The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Lindsey

Book excerpt: Lindsey was a small Anglo-Saxon Kingdom that lay to the south of the Humber Estuary in what is now northern Lincolnshire. Though long neglected, over the last 50 years Lindsey has emerged from its own 'dark age' to reappear as an Anglo-Saxon Kingdom, never powerful, usually on the edge of great events, but highly prosperous and sophisticated.Drawing on the evidence of cemeteries, settlements, finds, churches and place names, the author charts the Anglo-Saxon takeover to one of the richest areas in Roman Britain, the flourishing Christian culture of the eighth and ninth centuries, and then the Viking invasion of 877.Dr Kevin Leahy was Principal Archaeologist at the North Lincolnshire Museum and now works as a Finds Advisor for the Portable Antiquities Scheme. He lectures part-time at the University of Hull. During his 30 years in Lincolnshire he has excavated some major Anglo-Saxon sites. He is also the author of Anglo-Saxon Crafts (The History Press, 2003).