I like both the idea and sound of Hræfneshwisprung.

In response to the question; Is it accesable to newcomers? I'm of the understanding that if they have a Withowinde to hand they've either already paid their membership or been lent a copy after expressing an interest to an existing member. In which case it's mostly a technicality.

I'm currently reading "Northanhymbre Saga - The History of the Anglo Saxon KIngs Of Northumbria" by John Marsden, although since I started it I've also read Bernard Cornwall's "The Burning Land" and Kathleen Herbert's "Peace-Weavers & Shield-Maidens Women in Early English Society". Unfortunately such entertaining reading is out of necessity giving way to the likes of "Effective Teaching in Schools" and "Essential Teaching Skills". If anyone finds a cure for this "real world" please do let me know.

Indeed, the same emphatic sense is used in the west country!

As usual the thread drifts from initial topic, no complaint it just entertains me.

As you may have guessed I saw fit to buy the book, so you have my support. Some of my friends with next to no knowledge of the AS period and nothing but what I've muttered about Old English found it very interesting. They certainly seemed to like the concept of a more english common tongue aproach, with fewer of the fancy latin words.

"Muckle" (micle) -  instead of "very"

In the West Country "Gert" seems to be a commonly used alternative.

Holding on to dialect words like these is something that deserves reasonable effort just for what they are. Well that's my feeling anyway.

Saxon Thegn 10th Century.

My costume concept so far is:
•Leather ankle boots in the turn shoe style with bone toggles.
•Naalbinding socks.
•Woollen hose, from ankle to upper leg single leg style. (dark charcoal)
•Woolen winningas. In the puttee style with herringbone weave.
•Woollen braes. These currently stop just below the knee where they are well inside the hose and about the same level as the top of the winningas. (currently, black, maroon and grey)
•Linen under tunic with close fitting coughs and keyhole neck. It also has slits up the sides of the legs which allow freedom of movement. (white)
•Woolen over tunic same pattern as under tunic. (madder red).
•Leather belt, thin, buckling toward left hip with dangling belt end.
•Sheathed seax slung from belt across front of body.
•Sword in scabbard hanging from belt left of body.
•Cloak over all, likely pattern needed.

Advice on saxon style jewellery and clothing decorations would be very much appreciated.

My clothes so far are entirely made of wool or linen and I would very much like for them to all be of realistic colours for the dyeing processes at the time.

My first questions are;
•Are braes and single leg hose accurate for this period or are they a later style?
•Were winningas always in the puttee style or could they be a rectangular piece of cloth wrapped round and tied in place?
•Ought the slit of the keyhole be laced up?

Please ask any questions of the kit. Someone else may have to answer them as I don’t have many answers and that is why I’m asking for help.

Wulfric.

The chap I was speaking to had been involved in the designing of the roundhouses, he said they had taken care to manage the thickness of the thatch at different levels. The thatch was thinner at the very top and thickened lower down this is allows smoke to pass out at the top with relative ease.

I might also suggest that the walls are more solid. Said speaker was proud that the houses had a very small range of disturbance of air within the house, no more then a few feet from even with an open door. Air passing through the sometimes large gaps in the wall at west stowe would allow for significant disturbance and perhaps prevent the stillness of air required for a smoke ceiling to occur. This is my own hypothesis based on my own feeling that AS houses even for peasants would probably have been more skillfully constructed then the reconstructions at West Stowe.

I shall see if I can contact the bloke and ask him directly.

Wulfric.