Grantanbrycg

25/09/2026

Røríkr Comes to Horningsea

There would have been little warning. A sail on the river, the steady beat of oars, and then armed strangers stepping ashore. By the time the alarm was raised at Horningsea, the Northmen had come.

In AD 870, Røríkr Kǫtvasunr, Røríkr son of Kǫtvi, came to Horningsea at the head of a band of raiders. They had crossed the sea in search of wealth, reputation and whatever else could be persuaded from the English at spear-point.

The Anglo-Saxon minster beside the River Cam offered tempting plunder. Its treasures could be carried away, and its community of clergy probably seemed unlikely to offer much resistance.

Røríkr and his men struck the minster, seized what they could and began their journey back towards their ship. They had even acquired one particularly unwilling piece of additional baggage: Brother Wilfrid.

Unfortunately for Røríkr, the local English fyrd had been raised. With their route to the river blocked, Røríkr found himself face to face with the English. Words were exchanged. Threats were made. Neither side proved especially receptive to the other's argument. What followed was settled in the customary fashion, with spear, shield and sword.

Røríkr is our character, but the world we place him in was very real. Horningsea had an important religious community in the Anglo-Saxon period, and tradition records its destruction during the Danish attacks of AD 870. For the people living beside the waterways of East Anglia, a sail appearing on the river could bring strangers, trade and news from distant places. In troubled times, it could bring something altogether darker. Armed men coming ashore could mean the loss of possessions, freedom and life, and leave a community changed long after their ship had disappeared back down the river.

Behind Røríkr is Elliot Bishop, one of our Grantanbrycg members and our Training Officer. Elliot normally has the rather more respectable responsibility of training our members in the safe use of weapons and preparing them for the combat displays you see at our events. At Horningsea, however, he crossed to the other side. As Røríkr, he led the Northmen ashore, faced the local fyrd and helped us bring one small part of Horningsea's turbulent past back to life.

And, of course, he made Brother Wilfrid's final day considerably worse.

21/09/2026

The Last Day of Brother Wilfrid

Brother Wilfrid had probably imagined that his life would end quietly.

As one of the community of clergy at the Anglo-Saxon minster of Horningsea, his days would have followed the familiar rhythms of prayer and work. The minster stood close to the River Cam, serving both God and the people who lived around it.

But the river that connected Horningsea to the wider world could also bring danger.

In AD 870, the Northmen came.

The historical record tells us that Horningsea had a substantial religious community at this time, and tradition records the minster being attacked during the Danish raids that devastated East Anglia.

Our Brother Wilfrid was not among those fortunate enough to escape.

Captured as the Northmen plundered the minster, he was dragged away along with the church treasure. The local English fyrd intercepted the raiders before they could make good their escape, and for a moment Wilfrid might have thought deliverance was at hand.

Unfortunately, his captors had other ideas.

Threatened, manhandled and eventually carried bodily from the field, Wilfrid discovered that being a man of God offered remarkably little protection from a Northman with a sword.

His final moments may have provided some amusement for the watching crowd, but the history behind our performance was rather less amusing. Raids such as this brought violence, destruction and death to religious communities across Anglo-Saxon England. For the real people who witnessed them, there was nothing theatrical about the arrival of armed men from the sea.

So while Brother Wilfrid is our character, his story represents something very real.

And if our Wilfrid's final moments were perhaps a little less dignified than those normally expected of a martyr, we shall remember him kindly.

Requiescat in pace, Brother Wilfrid.

15/09/2026

Last weekend Grantanbrycg were at Horningsea for a weekend of Anglo-Saxon life, craft, food and fighting.

The peace did not last long. A band of Viking raiders struck the local church, seized its treasure and carried off one of the monks before making for their longboat on the river.

Their escape was not to be so easy. The local English fyrd, led by their lord Wulfstan, gathered to block the raiders’ path and recover what had been taken. What followed was a hard-fought clash as Wulfstan and the fyrd attempted to rescue the captive monk, reclaim the church treasure and drive the Vikings back to their ship.

Away from the fighting, visitors could explore many other aspects of early medieval life, including food and herbs, fishing and river life, clothing, equipment and everyday crafts.

With the longboat moored on the river, Horningsea also provided a particularly fitting setting to explore how important waterways were for travel, trade and, of course, raiding.

A few photographs from a very enjoyable weekend. Thank you to everyone who came along, spoke to our members and joined us as the story unfolded.

The fyrd was called, the raiders were met, and Horningsea was defended.

05/09/2026

On Saturday and Sunday, 12-13 September, from 10am, Viking re-enactors from Grantanbrycg, a Cambridge-based Viking, Anglo Saxon, and Norman re-enactment and living history group, will row the longboat The Bear upstream from Clayhithe to Horningsea.

If you live locally and want something to do next weekend them come and see us (see below).

There will also be a free panel discussion.

21/08/2026

The beginning of the Charm of the Nine Herbs in the Lacnunga a late 10th- or early 11th-century Anglo-Saxon manuscript collection of nearly 200 medical recipes, herbal remedies, magical charms. Translated from Old Engl.ish

Remember, Mugwort, what you made known,

What you arranged at the Great proclamation.

You were called Una, the oldest of herbs,
you have power against three and against thirty,
you have power against poison and against infection,
you have power against the loathsome foe roving through the land.
And you, Plantain, mother of herbs,

Open from the east, mighty inside.
over you chariots creaked, over you queens rode,
over you brides cried out, over you bulls snorted.

You withstood all of them, you dashed against them.

May you likewise withstand poison and infection
and the loathsome foe roving through the land.

'Stune' is the name of this herb, it grew on a stone,
it stands up against poison, it dashes against poison

Nettle (?) it is called, it attacks against poison,
it drives out the hostile one, it casts out poison.

This is the herb that fought against the serpent,
it has power against poison, it has power against infection,
it has power against the loathsome foe roving through the land.

Put to flight now, Venom-loather, the greater poisons,
though you are the lesser, until he is cured of both.

Remember, Chamomile, what you made known,
what you accomplished at Alorford,
that never a man should lose his life from infection
after Chamomile was prepared for his food.

This is the herb that is called 'Wergulu'.
A seal sent it across the sea-right,
a vexation to poison, a help to others.
it stands against pain, it dashes against poison,

A worm came crawling, it killed nothing.

For Woden took nine glory-twigs,
he smote the adder that it flew apart into nine parts.
There the Apple accomplished it against poison
that she [the loathsome serpent] would never dwell in the house.

21/08/2026

Herbs in Anglo-Saxon England

Herbs were much more than simple flavourings in Anglo-Saxon life. They played a central role finding their way into healing traditions, brewing, dyes, perfumes and even religious and symbolic practices. Some were carefully cultivated in gardens, particularly in monasteries, while many were gathered from hedgerows, woodland edges and meadows. Plants such as sage, fennel, dill, mugwort and plantain would have been familiar sights, valued for a wide range of practical uses.

One of the most remarkable survivals from the period is the Nine Herbs Charm, preserved in the Lacnunga. This Old English text weaves together herbal knowledge, Christian prayer and older beliefs, illustrating how the Anglo-Saxons understood the natural world. To them, herbs were not simply useful plants, but part of a wider relationship between people, the landscape and the unseen forces that shaped everyday life.

One of our own Grantanbrycg members has developed a dedicated Anglo-Saxon herb display, showcasing a wide variety of historically significant plants alongside their Old English names, traditional uses and fascinating stories. Displays like this help bring those stories to life. It is a wonderful way of helping visitors discover the rich and often overlooked world of Anglo-Saxon herbal lore, and is always worth taking the time to explore when you visit our camp.

Whether the display also holds the secret to curing a warrior's headache after one ale too many is another matter entirely. We suspect our warriors are still conducting their own research…

You can find Grantanbrycg at our upcoming events:
• 29-31 August – Detling Military Odyssey
• 5 September – Stourbridge Fair
• 12-13 September – Vikings Raid, Horningsea
• 26-27 September – Sherwood Pines
• 10-11 October – Battle of Hastings
Come along and discover that Anglo-Saxon life was about far more than shields and spears. There will be food, crafts, fishing, herbal lore, living history and, of course, plenty of opportunities to ask questions of our members.

14/08/2026

Tīma is tō æfenmete!

A simple bowl perhaps, but one that brings together many of the flavours and ingredients available in early medieval England. Today's meal features slow cooked mutton braised in a rich gruit ale, served with a hearty pottage of barley, peas and broad beans.

Barley was one of the staple grains of the Anglo-Saxons, while peas and broad beans provided valuable protein and were among the most common crops grown across the country. The ale itself is flavoured with traditional gruit herbs rather than hops, reflecting the way many brews were seasoned before hopped b**r became widespread.

It is served with leavened maslin bread, made from a mixture of wheat and rye, accompanied by soft sheep's cheese. Maslin bread was a common everyday loaf, combining the qualities of both grains, while sheep's cheese would have been a familiar source of dairy across much of England.

We chose mutton rather than lamb because sheep were generally kept for many years to provide wool and milk before eventually being slaughtered for meat. Meat itself was not an everyday food for most people. For much of the population it was an occasional luxury, often eaten at feasts, celebrations or when an older animal reached the end of its working life.

A meal such as this would therefore have been both nourishing and something to savour. Simple, wholesome and deeply rooted in the archaeological and documentary evidence, this is a taste of Anglo-Saxon England brought back to life.

26/07/2026

Last weekend we were back at the lovely Denny Abbey for our annual show. The main event of the day saw warriors in tournament to join the Kings Housecarls.

A big thank you to Denny Abbey for letting us use the site for two fantastic days of Living History and combat training.

14/07/2026

Salt Production in Anglo-Saxon England

We use salt all the time in our re-enactment cooking, but how much do we actually know about how the Anglo-Saxons produced it?

Salt was not simply a seasoning. It was an important commodity, a preservative, a source of wealth and taxation, and part of a network connecting coastal communities, royal estates, monasteries, traders and households across Anglo-Saxon England. By the Middle Saxon period, from around the 8th century onwards, salt production was becoming an increasingly organised industry.

Salt-rich mud and silt were collected from tidal marshes and washed with water to produce concentrated brine. This was then boiled, usually in large lead pans, until the water evaporated and the salt remained.

This is particularly interesting for us in Grantanbrycg because of our connection with the Fenland landscape. Although direct Anglo-Saxon evidence from the Fens themselves is surprisingly limited, evidence has been discovered around the Norfolk side of the Wash, where archaeologists have found evidence for a process known as sleeching or sand-washing.

Elsewhere, Droitwich was one of the great centres of Anglo-Saxon salt production. By the 8th century, the Mercian kings were controlling and taxing the industry, while monasteries and other major landowners also held rights to salt production. By 1086, salt was a major organised industry. Droitwich alone was reportedly producing more than 1,000 tons of salt annually.

So, the next time we throw a handful of salt into a pottage or use it to preserve meat or fish at a show, it is worth remembering the much bigger story behind it.

Photo courtesy of Saltwic, our Worcestershire local group of Regia Anglorum, who specialise in interpreting and demonstrating early medieval salt production. Please go and check out their work on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/saltwic.regia/

03/07/2026

From the Archive
Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Late Saxon. 188.56. Viking tortoise brooch
IDNO LS.168073.TC1
collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/photographs/461554/

Digging through the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology archive this week turned up an interesting Magic Lantern slide titled simply "Late Saxon. 188.56.
Viking tortoise brooch", which demonstrates links between Cambridgeshire and Norway in the Viking period.

The record shows no other information about the context of the find other than “Place: Cambridgeshire; Ely district” and a note about the slide itself “found un-accessioned in drawer” but as this is a photograph on a lantern slide it is likely to have been photographed in the late 19th early 20th Century and used as a teaching aid.

The place record for the MAA image: “Cambridgeshire; Ely district” is tantalising as the brooch is an identical design to an artifact in the Mjøsmuseet Museet an historical museum for the Mjøsmuseet region right in the heart of Norway, and is listed on the brilliant digital museum project: https://digitaltmuseum.no/021028239204/smykke

Brooches are often regarded as evidence for the movement of Scandinavian women and families. If this brooch was indeed found in the Ely district, which is likely, it could offer a small but significant glimpse of the women who travelled, settled and helped shape life in Viking-Age Cambridgeshire, reminding us that migration and settlement were family enterprises in which women played a central role.