dee; Edith Pretty etc - follow up some of the references at the bottom of the sites!!