The Sae Wyfling, a half-sized replica of the Sutton Hoo longship that was buried in Suffolk around 625-630 as part of a lavish royal burial, was moored next to Time Team Live’s Anglo-Saxon village recreation on the edge of the River Avon.

As part of the recreation, the nine-person crew, decked out in authentic regalia, have hoisted the sail, pitched the oars and set off down the river, to investigate how Anglo-Saxon ships would have sailed, and what potential this stretch of water had as a trade route.

We already know that the Anglo-Saxons thought of travel by sea as a bit like taking a bus ride, and that they were capable of undertaking long passages, crossing the North Sea to make voyages between places including Suffolk and Sweden. And it was the famous Sutton Hoo longship that provided us with the best evidence for these vessels.

One of a number of longships excavated from Anglo-Saxon burial mounds in Suffolk, the 27-metre boat, containing lavish grave goods of King Radwald, revealed that the Dark Ages were not a barbaric, uncivilised period. The ship showed that the Anglo-Saxons had great wealth, seafaring technology and metalworking skills.

The Sae Wyfling replica, constructed by Anglo-Saxon enthusiasts Dr Edwin Gifford, his wife Joyce and boat-builder Geoff Bird, is testament to that fact. It handles well under oar, is very fast, and with a draught of only 12 inches can be used on all but the shallowest waterways.

‘The trading route between here and the English Channel would have been through a place called Hengistbury Head,’ said Dr Gifford, ‘where there is very clear evidence of a settlement dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages. The fuller-size version of our boat would have had 40 oars and would have travelled much faster under sail.’

See the ship sail in our Galleries section.

<< Back to Features

The Sae Wyfling