The Medieval Eastertide

with Dr Sam Newton

in The Old Court, Sutton Hoo (map)
on Saturday, 31st March, 2012.

We begin with a look at the Old English calendar, which reveals how the pre-Christian year was structured. We shall then consider how this calendar was transformed into the Christian year – how, for example, did the month of the Old English goddess Éostre become the great Easter festival? We shall also consider the Council of Whitby and some of the ways in which Eastertide came to be celebrated in England, with special attention to the Cult of the Cross, using examples from medieval art and literature.

Sam Newton was awarded his Ph.D at UEA in 1991 and is the author of The Origins of Beowulf and the pre-Viking Kingdom of East Anglia (1993) and The Reckoning of King Rædwald, (2003). He has lectured widely around the country as an independent scholar and has also contributed to many radio and television programmes. He is also a Director of Wuffing Education, NADFAS lecturer, and Time Team historian.

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Branston, B., The Lost Gods of England (Thames & Hudson 1957, 1974)
Brooks, N., Anglo-Saxon Myths of State and Church (Hambledon 2000).
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Gallyon, M., The Early Church in Eastern England (Lavenham 1973)
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Wilson, R., The Lost Literature of Medieval England (Methuen 1952, 1970)

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