Pouches: Recent Research for
Regia Anglorum
Because of the way the Code of Law is organised the
argument for the wearing of visible pouches bears the burden of proof. We must
prove our case rather than the Authenticity Officer proving his. Since its
inception it has been accepted by the authenticity department that three
provenances are regarded as sufficient proof for the use of a period item in a
Regia context.
The question of external pouches has a number of
different points. What evidence can we find for their use in our period, what
type of pouch was worn, what was a pouch used for and lastly does the argument
for the banning of external pouches stand up to scrutiny?
Those wishing to make a case for visible pouches have
to do two things:
1. Prove that pouches existed and were used in this
country during our period.
2. Prove that they were not exclusively worn under
the tunic during our period.
Fabric Pouches?
During the search for evidence relating to leather
pouches in Regia's period an article by James Graham-Campbell and Elizabeth
Okasha (1) regarding an examination of a pair of Anglo-Saxon hooked tags from
the Rome (Forum) 1883 hoard was uncovered (well done Alan). Because of
the relevance of this article to the question of
Anglo-Saxon pouches a summary follows:
The two hooked tags where found in 1883 in a pot
containing 833 silver coins and I gold coin, all but 6 of these coins being
English. The interesting thing about the tags is that an inscription is split
between the two tags. The inscription on the first tag is +DOMNOMA and on the
second tag RINOPAPA+ This inscription is translated by Elizabeth Okasha as + to
Lord Pope Marnus +.This inscription along with the date of the coins identify
the hooked tags as being part of an offering to the papacy sent to Rome during
or just after the pontificate of Marinus II (942-6AD). James Graham-Campbell
also highlight another pair of hooked tags which were found with a hoard of
Anglo-Saxon coins from Tetney Lincolnshire which were deposited c963AD. In both
of these cases the hooked tags were the only non numismatic elements in the
hoards suggesting that they served a function in the hoard, also both hoards
showed traces of fabric. This indicated that the hooked tags were fastenings for
pouches.
He then describes other finds of hooked tags from
different sites, both funerary [see below] and urban (ii), and describes one of
the current accepted uses of hooked tags. That is the use of hooked tags used to
fasten gartering as shown at two different sites, the old Minster cemetery at
Winchester Hants (grave 67) and grave 905 at Birka where hooked tags were found
at each knee of the skeletons. He then suggests the reappraisal of some
individual finds of hooked tags at two execution cemeteries in Hants (Meon Hill
and Stockbridge Down) and the pre-chapter house cemetery of St Albans Abbey,
Herts. These hooked tags have been described as wrist fasteners, however as he
points out it would be an unlikely dress fashion to have only one wrist
fastened. As these three tags were found in the waist area of each skeleton
their use should be interpreted as fastenings for fabric pouches worn at the
waist. From above there appears to have been a type of pouch made from fabric
and secured by hooked tags. Small versions of this type of pouch were secured by
a single tag and worn at the waist. Additionally, bronze edge-binding and iron
fittings from a Viking burial on Arran belong to some form of cloth rectilinear
container mounted at the waist (14).
Leather pouches?
Leather draw string pouches are also a possibility
with finds from around Britain before our period and from the wider Viking world
during our period. These include Hedeby (2); Skriodalur, Iceland (3) and Scar,
Orkney (5) all of which are not high status finds. The presence of leather
pouches can also be reasonably inferred from excavated burials at Repton,
Ketting, Denmark (10) and Pierowall, Orkney (12).
Hard leather box style pouches are known from earlier
than our period in England (4. grave 56) and during our period at Birka. Also
high status finds are known from before our period such as Sutton Hoo. Evidence
for belt fittings for this type of pouch are also known from before our period
(8), in non-'high status' contexts. In reference to such fittings found in York,
Nicola Rogers says:
"Fittings of this kind have been found in
several Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, including Holywell in Suffolk, Burwell in
Cambridgeshire (Lethbridge 1931), Dunstable in Bedfordshire (7) and Buckland,
Dover (4). At both Holywell and Burwell cemeteries, these fittings were found
attached to rings and in association with small hasps. In one Holywell burial
the fittings were found with the remains of a leather case or pouch (Leth bridge
1931, 39 fig. 18, B3)"
Outside our country but during our time span we do
have finds of pouches in burial deposits. Oseberg is a good example but also
deposits in Birka and Gotland. Two finds from 10th century Birka graves. Bj731 (
Graslund 1984 ) and B1904 ( Arbman 1940-3 ), both show decorated remains of belt
pouches from middle class graves. There is no point in decorating an item If it
is to be hidden under clothing. The deterioration in decoration quality of
tortoise brooches, prior to their disappearance as they were being covered by
new fashionable shawls, provides a parallel which would seem to support this
attitude in the peoples of the time too.
What was carried in a pouch?
From above it can be seen that large fabric pouches
could be used to hold large numbers of coins. This is not however everyday use
for the pouches we are interested in. To determine what types of thing were
carried in pouches we need to look at pouch finds from before our period. First
of all common every day tools found associated with pouches include-
-bronze needle and pin (grave 138) (4)
-shears (grave 83) (4)
-comb (5)
-coin, flint and four weights (3)
-strike-a-light and flint (12)
-honestone and comb (12)
-honestone (10,Ketting, Denmark)*
*The large numbers of honestones which are small and
portable, but not perforated for suspension, must have been carried in some form
of container. Honestones, being imperishable, survive in a far greater number of
cases (000's) than perishable items such as pouches.
Secondly keepsakes/lucky charms such as-
-quartz pebbles, horse teeth, broken Roman bracelet
(6, cist 54)
-teeth (grave c9) (7)
-boars tusk (Repton)
Does the argument for banning pouches stand up to
close scrutiny?
As we understand it the argument for the banning of
externally worn pouches is;
a. Lack of manuscript evidence to support usage.
b. Lack of archaeology in England
c. Evidence from Roman writers to the lack of
security of external pouches.
d. Opinions of Anglo-Saxon experts.
Lets look at each of these separately;
a. It is accepted that manuscripts contain items of
artistic convention and that the illustrations in Anglo-Saxon manuscripts are
copies of earlier work and copies from continental work, both cases where
pouches were known to be present. Although some contemporary objects are thought
to be illustrated in some of the manuscripts (9) not all are covered. It is
noted, for instance, that the same manuscripts also fail to depict belt-knives,
for which we do have archaeological evidence. Furthermore it can be shown that
purses/pouches are not depicted in the corpus of illustrations from the 6th to
8th centuries (immediately prior to Regia's period), despite the fact that we
have archaeological survivals from that period attesting to their use.
b. There is archaeological evidence for fabric
pouches worn at the waist in England during our period. The presence of
decorated hooks suggests that these were intended to be seen, and thus worn
externally.
Leather and textile items survive well only in
certain conditions. These conditions are remarkably scarce in this country so we
find a tiny percentage of deposited finds in recognisable conditions. The
survival of leather draw-string pouches in pagan archaeological contexts in
Scotland and the Scandinavian countries, and evidence of their presence in with
the Great Army in the Danelaw attests to the probability that they were worn, at
least by Vikings, in England
c. Although Roman writing are far from our period
their writings regarding the security concerns of external pouches are valid.
However apart from the large fabric pouches (above) very little coinage would
have been carried on a daily basis. Very little of great value was carried in
pouches, but items of everyday use were.
d. We cannot argue with the opinions of the experts
that Roland has talked to as their opinions are as valid as any other opinions
However other entirely reputable archaeologists have interpreted their finds,
and the positions of objects within graves, as evidence for the existence of
pouches.
E.g. Cloth on both sides of finds: This is a good
case of differing interpretations of evidence:-
Gail Owen Crocker notes that on some of the pouch
fragments and fittings found there appears to be textile remains on top of the
pouch, or on both sides. She interprets this as indicating that the pouches were
deposited between an upper and under layer of clothing.
At Scar, a Viking Boat Burial on Sanday, a bone comb
was found, also with cloth remains on the
iron rivets on both sides of the comb, and the interpretation made by Michel
Carlsson, the archaeologist working on the material, was that the comb had been
deposited between the outside of the tunic and the underside of the sleeve.
Since several of the Viking grave finds referred to
above have been located at the hip, such an alternative explanation could be
equally applied, explaining pouch fragments with textile on both sides. Each
interpretation has some merit and so, at best, must be considered inconclusive.
Here we should also remind ourselves that as a
society we are not only portraying just Anglo-Saxons but also Vikings and
Normans, both with cultural contacts outwith England, and Welsh and Scots from
other parts of the British Isles. It has been said that some of the evidence
from abroad is too far away both in distance and cultural affinity to be of
relevance. However if we look at Birka we see hooked tags being used to fasten
gartering as is seen in England. Also if we look at the female grave from
Gurness, Orkney this skeleton has an iron neck ring with a hammer pendant
believed to have been placed on the body as a mortuary practice. This is an
unique find in Scandinavian Scotland but it is a common practice in many female
graves in Birka and Malaren in Sweden. Jewellery patterns and textiles also show
definite links between Scotland and Western Norway, Birka and Hedeby (13). To
raise the argument that Scandinavia is too far away would also eliminate
a huge quantity of the other evidence that we take for
granted, not least Viking ship tents, or the Mastermyr find of tools that is
almost our standard reference.
This is not the end of the story ("That's it,
you're ALL excommunicated" exclaimed the Bishop) as there are a number of
leads currently being followed up that may lead to more evidence of pouches.
These include:
-National Museum of Ireland , which is supposed to
have some Anglo-Saxon pouches on display, plus finds from Viking Dublin.
-A survey of Viking graves and grave-goods in the
British Isles.
-Look at the Norse Sagas for references for pouches.
References.
1. Graham-Campbell, J. and Okasha, E. 'A pair of
Anglo-Saxon hooked tags.' Anglo-Saxon England 20, 221.
2. Willy Groenman-van Waatennge in 'Die Lederfunde
von Haithabu'
3. Kristjansdottir S. 1998: 'The last Viking in
Iceland.' Viking Heritage Newsletter 3, 5.
4. Evison, V.1.1987: 'Dover: The Buck/and Anglo-Saxon
cemetery', London.
5. Owen, 0.1999: Scar: A Viking age boat burial in
Orkney' Historic Scotland.
6. Proudfoot, E. 1998: 'Hallow Hill St. Andrews
1975-7', Proceedings of the Society ofAntiquarics of Scotland '126, 417.
7. Mathews, C.L. 1962: 'The Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at
Marina Drive Dunstable.' Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal 1, 25.
8. Rogers, N.S.H. Anglan and other finds from
Fishergate, 1352-1353; Fig 653, nos.
5050,5052.
9. Carver, M.O.H. 1986:'Contemporary Artefacts
Illustrated in Late-Saxon Manuscripts' Archaeologia 108, 107-145
10. Muller-Wille, M. 1976: 'Das wikingzeitliche
Graberfeld von Thumby-Bienebek I', Offa 36, 1976.
11. Hinton, D.A. 1996: The Gold, Silver and other
Non-ferrous Alloy Objects from Hsmwic, Alan Sutton, 9-10.
12. Thorsteinsson, A. I 968:'The Viking burial place
at Pierowall, Westray, Orkney' Fifth Viking Congress, I 50-73.
13. Welander, R.D.E., Batey, C. and Cowie, T.G. 1987:
'A Viking
burial from Kneep, Uig, Isle of Lewis' Proceedings of
the Society ofAntiquaries of Scotland 117, 149-174.
14. Balfour, J.A. 1909: 'Notice of a Viking
Grave-mound, Kingscross, Arran', Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of
Scotland 43, 371-5 [with additional comments from F.Hunter, National Museums of
Scotland].
Article copyright to : A.McVie
A.NicboIsom G.Waidsom November 2000
Reproduced with permission.
| 
