The Marlow Warlord - An Anglo-Saxon Burial

Site of the Marlow Warlord burial
Photograph: University of Reading

The discovery of a warrior burial in Berkshire, England, could change our understanding of southern Britain in the early Anglo-Saxon period. The burial of the aptly named “Marlow Warlord” was discovered on a hilltop affording views of the Thames valley. Archaeologists from the University of Reading have dated the burial to the late 5^th to early 6^th Century.

Isolated Burial

Unlike many burials of the time, the Marlow Warlord was not buried in a cemetery but set apart from the rest of the community directly overlooking the River Thames. He was buried along with a collection of expensive luxuries and weapons, including a sword in a decorated scabbard, spears, bronze and glass vessels, and other personal equipment.

The remains of the Marlow Warlord are unearthed. 

Photograph: University of Reading

The pagan burial had remained undiscovered for more than 1,400 years until metal detectorists Sue and Mick Washington of the Maidenhead Search Society came across it in 2018 and reported finding a copper alloy bowl to the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

"The nature of his burial and the site with views overlooking the Thames suggest he was a respected leader of a local tribe and had probably been a formidable warrior in his own right" – Professor Gabor Thomas, University of Reading.

Copper alloy bowl recovered from site
Photograph: University of Reading

A team led by the Department of Archaeology at the University of Reading conducted a full survey and excavation in August 2020. The burial was at a very shallow depth, making the excavation necessary to protect it from farming activity, especially ploughing.

Archaeologists conducted a targeted excavation to recover the very fragile bronze vessels and recovered a pair of iron spearheads which suggested it was likely to be an Anglo-Saxon grave.

Professor Thomas, a specialist in Early Medieval Archaeology at the University of Reading, said:

“We had expected to find some kind of Anglo-Saxon burial, but what we found exceeded all our expectations and provides new insights into this stretch of the Thames in the decades after the collapse of the Roman administration in Britain.”

This is the first burial of its kind found in the mid-Thames basin and suggests that the people living in this area may have been more important than historians previously suspected. The nature and location of his burial suggest he was a respected leader of a local tribe and a formidable warrior in his own right. Analysis of the human remains was carried out at the Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, to establish the man’s age, health, diet, and geographical origins.

Imposing Figure

Sword and scabbard found with the remains. 

Photograph: University of Reading

The ‘Marlow Warlord’ was in his late 40s/early 50s, 6’ – 2” to 6’ – 6” tall compared to the height of the average Anglo-Saxon male which was 5’ – 7”. Analysis of his skeleton and associated grave goods showed that he was right-handed, spent a long time riding a horse, and suffered from osteoarthritis.

For the first eight years of his life, he lived on a chalky site like where he was buried. His DNA indicated that he had come from across the sea from what is now Germany, Denmark, or the Netherlands.

Early Saxon Period

The early Anglo-Saxon period was one of great change in England with substantial levels of immigration from the continent. The collapse of the Roman administration around 400 AD created a vacuum which led to the formation of new identities and power structures.

At the time the Marlow Warlord lived, England was occupied by local tribal groupings, some of which extended into Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, such as Wessex, Mercia, and Kent. The region of the mid-Thames between London and Oxford was previously thought to be a ‘borderland’ with powerful tribal groups on each side. This new discovery implies that the area may have been populated by important groups of its own.

For more information see:

https://archive.reading.ac.uk/news-events/2020/October/pr848532.html

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