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 other events (2) my weekly seminars, (3) available lectures, (4) about me and my works, (5) my books and other publications, and (6) 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.
Events (live and online) scheduled so far for 2026
Lords of Peace and Plenty: Ing and Freyr
an online study-day with Stephen Pollington on Friday 13th March 2026.
Above: the three great royal barrows at Gamla Uppsala with the twelfth-century episcopal-church beyond, built on the site of the pre-Christian temple-hall said to have been founded by Yngvi-Freyr. The flat-topped Thing-mound can be seen on the right (©Gamla Uppsala Museum 24th November 2021, with thanks).
An online study-day with author and polymath Stephen Pollington looking at the evidence for the pre-Christian lords of peace and plenty, Ing and Freyr, as well as the related Vanir gods and goddesses associated with fertility, farming, and protection.
A Spring-Equinox Special: the Old English Eastertide
an online study-day with Dr Sam Newton FSA on Friday 20th March 2026.
Above: looking west along the central axis of the great hall-site of the Anglo-British royal centre at Yeavering, Northumberland, towards the point on the horizon where the sun sets on the day of the Spring Equinox (©Dr Sam Newton, 14th April 2025).
An exploration of the way in which the coming of spring was celebrated in early England. Beginning with a look at the Old English calendar, which reveals how the pre-Christian year was measured and structured, we shall consider how the month of Éostre became the great spring-festival and some of the ways in which it was celebrated in early England. We shall also discuss the ‘Synod’ of Whitby in 664 and the question of the dating of Easter, which continues to this day. Finally, we shall look at Cult of the Cross, using examples from early medieval archaeology, art, and literature, especially the powerful poem known as The Dream of the Rood.
– click here for the full programme on Eventbrite –
Also…
Weekly Morning Seminars in Sutton Hoo and Beowulf Studies 2026, live and online
Picture 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 (Online on Monday mornings and 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.
For schedules and bookings, please click here.
– please note that these events are not recorded –
Also…
If you wish to book me to deliver a lecture or study-day, click here for a selection of titles.
About Me and My Works
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.
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
