Barbara Yorke | University Of Winchester (original) (raw)
Papers by Barbara Yorke
Reading Medieval Studies, 1989
... Roundel from satchel in barrow burial, Swallowcliffe Down (Wilts) 282 74. Distribution ofamet... more ... Roundel from satchel in barrow burial, Swallowcliffe Down (Wilts) 282 74. Distribution ofamethyst and amber beads from Anglo-Saxon cemeteries 292 75. Distribution of imported pottery finds of fifth and sixth centuries in south-west England 295 76. ...
Reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Language, Literature, History, ed. Alice Jorgensen, 141-60 (Turnhout; Brepols, 2010)
Plummer's assumption of the King's direct interest in the work, through the 1 r... more Plummer's assumption of the King's direct interest in the work, through the 1 reservations of Stenton and Whitelock and the case for a private commissioner, 2 and back to an increasing willingness to see the work as part of a wider campaign orchestrated by King Alfred and ...
Angl0-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, 2017
This paper explores the proposition that the famous Frankish queen Balthild, who seems likely to ... more This paper explores the proposition that the famous Frankish queen Balthild, who seems likely to have been an Anglo-Saxon by birth, both directly and indirectly stimulated the foundation of nunneries in southern England as part of an ecclesiastical policy that underpinned her period of regency for her son Chlothar III between 657 and 665. Kent is one of the kingdoms that seems to have been touched by her influence , and the paper ends with a consideration of the chronology of the foundation of the Kentish nunneries, including Lyminge.
Brixworth lecture, 2015
One of the closest parallels for the Saxon architecture of the church of All Saints' Brixworth, i... more One of the closest parallels for the Saxon architecture of the church of All Saints' Brixworth, in the kingdom of Mercia, is St Mary's, Wareham (Dorset) in the province of Wessex. 2 St Mary's does not survive today, but its original form can be reconstructed from engravings and plans made before it was rebuilt in 1841-2. Although there are inevitably some uncertainties about its original appearance, especially its east. end, the overall similarity in design to Brixworth church is striking. Although certainty is not possible, it is likely that St Mary's church in Wareham was commissioned by King Beorhtric of Wessex who was buried there after his death in 802. 3 Even more intriguingly Beorhtric is known to have had Mercian connections for he was married to Eadburh, the daughter of King Offa of Mercia (757-96). 4 The Saxon churches of Brixworth and Wareham are therefore at the heart of some key questions concerning the period in which they were built which will be explored in this paper. How similar were Mercia and Wessex around the year 800, and what was the nature of the connections between them? In 800 there appears to have been a significant disparity in size, wealth and political power between Mercia and Wessex. 5 The great Mercian king Offa had extended direct control into most of the smaller kingdoms of the southeast. Wessex ruled by Beorhtric would appear to have subject to his overlordship. Offa died in 796 and his son and successor Ecgfrith a few weeks later. However, Ecgfrith's successor Coenwulf, a very distant relative, proved to be almost as powerful as Offa and continued to dominate in the southeast. Around 800 it must have looked most likely that Mercian rather than West Saxon kings would become kings of all England, but we know that was not going to be the case. In 874 Ceolwulf II the last recorded king of Mercia disappeared from view and King Alfred of Wessex became overlord of all those parts of Mercia not under Viking control, a prelude to the even
The Middle Ages Revisited. studies in the Archaeology and History of Medieval Southern England presented to Professor David A Hinton ed Ben Jervis, 2018
One of the major contributions that archaeology has made to our understanding of early Anglo-Saxo... more One of the major contributions that archaeology has made to our understanding of early Anglo-Saxon politics has been the demonstration of the importance of access to trade, sea-crossings and trading-places in the emergent kingdoms. Written records rarely refer directly to such interests, but arguably they help make sense of some of the interaction recorded between kingdoms in the early seventh century. This paper examines two such aspects relevant to understanding what was happening in the Solent region in this period: namely, the competition between the leaders of the Mercians and the Gewisse (West Saxons) and the latter’s alliance with the royal house of Bernicia. These events provide a background to the foundation of Hamwic, probably in the reign of King Ine of Wessex (688-725).
American Historical Review, 2000
The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 2007
... BARBARA YORKE a1 a1 UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER, ... 50. 0 19 726317 8; 978 19 726317 4. BARBARA... more ... BARBARA YORKE a1 a1 UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER, ... 50. 0 19 726317 8; 978 19 726317 4. BARBARA YORKE (2007) The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Volume 58, Issue 02, April 2007 pp 311-311 http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0022046906000297. ...
History, 2006
... King Harold II and the Bayeux Tapestry Edited by Gale R. Owen-Crocker. BARBARA YORKE. Article... more ... King Harold II and the Bayeux Tapestry Edited by Gale R. Owen-Crocker. BARBARA YORKE. Article first published online: 20 JUN 2006. ... More content like this. Find more content: like this article. Find more content written by: BARBARA YORKE. ...
History, 2007
... The Anglo-Saxon Library - By Michael Lapidge. BARBARA YORKE. Article first published online: ... more ... The Anglo-Saxon Library - By Michael Lapidge. BARBARA YORKE. Article first published online: 13 APR 2007. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-229X.2007.394_2.x. Issue. History. ... More content like this. Find more content: like this article. Find more content written by: BARBARA YORKE. ...
Early Medieval Europe, 2009
Transformation in Anglo-Saxon Culture. Toller lectures on Art, Archaeology and Text, 2017
The author's 2011 Toller lecture looks at the treatment of traditional heroes - both Germanic and... more The author's 2011 Toller lecture looks at the treatment of traditional heroes - both Germanic and non-Germanic heroes in sources associated with the court of King Alfred. It argues that the robust presentation of heroic and mythological characters runs counter to views promoted in contemporary clerical culture and may provide insights into the elusive court culture and attitudes of Alfred himself (which may be at odds with the idealising presentation of the king by Asser). From Transformation in Anglo-Saxon Culture. toller lectures on Art, Archaeology and Text, ed. Charles Insley and Gale Owen-Crocker(Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2017)
This paper is concerned with how we should understand references to pre-Christian beings in sourc... more This paper is concerned with how we should understand references to pre-Christian beings in sources produced after the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. Written sources may have something to reveal about pre-Christian beliefs, but they are really sources for how converted Anglo-Saxons dealt with this aspect of the cultural past. Increased influence from the mythical past of the Roman world must also be allowed for after conversion. The choice was recasting supernatural beings as humans or condemning them as devlish beings. Heroes in particular fell into an ambiguous category with the potential to become exemplary humans, but with many attachments that might lead to them being assigned to the condemned category.
This paper is concerned with how wwe should undrstand references to pre-Christian beings in sourc... more This paper is concerned with how wwe should undrstand references to pre-Christian beings in sources produced after the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. Written sources may have something to reveal about pre-Christian beliefs, but they are really sources for how converted Anglo-Saxons dealt with this aspect of the cultural past. Increased influence from the mythical past of the Roman world must also be allowed for after conversion. The choice was recasting supernatural beings as humans or condemning them as devlisih beings. Heroes in particular fell into an ambiguous category with the potential to become exemplary humans, but with many attachments that might lead to them being assigned to the condemned category.
Among the many important contributions Patrick made towards the elucidation of the thought-world ... more Among the many important contributions Patrick made towards the elucidation of the thought-world of Bede and the history of England in the seventh-and eighth-centuries was his paper entitled 'Bede, Bretwaldas and the origins of gens Anglorum', which formed part of the volume he edited as tribute to one of his own mentors, Michael Wallace-Hadrill.
Adomnan of iona. Thaologian, Lawmaker Peacemaker, ed. Jonathan Wooding, 36-50 (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2010)
Aldhelm and Sherborne. Essays to Celebrate the Founding of the Bishopric, ed. Katherine Barker and Nicholas Brooks, 164-80 (Oxford, Oxbow books 2010)
We unfortunately possess little biographical material about Aldhelm that comes from his lifetime,... more We unfortunately possess little biographical material about Aldhelm that comes from his lifetime, or close to it, so, apart from the brief notice of Aldhelm's life and works in Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica, 1 information on many aspects of his career has to be derived from his own writings. When in the twelfth century fi rst Faricius of Arezzo, an Italian monk and doctor who was for a period at Malmesbury, 2 and then William of Malmesbury in the fi fth book of his Gesta Pontifi cum, 3 came to record the life of Aldhelm, it would appear they had little additional material to utilise besides traditions that had developed at Malmesbury. Th ey therefore often had to draw their own deductions from the surviving sources that were known to them. 4 As a result there are many areas of Aldhelm's life and career which are uncertain. We do not know, for instance, when he was born and so cannot be sure of his age at signifi cant junctures in his career. William of Malmesbury's estimate that Aldhelm was at least seventy when he died in 709 (and so had been born in 639 or earlier) can be no more than that, 5 as he admits elsewhere that he could not fi nd any references to his exact age. 6 Aspects of Aldhelm's early upbringing and education are also far from clear and it is the purpose of this paper to review the evidence for one particular aspect of his early life, that of his Irish connections. Th is topic also has implications for Aldhelm's relations with the British churches that came under his authority.
Reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Language, Literature, History, ed. Alice Jorgensen, 141-60 (Turnhout; Brepols, 2010)
Reading Medieval Studies, 1989
... Roundel from satchel in barrow burial, Swallowcliffe Down (Wilts) 282 74. Distribution ofamet... more ... Roundel from satchel in barrow burial, Swallowcliffe Down (Wilts) 282 74. Distribution ofamethyst and amber beads from Anglo-Saxon cemeteries 292 75. Distribution of imported pottery finds of fifth and sixth centuries in south-west England 295 76. ...
Reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Language, Literature, History, ed. Alice Jorgensen, 141-60 (Turnhout; Brepols, 2010)
Plummer's assumption of the King's direct interest in the work, through the 1 r... more Plummer's assumption of the King's direct interest in the work, through the 1 reservations of Stenton and Whitelock and the case for a private commissioner, 2 and back to an increasing willingness to see the work as part of a wider campaign orchestrated by King Alfred and ...
Angl0-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History, 2017
This paper explores the proposition that the famous Frankish queen Balthild, who seems likely to ... more This paper explores the proposition that the famous Frankish queen Balthild, who seems likely to have been an Anglo-Saxon by birth, both directly and indirectly stimulated the foundation of nunneries in southern England as part of an ecclesiastical policy that underpinned her period of regency for her son Chlothar III between 657 and 665. Kent is one of the kingdoms that seems to have been touched by her influence , and the paper ends with a consideration of the chronology of the foundation of the Kentish nunneries, including Lyminge.
Brixworth lecture, 2015
One of the closest parallels for the Saxon architecture of the church of All Saints' Brixworth, i... more One of the closest parallels for the Saxon architecture of the church of All Saints' Brixworth, in the kingdom of Mercia, is St Mary's, Wareham (Dorset) in the province of Wessex. 2 St Mary's does not survive today, but its original form can be reconstructed from engravings and plans made before it was rebuilt in 1841-2. Although there are inevitably some uncertainties about its original appearance, especially its east. end, the overall similarity in design to Brixworth church is striking. Although certainty is not possible, it is likely that St Mary's church in Wareham was commissioned by King Beorhtric of Wessex who was buried there after his death in 802. 3 Even more intriguingly Beorhtric is known to have had Mercian connections for he was married to Eadburh, the daughter of King Offa of Mercia (757-96). 4 The Saxon churches of Brixworth and Wareham are therefore at the heart of some key questions concerning the period in which they were built which will be explored in this paper. How similar were Mercia and Wessex around the year 800, and what was the nature of the connections between them? In 800 there appears to have been a significant disparity in size, wealth and political power between Mercia and Wessex. 5 The great Mercian king Offa had extended direct control into most of the smaller kingdoms of the southeast. Wessex ruled by Beorhtric would appear to have subject to his overlordship. Offa died in 796 and his son and successor Ecgfrith a few weeks later. However, Ecgfrith's successor Coenwulf, a very distant relative, proved to be almost as powerful as Offa and continued to dominate in the southeast. Around 800 it must have looked most likely that Mercian rather than West Saxon kings would become kings of all England, but we know that was not going to be the case. In 874 Ceolwulf II the last recorded king of Mercia disappeared from view and King Alfred of Wessex became overlord of all those parts of Mercia not under Viking control, a prelude to the even
The Middle Ages Revisited. studies in the Archaeology and History of Medieval Southern England presented to Professor David A Hinton ed Ben Jervis, 2018
One of the major contributions that archaeology has made to our understanding of early Anglo-Saxo... more One of the major contributions that archaeology has made to our understanding of early Anglo-Saxon politics has been the demonstration of the importance of access to trade, sea-crossings and trading-places in the emergent kingdoms. Written records rarely refer directly to such interests, but arguably they help make sense of some of the interaction recorded between kingdoms in the early seventh century. This paper examines two such aspects relevant to understanding what was happening in the Solent region in this period: namely, the competition between the leaders of the Mercians and the Gewisse (West Saxons) and the latter’s alliance with the royal house of Bernicia. These events provide a background to the foundation of Hamwic, probably in the reign of King Ine of Wessex (688-725).
American Historical Review, 2000
The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 2007
... BARBARA YORKE a1 a1 UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER, ... 50. 0 19 726317 8; 978 19 726317 4. BARBARA... more ... BARBARA YORKE a1 a1 UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER, ... 50. 0 19 726317 8; 978 19 726317 4. BARBARA YORKE (2007) The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Volume 58, Issue 02, April 2007 pp 311-311 http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0022046906000297. ...
History, 2006
... King Harold II and the Bayeux Tapestry Edited by Gale R. Owen-Crocker. BARBARA YORKE. Article... more ... King Harold II and the Bayeux Tapestry Edited by Gale R. Owen-Crocker. BARBARA YORKE. Article first published online: 20 JUN 2006. ... More content like this. Find more content: like this article. Find more content written by: BARBARA YORKE. ...
History, 2007
... The Anglo-Saxon Library - By Michael Lapidge. BARBARA YORKE. Article first published online: ... more ... The Anglo-Saxon Library - By Michael Lapidge. BARBARA YORKE. Article first published online: 13 APR 2007. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-229X.2007.394_2.x. Issue. History. ... More content like this. Find more content: like this article. Find more content written by: BARBARA YORKE. ...
Early Medieval Europe, 2009
Transformation in Anglo-Saxon Culture. Toller lectures on Art, Archaeology and Text, 2017
The author's 2011 Toller lecture looks at the treatment of traditional heroes - both Germanic and... more The author's 2011 Toller lecture looks at the treatment of traditional heroes - both Germanic and non-Germanic heroes in sources associated with the court of King Alfred. It argues that the robust presentation of heroic and mythological characters runs counter to views promoted in contemporary clerical culture and may provide insights into the elusive court culture and attitudes of Alfred himself (which may be at odds with the idealising presentation of the king by Asser). From Transformation in Anglo-Saxon Culture. toller lectures on Art, Archaeology and Text, ed. Charles Insley and Gale Owen-Crocker(Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2017)
This paper is concerned with how we should understand references to pre-Christian beings in sourc... more This paper is concerned with how we should understand references to pre-Christian beings in sources produced after the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. Written sources may have something to reveal about pre-Christian beliefs, but they are really sources for how converted Anglo-Saxons dealt with this aspect of the cultural past. Increased influence from the mythical past of the Roman world must also be allowed for after conversion. The choice was recasting supernatural beings as humans or condemning them as devlish beings. Heroes in particular fell into an ambiguous category with the potential to become exemplary humans, but with many attachments that might lead to them being assigned to the condemned category.
This paper is concerned with how wwe should undrstand references to pre-Christian beings in sourc... more This paper is concerned with how wwe should undrstand references to pre-Christian beings in sources produced after the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons. Written sources may have something to reveal about pre-Christian beliefs, but they are really sources for how converted Anglo-Saxons dealt with this aspect of the cultural past. Increased influence from the mythical past of the Roman world must also be allowed for after conversion. The choice was recasting supernatural beings as humans or condemning them as devlisih beings. Heroes in particular fell into an ambiguous category with the potential to become exemplary humans, but with many attachments that might lead to them being assigned to the condemned category.
Among the many important contributions Patrick made towards the elucidation of the thought-world ... more Among the many important contributions Patrick made towards the elucidation of the thought-world of Bede and the history of England in the seventh-and eighth-centuries was his paper entitled 'Bede, Bretwaldas and the origins of gens Anglorum', which formed part of the volume he edited as tribute to one of his own mentors, Michael Wallace-Hadrill.
Adomnan of iona. Thaologian, Lawmaker Peacemaker, ed. Jonathan Wooding, 36-50 (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2010)
Aldhelm and Sherborne. Essays to Celebrate the Founding of the Bishopric, ed. Katherine Barker and Nicholas Brooks, 164-80 (Oxford, Oxbow books 2010)
We unfortunately possess little biographical material about Aldhelm that comes from his lifetime,... more We unfortunately possess little biographical material about Aldhelm that comes from his lifetime, or close to it, so, apart from the brief notice of Aldhelm's life and works in Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica, 1 information on many aspects of his career has to be derived from his own writings. When in the twelfth century fi rst Faricius of Arezzo, an Italian monk and doctor who was for a period at Malmesbury, 2 and then William of Malmesbury in the fi fth book of his Gesta Pontifi cum, 3 came to record the life of Aldhelm, it would appear they had little additional material to utilise besides traditions that had developed at Malmesbury. Th ey therefore often had to draw their own deductions from the surviving sources that were known to them. 4 As a result there are many areas of Aldhelm's life and career which are uncertain. We do not know, for instance, when he was born and so cannot be sure of his age at signifi cant junctures in his career. William of Malmesbury's estimate that Aldhelm was at least seventy when he died in 709 (and so had been born in 639 or earlier) can be no more than that, 5 as he admits elsewhere that he could not fi nd any references to his exact age. 6 Aspects of Aldhelm's early upbringing and education are also far from clear and it is the purpose of this paper to review the evidence for one particular aspect of his early life, that of his Irish connections. Th is topic also has implications for Aldhelm's relations with the British churches that came under his authority.
Reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Language, Literature, History, ed. Alice Jorgensen, 141-60 (Turnhout; Brepols, 2010)
Research Report of the Society of Antiquaries of London , 2024
The monograph examines the origins and development of the East Anglian kingdom, and more widely p... more The monograph examines the origins and development of the East Anglian kingdom, and more widely pathways to territorial lordship in post-Roman England, in the fifth to eighth centuries through the lens of the elite settlement complex at Rendlesham, Suffolk. The first part presents a comprehensive analysis of the results of field survey (including systematic metal-detecting) and trial excavation at Rendlesham between 2008 and 2017, establishing the socio-economic character of the site, its place in the local social and political landscapes, and the long-term development of the immediate settlement landscape. The second part examines the wider regional context through comparative analysis of unpublished ‘productive’ sites, and concludes with a new narrative of kingdom formation. The approach is inter-disciplinary, integrating archaeology, landscape history, textual history, numismatics and materials science. It offers innovative approaches to the analysis of metal-detected assemblages, and to modelling the development of regional rulership and its associated social and administrative landscapes.
Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 20, 2017
This volume is based upon a conference convened at the University of Kent in April 2015 to celebr... more This volume is based upon a conference convened at the
University of Kent in April 2015 to celebrate the conclusion
of a major programme of archaeological excavation
targeting the Anglo-Saxon royal centre and monastery of
Lyminge, Kent. The aim of the conference was to contextualize
the principal findings of the Lyminge Project by
drawing upon a range of historical and archaeological
perspectives on early medieval monasticism in northwest
Europe, with a geographical emphasis (though not
exclusive focus) on Kent and neighbouring regions of the
continental North Sea basin. In planning the conference,
the organisers were conscious of following close on the
heels of a number of high-profile academic networks and
initiatives examining the Christianization of the ‘Insular’
British Isles with the spread of monastic culture forming
one of its pivotal themes and institutional contexts.1 On
the other hand, it was felt that the initiative had something
genuinely distinctive to offer by shifting the spotlight of
attention from Northumbria and the Celtic-speaking
regions of the British Isles to Kent, a geographical zone
which has been somewhat neglected in recent evaluations
of Insular monasticism.2 This refocusing, it was hoped,
would offer an opportunity for scholars to come together
to look afresh at Kent as an early medieval monastic province,
to re-evaluate the external (in particular) Frankish
influences that shaped it and its own shaping influence on
the expansion of monastic culture in the Insular British
Isles.
One of the key objectives of the current volume is
to provide a fresh and current overview of the Lyminge
Project and its contribution to early medieval studies at
the end of the data-gathering phase and before the initiation
of a large and complex programme of post-excavation
analysis which lies ahead. For this reason, with the exception
of Broadley’s contribution on the Anglo-Saxon glass,
the editors decided against soliciting additional ‒ or, in the
case of the three speakers who were unable to offer their
papers for publication, replacement – contributions on
the grounds that it would have resulted in an undue prolongation
in the publication process. If the end product
falls some way short of a comprehensive state-of-the-art
review of recent historical and archaeological scholarship
on early medieval monasticism in north-west Europe,
then it is hoped that it provides a useful entry-point into
some of the key debates and research agendas shaping the
field as outlined in the rest of this introduction.