Welcome to Dr Sam Newton’s Wuffings’ Website Website, which aims to provide a focus for the study of Sutton Hoo and the history and culture of the Wuffing Kingdom of East Anglia, Beowulf, and beyond.
Header-picture above: Æt Hrædwaldes-Cyninges-Hlæwe, ‘At Rædwald’s King’s Barrow’ (©Dr Sam Newton 2013, 2025).
Please scroll down for information about (1) Wuffing Education study-days, study-mornings, and my weekly seminars, (2) available lectures, (3) about me and my works, (4) my books and other publications, and (5) some old but still occasionally useful resources for Wuffing & Sutton Hoo Studies. You might also be interested in my YouTube channel . I also make occasional Wuffing Education uploads on the Facebook.
1. Study-days, study-mornings, and weekly seminars (live and online) scheduled so far for 2026
King Ælfred and the Battle of Edington (May 878)
an online study-day with Dr Sam Newton FSA on Friday 8th May 2026.
Above: The Battle of Ethendún Memorial Stone (©Dr Sam Newton, 14th September 2002).
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle provides a dramatic and near-contemporary narrative of the events of the year 878, one of the great turning points in the history of England. From the Danish surprise attack on Wessex on 6th January and Alfred’s retreat to his island fortress of Athelney, to his victory at Eðandún (Edington) on or about 6th May and the subsequent baptism of the defeated Danish king around midsummer, we shall explore this narrative and attempt to locate the events to which it refers in the English landscape. We shall also consider the profound consequences of the battle for the history of the English-speaking peoples.
Monday morning online seminars exploring the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Early Summer 2026.
Above: Wódnesbeorg (Woden’s Barrow), Wiltshire, mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, as shown here, as the site of battle in 592; another battle here is mentioned in the entry for 715 (© Dr Sam Newton, 9th October 2008).
A series of weekly online Monday morning seminars exploring the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, one of the primary cultural documents of the English-speaking peoples. Its language includes examples of the ancient English medium of alliterative poetry as well as some of the first original compositions in English prose, the linguistic style of which anticipates the language of the King James version of the Bible. Its great narrative scope also provides an Old Testament of English history. related texts, We shall consider closely this wonderful document in the light of Anglo-Saxon art, landscape studies, recent research, and new discoveries.
Schedule for the first half of term:
- Monday 27th April 2026
- Monday 4th May
- Monday 11th May
- Monday 18th May
- Monday 25th May
Schedule for the second half of term:
- beginning on Monday 15th June; more dates to follow
For more details and bookings, please click here.
Wednesday Morning Live Seminars on Sutton Hoo and Beowulf Studies Early Summer 2026.
Above: detail from the book-cover created by artist Michael Leonard for the translation of Beowulf by David Wright (Panther 1970) (©with kind permission of the Estate of the late Michael Leonard).
An ongoing seminar-series Live on Wednesday mornings exploring the great Old English poem Beowulf, one of the primary cultural documents from the early history of the English-speaking peoples. We shall consider it closely, along with related texts, languages, landscapes, history, archaeology, and art, attempting thus to chart something of the forgotten soundscapes of the “Golden Age” associated with the Sutton Hoo ship-burial.
Schedule for the first half of term:
- Wednesday 29th April
- Wednesday 6th May
- Wednesday 13th May
- Wednesday 20th May
Schedule for the second half of term:
Beginning Wednesday 10th June; more dates to follow
For more details and bookings, please click here.
– please note that these events are not recorded –
– click here for the full programme of Wuffing Education Events on Eventbrite –
Also on Dr Sam Newton’s Wuffings’ Website:
2. If you wish to book me to deliver a lecture or study-day, click here for a selection of titles.
3. About Me and My Works
4. My Books:
1. The Origins of Beowulf and the pre-Viking Kingdom of East Anglia (1993)
2. The Reckoning of King Rædwald (2003)
My more recently published papers, such as “The Forgotten History of St Bótwulf (Botolph)” (2016), can be downloaded from my page on Academia.
5. Resources for Wuffing Studies:
Wuffings’ Who Was Who (genealogical & historical information)
Sutton Hoo: Burial-Ground of the Wuffings (some of the wonders of the royal ship-burial)
Wuffing and Related Places of Interest (sites where the Wuffings walked; and more) – work in progress
In Defence of the Wuffings (Book Review) – my response to some of Professor Martin Carver’s theories about Sutton Hoo and the kings of East Anglia.
Sutton Hoo: Burial-Ground of Dissidents? – further thoughts on Professor Martin Carver’s theories about Sutton Hoo.
Some Wuffing Studies’ reading lists
Some Old Links to related Websites
