Just outside the village of Debenham the undulating slopes of Suffolk hide a potentially bloody secret. Around here sits the Blood Landscape - a whole host of ancient plots hinting at something terrible and gruesome: Little Blood Field, Great Blood Field, Blood Hall, Blood Hall Way, Blood Wood, all circling Blood Hill, which stands guard at the top of the valley.
Locals tell the story of a ferocious battle being fought here in 869 between King Edmund's Anglo-Saxon forces and the great Viking Heathen Army of Ivar the Boneless. It could even be the mythical Haegilisdun, the lost site of Edmund's death and miraculous, Saintly recovery.
Fanciful, isn't it? Except that in the 1800's ancient weapons, bones and iron fittings were ploughed up and the assumption was that it was this discovery that gave the landscape its bloody name. So, naturally, we were giddy at the prospect of recording our 50th episode here, telling this story, and exploring whether any further clues lie under the clay...
...and that was BEFORE we discovered a whole load of new mind-boggling clues about the age of this landscape.
We weren't about to solve one of history's greatest mysteries, were we...?
If you enjoy this episode, you might like to check out these as well:
Episode 39. King Rædwald's River.
Where we explore the river Deben, home to the great Anglo-Saxon treasures of Sutton Hoo.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/58HvSavPcdSXkWSkth9s4V?si=siKDF6ncR-OBFYniys3E5w
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/king-r%C3%A6dwald-s-river/id1794754013?i=1000778644546
Episode 40. A Pilgrim's Treasure.
Where we unearth one of the most incredible medieval artefacts we've ever seen.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2J7a3cRG9LH07hsBx1tlfC?si=yIx4dxIBRyOgxqJ7foSQDA
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-pilgrims-treasure/id1794754013?i=1000779813903
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https://shows.acast.com/the-land-rovers-a-history-hunting-podcast
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