When the topic of Moreton Hall came up for discussion on my blog recently, the first comment was from a lady who remembered living on Raedwald Drive as a child, and playing football with American soldiers on a field opposite her house. Once the street name had been mentioned, it was surprising how many people joined in the discussion to say they’d lived there when they first moved to Bury!
All the “firsts” for Raedwald seemed very appropriate. Raedwald Drive is of course on the first part of the Moreton Hall Estate to be built, and many of the street names in that first phase (between Sainsbury’s and Symonds Road) bear direct reference to East Anglia’s Saxon past.
Raedwald was King of the East Angles from 600AD to 624AD. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles he is also recorded as being a bretwalda, or Lord of Britons. Much remains a mystery about the Saxon period in East Anglia, as facts are interwoven with myth and legend, but it is certain that Raedwald was a hugely important ruler. It is even thought by some that he could have been the first Kind of England – another first!
Raedwald is the most likely candidate for the Saxon King buried in the famous Mound One at Sutton Hoo. Although it cannot be proven for sure, the buried ship and amazing treasures found in the mound were consistent with a Saxon leader of Raedwald’s standing, and are from the appropriate period in time. Baptismal gifts in the burial mound are also consistent with Raedwald, as he is known to have been baptised as a Christian in 605.
Raedwald is descendant of Wuffa, founder of the Anglo Saxon Wuffinga dynasty. Wuffa is a rather nice name in the history of Bury. It means “little wolf” and the totemic wolf of the Wuffingas continued to have significance in the history of the town. There was also an Anglo Saxon settlement here in Bury, and the person who was presumably the founding member also has his name commemorated on the Moreton Hall Estate. More on that next month.
In the meantime, don’t forget you can contact me with any memories or pictures which might be of interest to other residents at ruby_in_bury@yahoo.co.uk.
© Ruby in Bury www.livinginburystedmunds.blogspot.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment