Incredible Saxon Graveyard at Bamburgh Castle Could Contain Northumbrian Royal Family
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2023
- Could this Anglo-Saxon cemetery, discovered in the shadow of Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, contain the remains of the old ruling family of Bebbanburg? 91 individual skeletons were excavated at the Bowl Hole site - thought to be the burial ground for the royal court of the Northumbrian palace.
Join History Hit's medieval expert, Matt Lewis, in this new series as he explores some of Britain’s most iconic castles. It is a spectacular journey to some of the best looking fortresses on earth.
In the first film Matt travels to the far north-east of England, to a mighty stronghold that has dominated a rugged outcrop of volcanic rock for hundreds of years; the epic citadel of Bamburgh Castle.
The magnificent castle we see today wasn’t the first stronghold to be located on this strategically important location. Fans of the Last Kingdom might recognise the name Bebbanburg, the Anglo-Saxon burgh that came before Bamburgh Castle. Matt meets archaeologist and Director of the Bamburgh Research Project Dr Graeme Young to uncover the incredible Anglo-Saxon stories that were buried for centuries deep in the dunes in Bamburgh’s shadow - stories revealed in the skeletons of a long-lost ancient cemetery.
Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free exclusive podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsely, Mary Beard and more. Watch, listen and read history wherever you are, whenever you want it. Available on all devices: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast, and iOs & Android.
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Hope you enjoyed guys! You can watch the full episode on Bamburgh Castle with Matt Lewis on History Hit TV 👉 access.historyhit.com/what-s-new/videos/castles-that-made-britain-bamburgh-castle
When I visited England, it was Bamburgh Castle that stole my heart. Fantastic place to visit, with a powerful presence and situated on a stunning coastline. It doesn’t get any better. Thanks HH for this bit of info on the graves that were dug up. ❤
Did you go to Dunstaberg castle just south of Bamburgh .
@@richardperry4115 hi Richard. No, I didn’t get to Dunstanburgh Castle. I just watched a video on it, so thankyou for the introduction. Very different from Bamburgh, as these are castle ruins, but very beautiful nonetheless. Sorry I missed out on the experience. Although it’s wonderful to see videos of these amazing places, nothing compares to being there in person. ❤️
@@jillwanlin9558
Most beautiful castle I have ever been to.
Hope you get the chance one to revisit England 🇬🇧
Are you a fan of the Last Kingdom?
@@dawnatkinson7704 hi Dawn. I haven’t seen it but I have seen many people commenting in other videos on Bamburgh castle about the series being based there and how fantastic it is. If I get the chance I’ll be sure to watch it ❤️
I'm glad that they honored the dead by reintering them instead of sticking them in a box in a museum basement somewhere.
Previous generations disinterred old skeletons regularly to make room for new burials. The bones were kept in charnel houses or dumped in charnel pits. Squeamishness about human remains is relatively recent. Personally once im dead i couldnt care less where my skeleton is. In fact as i will most likely ve cremated there wont be one. But the molecules and atoms that made up my body will go up in smoke and end up in other things whatever.
It's a English law. All grave finds must be reburied.
I still think it’s incredibly important to gleam whatever knowledge we can from the remains. (not speaking out my ass either, I more than likely have ancestors currently buried there.)
@@Shitballs69420 I appreciate the sentiment in your post but it's hard to take you seriously when your name is so crass, especially juxtaposed next to your display pic, I bet you didn't realise at the time it'd still be funny after 12 years, albeit due to context. 😆
@@giansideros funny thing is that’s a recent change, was far less crass 12 years ago believe it or not. Can’t take yourself too seriously.
‘Ōf-slean’ in AngloSaxon is still exactly same as ‘Ôf-slean’ in modern WestFrisian. ‘To cut-off’, ‘to decapitate’. Simularities between Old English and contemporary Frisian still fascinate me.
IIRC, the invading Saxons, Angles, and Jutes also included Frisians.
@@BinkyTheElf1 True. In fact, Frisians were posted at Hadrians Wall in the second century and had their own divisions in the Roman army, like the Numeri Hnaudifridi (Hnaudfrid’s warband). Pottery and brooches and a certain DNA marker hint that they never really left and hence predated the ‘adventus Saxonum’. Fact is that OldFrisian and OldEnglish were slmost identical. But to constantly find shared words in our contemporay languages still amaze me. Wês hiel (waes thu hael) en oant sjèn ( and until we see -each other).
Indeed, we should be referring to Anglo-Friesian, rather than Anglo-Saxon.
In an alternate universe, I live in Europe instead of the US and am around structures that are much older than 1830s or so, where I live now. Imagine playing as a child on a field where there was a famous battle many years ago. Imagine living near a river that Viking raiders would have paddled up during the Viking era. Imagine digging a new flower bed and finding a horde of Roman coins, buried by a Roman soldier who intended to come back later and dig it back up again, but for some reason, didn't. Or living in a house that is older than the US is as a nation.
Very interesting video - thank-you for sharing this with us.
I live in a city where few habitants are aware of more recent events like the large (mistake) bombing of 1944 or the great fire of 1914. As for medieval, the unknown location of the viking camp and not even a sign to mark the location of the absent medieval castle.
used to play in a crumbeling ruin dating from the 1600s. Not sure any vikings ever passed by the river it stands next to.
Appreciate your passion here, but don't forget that a history equally as rich and ancient has taken place here in Turtle Island (North America). Plenty of structures too, not just the few castles that are present.
A few miles down the road from me there's a 13th century church.
Hardly anyone knows it's there.
Strange to think that the oldest surviving wooden church was 300 years old when it was being built.
Theres a church dating from the 7th century built with stone from Roman ruins marked 6th legion.
But wherever you are in the world, history is hidden under your feet.
Go to the aegean. Greece , Turkey etc far older stone buildings are everywhere and mostly just left to crumble away as picturesque ruins, while a few star attractions get all the attention and money.
That’s how I use to feel until I started to really delve into our history, being from the Canadian Maritimes I’ve come to realize there’s far far deeper history here than I had initially thought. For example the Vikings were here, the oldest known shipwreck off the coast of Nova Scotia dates to the 1530s when the Basque fishermen frequented our shores. There’s a lot there ya just gotta go looking. Didn’t realize until I was in my 20s that I’d grown up playing on the former homestead one of the most influential figures in Canadian history from the 1700s. So yea ya just gotta look and don’t just take for granted that we have no history. (And of corse I’m only referencing European history, don’t get me started on our wealth of native history stretching back at least 24-ish thousand years)
Bernard Cornwall's books really took me on a wild ride into a history I never knew about, and loved every page. I even bought the audio version to listen to while I drive. Just wish he had written a hundred more books with Utrid of Bebbanburg.
Very interesting love history especially castles thankyou
Anglo Saxons, those people Cambridge says don’t exist?
Very interesting. Thank you!
Gorgeous video. Thank you ❤
Uhtred son of Uthred, Grandson of Uhtred, descendant of... Uhtred... of bebbanburg.
Indeed
I am descended from Uhtred and my moden surname is Outterson which startred as Uhtredson. Just as the author Bernard Corwell. Good fun just the same@@andydunn5673
Very cool, this kind of stuff fascinates me.
You wouldn't want to storm that as a modern soldier... At least not without air cover and artillery
After seeing the defensive works of some castles, the ability to funnel invading armies into kill zones, and understanding the near impossible feat it was just to get to the first gate, it makes you wonder how these men had the courage to storm a well designed castle.
But you also understand why some only fell because someone on the inside allowed it to happen.
@@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88 True
A lot of sieges were exercises in attrition, too. Would the defenders starve and have to surrender or would disease, weather conditions, and poor morale catch up to the attackers first? Actually assaulting a castle is not as common as one might think because, as you say, it is a formidable task.
Plus covered by clouds of smoke mixed with pepper gas.
I thought Cambridge is teaching the Anglo Saxons did not exist?
Imagine having somewhere as magnificent as Bamburgh castle to live in! It has majesty and grandeur!🤔☺️
Apparently I had ancestors who did, thought that was so cool when I realized.
Imagine being one of the multitude of slaves, serfs, villains, who lived in service of those in possession of the castle...
Most of what you see was created by Lord Armstrong and is not original, sadly. It was pretty much in ruins prior to his ownership.
@@BadYossa Lord Armstrong did a great job though!🤔😃
@@mikemccall373 Sadly, he never lived to see it completed as per his vision. He was an incredible man and well worth finding out more about.
This place is such an amazing piece of history!! After reading Cromwell's books, I started reading history about the area!! I love history it is so fascinating and always filled with unanswered questions.
You surely mean Bernard Cornwell, whose ancestor came from Bamburgh
Its a beautiful place to visit
Informative and thrilled historical coverages thank you for sharing
That was interesting, thank you!
the east west burials reminds me of by grandmother. She was driving by the cemetery in her little town and pointed out to her sister in-law about the east west burials and explained it is due to the tradition. Her sister in-law was Catholic and pointed out graves in the separate Catholic cemetery were configured north south. Grandma said, we'll I guess you guys will be making a quarter turn.
Very interesting
Great find 👏.
Very intetesting.
Such pretty scenery. I love castles. Thanks so much to Scotland, Ireland, and you sir.
Northumberland is NOT IN SCOTLAND.. or IRELAND ..it’s the NORTH EAST OF ENGLAND.. 🙄🏴
@@Ionabrodie69 I didn't say it was in Scotland. Untwist your panties.! I'm just thanking Scoyland and Ireland. I could thank England but I don't feel like doing that.
Uhtred son of Uhtred has entered the chat.
nice 💯💪
I loved to learn more of this
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Wonder if the real Uthred is among them?
I truly hope that they took dna materials from at least some of those bones, to make useable profiles. It would be fascinating to try and ascertain to whom they were related.
“when we did the excavation of the cemetery site we did want to put the burials back in the village community from which they'd come from but we couldn't really do that by putting them back on the cemetery side because it's a triple SI site”. BUT YOU COULD DIG THEM UP ? Forgive me but I’m a bit confused by this. Can anyone explain?
From what I gather, they’re only allowed to dig so much of a SSSI site. So, if they dug them up, took the bones then filled the holes, they can’t just go back to dig and bury them again.
I would love to own a freaking castle !!! This is really cool , just when you think you've learned all a site can teach , a new find pops up . Well done History Hit !
The thought of trying to keep it clean would keep me from ever owning one, even if I had the millions to afford staff to do such work 🤣
@@04williamsl A quick jaunt on the 150 ft. yacht will clear your mind of worry 😁
Probably drafty, cold, and full of ghosts. However, castles are cool! So much history.
Those old piles are not simple houses, but communities in themselves, not least since it takes a sizable staff to maintain them.
Interesting to think I likely played on or near the graveyard as a child
The Saxons lived down south. The Angles lived in the North, Midlands, and East Anglia. Northumbria (and the graveyard) is Anglic, not Saxon.
They never called themselves Angle or Saxon, the term was coined by the Venerable Bede to describe the Germanic tribes settling in the British Isles.
wrong Saxons and angles was a generalised term Saxons were also germanic people what you are thinking of is after the great heathen army attacks and then the unification of Norse men and English in which the predominant kingdom of Wessex then united the land as anglos (after 1066 they are known as Anglo Saxons) which is where we get England there's a massive clue as to why you're so incredibly wrong want to know what England (Anglo land) means? foreign land or land of the foreign. also i might add at this time the people that lived to the south were Mercian or Wessex or east Anglian and some other smaller kingdoms you also contradict yourself Northumbria is about as north of England as you can get east Anglia was east of what we call London you know hence the EAST part...... not entirely sure how you can fuck that up but hey ho there you go the NORTHumbrians weirdly lived in the north. but the generalisation of what we would call English were either Saxon or angles but that's almost like saying Europeans in fact the east Anglians were east Anglian the Northumbrians were Northumbrian the Mercians (midlands) were Mercians etc etc. however you are right but you're also wrong the graveyard is indeed not Saxon but nor is it "anglic" (not a word by the way as previously stated Anglo just means foreign so saying foreign...ic just makes no sense also calling your fellow countrymen foreign also doesn't make any sense the reason they are anglo saxon after william the conqueror is because well he was foreign so uhm yeahhhh kind of self explanatory really) but however they were and still to this day although we don't use it much still are Northumbrian but go by Yorkshire or Lancashire etc etc anything above the humber river is Northumbrian.
@@hetrodoxly1203 yes we did you are right that angle and Saxon was a term of Germanic tribes settling in the British isle you missed jutes and so many more, (however you weren't a angle or a Saxon if you just moved to the British isles you were a Anglo Briton or a Anglo Saxon or just a Anglo or you were what ever nation you came from angle and Saxon is a a generalised term like saying a European (sort of)) also as mentioned above why are we called Englishmen that live in England if we never called ourselves Anglo Saxons? england...angland. due to the whole battle of Hastings and William the conqueror who was Anglo (foreign) did rule Anglo land (England).
to me anyone that does not live in England is Anglo however I myself am Anglo Saxon because i live in England technically I'm Northumbrian so I'm a Anglo Saxon Northumbrian, confusing right?
Wow, so interesting. I would love to visit there. Thank you 🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺
Still yet to find a burial on one of our dig sites. This must be one of those once in a life time discoveries I've heard so much about
THIS COULD ALSO DEFINITELY NOT BE A ROYAL LINE. I dont get the obsession with possibly finding royal tombs. I love history hit as a channel but I would love it if they stuck to facts rather than speculation like this. I wish they would just leave the Dead alone at times, not very respectful digging people up once they are gone. I don't think they would care whether we knew if they were Royal or not on their deathbed. Probably wanted to be at peace.
"Probably wanted"? They are dead and gone. But these dead have very slightly more "life" now than before. 2k years from now we will all be less than nothing. But just just maybe a future archeologist might discover some remant of your life and a teeny tiny little bit of you might have a bit more existance for while and you might be remembered again (slightly). The entire point of a burial is to leave some commemorative mark/reminder of your life. I say job well done nameless dead guy from so many many years ago. We should all be lucky.
This is so cool, I’ve been able to trace some of my lineage to the castle.
From the 13th-15th ce. as far as I currently know.
Yeah course you have…along with half of us in Northumberland.. bloody Americans have to try to own something that’s not yours…🙄
@@Ionabrodie69 i guess royals were heavy on hot times with the public
The border of Mercia on your map is a bit more contentious than that: the area of Lancashire between Mersey and the Ribble seems likely to have been annexed by Mercia. After all everything North of Swanside Beck/Smithies Brook is a "Fell" and a "Beck", everything South is a "Hill" and a "Brook". The area of Lancashire comprising AMounderness and Furness Hundreds were formerly in the Kingdom of Rheged, which was ceded to Northumbria.
Wouldn't the tooth decay likely be due to drinking mead rather than eating sugar?
Yeah I think so, I don't know if that guy new exactly what he was on about. Could be excess grains also, from the phytic acid
I can see it from my window :)
..and if you want to relive those Saxon lives, play the computer game - Mount & Blade Warband, with the Mod - Viking Conquest (VC) .
I actually did a summer digging season with the BRP back in 2013! Brilliant time.
Were any swords or other weapons found with those skeletons? Thank you 🤓
When they Rise up, they may not be happy with such arrangements!
Destiny is all!
My maternal grandfathers line come from that neck of the woods .surname is cornaby ... Traced back to the 13th century ..
Are these Saxons that were found visitors to the Anglian Kingdom of Northumbria
Bumbrah?
One of my bucket list items.
Not to pick nits, but if dead were to sit up they'd have been looking at the Danes on the other side of the North Sea.
Where were they getting sugar?
It would be from honey. They drank it as mead, ate it `raw’, and used it in cooking. Their teeth would be worn down by their diet even without the honey. Bread (debris from grinding the grain) and vegetables(not thoroughly washed) could be abrasive…also in the absence of forks, you’d be ripping meat apart rather than cutting it into bite size pieces
Is that Uthred?
Proof of all Claims are Required.
Uhtred not looking as good now as when he was alive. 😉
Wouldn't you want to face Southeast from England, if you want to face the Holy Land?
I'm 52% Anglo-Saxon I would like to be reimbursed and get my ancestry's family's land back .
I'm 91% ancient Briton/Celt. I'd like my Island back please. DNA is a funny thing. There is actually very little Anglo Saxon DNA in the modern English. It ranges from 42% in the East to as little as 10% further west. I'm 9% germanic/scandinavian.
Same here. We were dupped into coming to a free country.. not a controlled social experiment. I stand against the forced migration and want my German and Scottish fortune and land back! As well as the land they were given after the revolutionary war.
@@Everlastinglife2024 Tough shit …you’re a yank deal with it..
How could people of about 600 AD have had access to sugar? Sugar cane surely didn't grow in Northumbria.
Trade
@@Tawadeb Possibly. But I think that the primary source of sugar would be honey and this can hardly have been available in great quantities.
Thanks, I was about to make my own comment. Sugar would not be why they had tooth decay. Like, at all.
@@julilla1 Strange that a so called expert in historical matters jumped to a conclusion without a moment thinking of this practical matter. The victims in Pompeï and Herculaneum had mostly perfect teeth. They had as little access to sugar as 6th century Anglo Saxons
@@christianwouters6764 yes, if I had to make a guess, it would be bread. It was hard to mill finely and usually contained grit. Once you've cracked a tooth or even just the enamel, tooth decay is inevitable.
My wife is a Foster. The Fosters guarded the castle.
Saxons weren’t real. The English were Lloegrians from what is now the Netherlands. They just had a culture shift when Rome left them, From Romano-Lloegrians to Anglo. Whereas The Romano-Britons became the Cymric (English term: Welsh)
Probably true, yes. There is a long history in Europe of larger population groups adopting the language and cultures of a stronger, nearby culture or of a powerful but small ruling elite. I do believe a warrior elite of Angles and Saxons did come to Britain and founded the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms but I believe the modern 'English' people are mainly descendants of the original Britons who adopted Anglo-Saxon culture. It happened a lot in Europe and beyond: the Franks and the Gauls, the Greeks and Levants of Asia Minor/Anatolia becoming 'Turks', even right back to the Indo-European horse warrior elites imposing their languages and cultures on the sub-stratum peoples of Europe, Persia and India.
The same is thought about the 'Celtic' languages and culture of Ireland and Britain: it was adopted from the continent when the Celts were at the height of their power. There is certainly little evidence that the Irish, Welsh/Britons, Scots, even English share a great deal of DNA with the peoples of central Europe, where the original Celts were believed to originate.
I'm a dependent of king Edward the first
Why do they keep saying that a 'rich" diet is bad for teeth? Sugar i can understand, but meat and fat are very good for teeth. If these archeologists are getting that one thing wrong, that has pretty wide -ranging implications for their conclusions. Diets with less meat are actually worse for teeth and bones.
My family originated in England in .Northumberland I defend from king Edward the first
Should have left them where they was found to RIP why remove them ffs !!!!
Presumably belonging to the same Saxons Cambridge University claim dont exist?
You okay?
@@sisuguillam5109it’s Cambridge that has a problem
@@canuck3169 not really.
@@sisuguillam5109 It is Cambridge that has a problem trying to change history
@@SandileNgwenya-gv7nx the concept of research evolving seems to elude you.
My ancestors are an ancient family from Northumbria. This is the first time I've seen the name Burr given to the bamburgh. My last name is Burrell. Makes me wonder if my family is connected to Bamburgh Castle...
UHTRED IS THAT YOU?
What is 'late-adulthood'?
Old
@@freyatilly why did I laugh at this
I got married at Bamburgh Castle. Admittedly, I shouldn't have married her, but hey...
Top comment.
What were the DNA results from this finding?
Uthred?
My family originated from Northumberland I'm a Ogle.
Typically, people in the past, and even now, lose their teeth from lack of Calcium and Vitamin D. They would not likely get the dairy products and/or adaquate sunshine for good dental health. Plus lack of proper hygiene
would be great if their Royal Highnesses cold be found
Disturbing the peace of a Christian burial condemns you to hell
Did they find Uthred? 🤪😜🤪
Hope we get some DNA. Why do they never seem to test anyone?
Well, they did, I think. That is how they know that eight of the bodies were from the area and the rest were from far afield, all over Europe. I realise that skeletons can reveal a kind of watermark, indicating where a person grew up, but I would imagine they used DNA, too.
@@graceygrumble The isotope chemistry of tooth enamel is used to establish where a person grew up.
@@Padraigan13 Splendid.
According to Cambridge University there was no such thing as Anglo-Saxons🤣😂🤣
Wait what?
I thought that was the BBC??
It came as a general cultural grouping... Basically, from mid and lower Denmark (Jutland). But Alfred the Great used the term during his later reign, which pretty much brought the two cultures together.
Yep that's what there now teachung
Not that they didn’t exist , but that they didn’t come and conquer ..
@@factsdontcareaboutyourfeel7204 From the Telegraph 03/06/23🙃🙃
Anglo-Saxons aren’t real, Cambridge tells students in effort to fight ‘nationalism’
University aims to ‘dismantle the myths' around British and English identities as it seeks to make its teaching more 'anti-racist'
In 685 sat 20th may the whole army was destroyed by the picts at the battle of nectensmuir ,letham in angus , a true story a lady walking home in approx 1945 seen the battle on her right hand side of the main road from brechin ,a lot of experts believe her she described the battle plus turning over the dead bodies by lighted torches made of straw , i believe she was a school teacher and very respected person , the story in scots magazine about 1978 , 😊😊
Im going to die facing west in the forist on the side of a mountain! Im not christain btw!
Uhtred.
yup Back when the Britts were german
Still are just the language has a lot of Latin influence
😂
What's a bear, bare? Is that Saxon for fortified town or similar?
Anglo-Saxon word for fortification is Burh or burg. Loads of place names originate.
“Burgh” is quite visible in the suffix in Bamburgh…
Hang on. People buried east/west is not facing Jerusalem . That would be north/south from England. And I would think people of that pwriod would have a better idea of direction than modern man
Grave robbers
If Utred is not mentioned im putting in a Copyright Strike !!!
Finally a Utred comment
to be honest i dont know who you lot think yous are to be digging bodies up and moving them, whats this grave robbing in the name of SSSI.
The poor condition of the skeletons' teeth are proof positive these are Britons
Do I win a fiver ?
Why do the narrator pronounce Bamburgh as "Bamboro"?
Northeast people pronounce it as Boro.
@@grahamdhv3812 We pronounce in Bambra not Bamboro
Same reason as Edinburgh is pronounced Edinburra. Don't ask.
@@murrayscott9546 Fair enough.. I guess its just one of those things.. it just puzzled me since I always have pronounced "burgh" as "berg"
I struggle with it, too.
Excuse me! Did you just mis gender those bones 🤣🤣🤣🤣 that could have been a she/man/pan/cat for all you know! Some people 🤣🤣
A year ago they use to put up full videos now you get a tidbit of an episode that's incomplete. i think I am unsubscribing from this channel.
Bad teeth on English skeletons, what a surprise
Yet, Americans are rated above the English when it come to bad teeth hygiene and most of Europe 😂
Oh pulling that old trope again are we… you obviously dont bother to educate yourself or you would know Britain ranks FAR higher than the yankees as far as Dental healthcare…but of course you would have to be able to read and comprehend to do that.. 🤔🇬🇧
He said there teeth were very bad
They were English of course there teeth were bad and a lt still are
It’s an English thing isn’t it 😂😂😂
An English thing💀
English actually have better teeth than Americans and most of the world
That will be why we are WELL above you yanks in the world rankings of Dental health… you lot don’t take care of your teeth you just keep getting ultra white veneers ..🙄👍