Identifying outdoor assembly sites in early medieval England

Abstract

Venues of outdoor assembly are an important type of archaeological site. Using the example of early medieval (Anglo-Saxon; 5th–11th centuries a.d.) meeting places in England we describe a new multidisciplinary method for identifying and characterizing such sites. This method employs place name studies, field survey, and phenomenological approaches such as viewshed, sound-mark, and landscape character recording. While each site may comprise a unique combination of landscape features, it is argued that by applying criteria of accessibility, distinctiveness, functionality, and location, important patterns in the characteristics of outdoor assembly places emerge. Our observations relating to Anglo-Saxon meeting places have relevance to other ephemeral sites. Archaeological fieldwork can benefit greatly by a rigorous application of evidence from place name studies and folklore/oral history to the question of outdoor assembly sites. Also, phenomenological approaches are important in assessing the choice of assembly places by past peoples.

Keywords:

• early medieval England
• hundreds
• assembly places
• place names
• temporary sites
• judicial governance
• phenomenology

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Andrew Reynolds, Barbara Yorke, and Jayne Carroll for reading and commenting on drafts of this manuscript. In addition, we would like to express our thanks to all those who have provided feedback on various aspects of the project at conferences and other public events. The Landscapes of Governance project website is: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/research/projects/assembly.

John Baker (Ph.D. 2001, University of Birmingham) is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham. His research interests include landscape history, and in particular the role of place names in multidisciplinary approaches.

Stuart Brookes (Ph.D. 2003, University College London) is Honorary Senior Lecturer at the UCL Institute of Archaeology and Research Associate in the Oxford University Faculty of History. His research interests include comparative landscape studies and state formation.