You will now have heard about the famous places intrinsically linked with our chosen era, such as Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, and Hastings in East Sussex. You may have visited The Jorvik Centre in York or Bede’s World at Jarrow, Tyne and Wear.

So why are we, being based in Southern Hampshire, miles from any of this, so inspired by this period?

The Venerable Bede tells us that is was the Jutish people (from Denmark) who settled in Kent, The Isle of Wight and Southern Hampshire from the 5th Century onwards. Although writing some centuries later, he even tells us the name of the tribe occupying the Meon Valley at this time, The Meonware. Given the time between these events and Bede’s recording of them we could say that his evidence is unreliable at best, but the archaeological record persuades us otherwise.

In this area we have amazing finds from many burial grounds including those at Alton, Apple Down (near Chichester), Winnall and Worthy Park (near Winchester), Portchester Castle, St Mary's Stadium (Southampton) and - famously for all of the buckets on 'Time Team' - Breamore. We also have finds from numerous sites both within and around the Meon Valley. Places like Horndean, Portsdown Hill, Droxford and Meonstoke are very local to us and have revealed some fascinating treasures from the burials of the period.

Excavations in the early 1970’s at Church Down, Chalton (near Clanfield) gave us a stunning example of a rare sixth/seventh century settlement site. Unfortunately the full report remains unpublished to this day, so we are able to glean very little about the finds, and as a result, the people who lived there. Preliminary Reports have revealed that the size of one of the halls excavated may suggest a Royal 'Vill' (or palace) parallel in status to those at Cheddar and Yeavering. Even without publication, the discovery of the settlement at Chalton placed Southern Hampshire well and truly on the 'Anglo-Saxon' map!

By piecing together the information from Bede and other literary sources, alongside the archaeological evidence that is available to us, and by considering current academic research for the area, we can begin to appreciate that in the time of our ancestors Southern Hampshire was a thriving province with valuable trading connections.

The possibility of the Royal Residence at Chalton inspires in us the hope that one day, a cemetery will be discovered and excavated locally that will give us the high status finds to rival those already preserved from Bede’s other Jutish Kingdoms of Kent and the Isle of Wight. If this hope also inspires you, then please read on!