OCR Specification focus:
‘Craft-working and the expansion of internal and external trade, including systematic coinage.’
Introduction
The period c.400–800 saw dynamic changes in Anglo-Saxon Britain’s economy, as craft production, trade networks, and coinage systems reshaped society, politics, and wealth distribution.
Crafts in Anglo-Saxon Britain and Ireland
Early Craft-Working
Craft-working played a fundamental role in local economies and cultural expression. Early Anglo-Saxon communities depended on skilled artisans to produce essential and prestige goods.
Textiles: Weaving and dyeing were widespread, with women often responsible for producing fine cloth, a key indicator of wealth.
Metalwork: Blacksmiths were vital for making agricultural tools, weapons, and jewellery. Gold and silver craftsmanship produced items such as brooches and belt fittings.
Woodworking and bone carving: Everyday tools, furniture, and decorative items reflected practical needs and cultural identity.
Craft-working: The skilled production of goods such as textiles, metalwork, or jewellery, often essential to economic life and cultural identity.
These crafts were not only functional but also symbols of power, status, and artistry, with grave goods often containing crafted items to display wealth and identity.
Centres of Production
Certain settlements became known for specialist craft production:
East Anglia: Notable for high-quality metalwork, including the treasures of Sutton Hoo.
Kent and the Thames Valley: Centres for jewellery and imported luxury goods.
Monastic sites: Religious institutions encouraged production of manuscripts, liturgical objects, and fine metalwork.
Internal Trade and Exchange
Local Markets
Internal trade formed the backbone of Anglo-Saxon economies:
Markets exchanged agricultural produce, pottery, textiles, and livestock.
Barter was common, with coinage initially limited and sporadic.
Social ties and kinship underpinned much of this local exchange, reinforcing community cohesion.
Emergence of Trading Sites
By the 7th century, permanent trading settlements, or emporia, began to emerge:
Hamwic (Southampton): A bustling port linking Wessex with the Frankish kingdoms.
Ipswich: A hub of pottery and trade with the Rhineland.
London (Lundenwic): A growing commercial centre with evidence of continental connections.
These sites encouraged specialisation, supported royal authority through taxation and tolls, and facilitated larger-scale movement of goods.
External Trade Networks
Continental Links
The Anglo-Saxons built extensive connections beyond Britain:
Trade with Francia brought wine, quernstones, and fine cloth.
Exchange with the Low Countries and Rhineland included pottery, glassware, and luxury items.
Scandinavia provided amber, furs, and exotic goods.
Imported Goods and Status
Imported goods carried social prestige and were concentrated in elite contexts:
Glass vessels and continental pottery signalled aristocratic wealth.
Early Anglo-Saxon claw beaker (glass), likely imported from Frankish production centres and deposited in high-status contexts. Its fine fabric and applied “claws” exemplify prestige imports that moved along North Sea trade routes. The page also notes catalogue details that exceed syllabus needs but confirm provenance. Source
Wine and exotic foodstuffs reinforced the cultural separation between nobles and commoners.
Imported ecclesiastical items reflected Christianisation and the role of the Church in economic life.
Coinage and Economic Development
Early Coinage: The Sceatta
Coinage became systematic in the 7th century, transforming exchange and state control. The sceatta, a small silver coin, was widely circulated c.680–750.
High-resolution photographs of an Anglo-Saxon sceatta (Series X), showing the “Wodan head” obverse and stylised animal reverse. Such coins circulated widely c.680–750 and underpinned expanding trade in emporia. The image highlights iconography and silver quality central to systematic coinage. Source
Minted across southern and eastern England, often in Kent and East Anglia.
Designs varied, sometimes influenced by Roman and Merovingian models.
Facilitated trade by replacing barter with a consistent measure of value.
Sceatta: A small silver coin used widely in Anglo-Saxon England c.680–750, one of the earliest systematic currencies of the period.
The spread of sceattas marks a shift towards more monetised trade, especially in emporia and among elites.
Royal Control and Symbolism
Coinage reinforced royal authority:
Kings controlled mints, ensuring their image or symbols circulated across their domains.
Currency acted as both economic tool and political propaganda.
Coinage stability reflected a kingdom’s strength, while debasement could indicate financial weakness.
Later Developments
By the late 8th century, rulers such as Offa of Mercia introduced reforms that standardised coinage:
Silver pennies replaced sceattas, larger and with higher silver content.
Coins bore inscriptions and royal portraits, projecting power across Britain and abroad.
Offa’s coinage reforms reflected Mercia’s dominance and its engagement with continental rulers like Charlemagne.
Silver penny of Offa (r. 757–796), shown with metric scale and both faces visible. Offa’s pennies replaced sceattas with a larger, more uniform silver coinage that projected royal authority and facilitated trade. Additional inscriptions, such as the moneyer’s name, exceed syllabus requirements but illustrate the minting process. Source
Interdependence of Crafts, Trade and Coinage
Craft Production Feeding Trade
Craft-workers supplied goods for local consumption and long-distance trade:
Metalwork and textiles were exchanged for continental imports.
Surplus agricultural produce supported urban craft specialists.
Monastic centres both consumed and produced goods for trade.
Role of Coinage in Expanding Networks
Coinage facilitated:
Internal trade by creating reliable systems of value.
External exchange by aligning with continental practices.
Royal revenues through taxation, tolls, and control of mints.
Economic and Social Consequences
The rise of crafts, trade, and coinage contributed to:
Greater social stratification, as elites accessed imported luxuries.
Urbanisation, with emporia developing into proto-towns.
Strengthening of royal power, as kings controlled economic flows.
Together, these developments reveal a society becoming more complex, interconnected, and integrated into wider European networks.
FAQ
Craft goods often travelled through networks of fairs, seasonal markets, and gift exchange. Traders carried surplus items to emporia, where they reached wider audiences.
Gift-giving also played a central role, with elite rulers distributing high-quality jewellery or weapons to secure loyalty. Some crafts, like pottery from Ipswich, achieved broad regional distribution, suggesting organised supply systems rather than purely local barter.
Monasteries acted as both consumers and producers within the trading economy. They required imported items such as wine, manuscripts, and glass for liturgical use.
At the same time, monasteries produced goods like metalwork reliquaries, manuscripts, and agricultural surpluses, which were traded for prestige or practical resources. Their presence often stimulated nearby markets, encouraging the growth of settlements.
Glass was scarce in early medieval Britain and largely imported from continental centres. Its fragility and translucence made it a mark of sophistication.
Claw beakers and fine bowls were used in feasting rituals, linking imported glass to displays of status. They also reflected cultural connections with Frankish and Rhineland production hubs.
Rulers’ names or symbols appear on many coins, signalling direct oversight of mints. Moneyers’ names, authorised by kings, were often inscribed to ensure accountability.
Coin hoards and minting sites demonstrate geographic concentration of production, such as in Canterbury or London. This centralisation reflects the use of coinage as a tool of royal authority.
Access to imported luxuries created sharper social divisions. Elites could display wealth through wine, glass, and high-quality metalwork, marking themselves apart from common farmers.
Imported items became essential in burial rites, reinforcing elite identity even in death.
Control over trade routes gave kings and nobles additional power bases.
Association with continental goods signalled both wealth and cultural prestige, strengthening ruling legitimacy.
Practice Questions
Question 1 (2 marks)
What was a sceatta and why was it important in Anglo-Saxon England?
Mark scheme:
1 mark for correctly identifying the sceatta as a small silver coin used in Anglo-Saxon England c.680–750.
1 mark for explaining its importance, e.g. that it facilitated trade by providing a consistent medium of exchange or that it represents the development of systematic coinage.
Question 2 (6 marks)
Explain how craft-working and external trade contributed to social status in Anglo-Saxon England.
Mark scheme:
Up to 2 marks for describing craft-working, e.g. production of fine metalwork, textiles, or jewellery as indicators of wealth and artistry.
Up to 2 marks for describing external trade, e.g. imports of glass vessels, continental pottery, or wine from Francia signalling aristocratic prestige.
Up to 2 marks for linking either craft-working or external trade to social status, e.g. luxury items concentrated in elite contexts, use of imported goods to display wealth, or differentiation between nobles and commoners.
Maximum: 6 marks.
