Once you can get past the stunning book cover of Cerdic by Paul Harper, settle yourself down for a lesson in Anglo-Saxon history. And not just any old lesson either (not M&S, way better than that!)
I had heard of Cerdic but that was as far as my knowledge went, caught up in the mists of different warring factions, with most available reading always over-ruled by a certain King Arthur. I also don’t know a great deal of post-Roman/early medieval history so this book was bit of new one to me. I’ll be honest, the first few pages saw me looking a tad dazed and having to re-read certain paragraphs to understand and retain the information – not because of the writing, far from it, more to do with the unknown complexity and fascinating history of this era.
One by one mysteries are solved including the identity of his shadowy son Creoda, the location of every bloody battle against rival warlords and the links to an iconic medieval poem – called the Elegy for Geraint.
book blurb
Paul Harper brings to life the feel of the landscape of these early centuries, of a warrior’s lot and I had a very interesting lesson on sixth and seventh century burials. These years are very far from ‘dark ages’, thankfully a term not often used in more modern times, and although life must have been very hard it seemed it was also full of a taste for the finer things in life, especially when it came to jewellery and burials. Paul also describes his forays along the ancient footpaths and byways that still criss-cross the land in certain areas; the description of these routes are used to get a feel of walking in the footsteps of Cerdic and of known battles in certain areas.
The landscape is literally dotted with the remains of barrows, some uncovered with great reverence and knowledge (such as Sutton Hoo), others completely unknown and assumed to be part of the natural landscape. Paul’s knowledge and investigations into these is fascinating but the chapter on Cerdic’s barrow is addictive reading – I’m not going to post too much on it as I don’t want to ruin the story but I felt like I was in an ancient mystery, following the clues and the signs on a treasure hunt. Loved it. To be honest, finding a reference to Ceardices Beorg (meaning Cerdic’s Barrow) would have been enough for me but Paul examines the why’s and wherefore’s and adds much to the story of this forgotten warrior.
‘This led me on something akin to a treasure hunt as I tried to identify the locality of vague but almost poetically described places such as the Willow Grove on the agricultural landscape. I spent many hours wandering around the tiny roads and fields on the outskirts of Andover in the hunt for the elusive barrow and the relevant landmarks. It was only right that the hunt for the potential final resting place of this mysterious figure in British history would prove to be as puzzling as his poorly documented but ultimately monumental reign.
Cerdic, p195.
The research for this book is intriguing. As someone whose last book was also about someone forgotten by history, the digging around in primary and secondary sources is hard work so I can fully appreciate and empathise with the diligence and effort that has gone into this work of non-fiction. Paul makes good use of academia, ancient charters and professional sources and there is more than enough to embark on your own research if the need to do so comes from this book. The narrative is succinct but the bigger picture is also examined. In the first chapter I was beginning to wonder where the story was going but admittedly, I am an impatient person and the reasons for starting with the history of Winchester (I did not know this place had such a history) soon become apparent. The writing flows well and Paul’s experience as an investigative journalist is obvious; the reader really will feel they have been on a mystery tour to potentially find Cerdic’s Barrow.
From the ancient capital of Wessex, the marauding Anglo-Saxons, the chronicles, the devastation of plague and climate changes, travelling the ancient landscape in today’s world, real historical people and fully referenced knowledge on all of this, I highly recommend Cerdic as a book to either ignite, intensify or simply enjoy the history of this era.
Many thanks to Pen & Sword Publishers for the book.
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