My name is Alec Newland, and I am an experimental archaeologist specialising in the Anglo-Saxon Period. This project aims to recreate the Anglo-Saxon culture of southern Britain between 650 and 700 A.D., from domestic crafts to the weapons and regalia of the warrior class, and, eventually, the development of an Anglo-Saxon farmstead and estate.

Gesiþas Gewissa means ‘warriors of the Gewissæ’. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Gesiþs were warrior companions or retainers to a king or chieftain, who offered their loyalty in exchange for gifts of gold. During the 7th century, kings and nobles began to give land as well as gold, and Gesiþs became the landed aristocratic warrior class.

The Gewissæ were an Anglo-Saxon tribe, with their heartland situated in the Upper Thames Valley and the Vale of the White Horse. During the 7th century, the Gewissæ expanded their territories south-west into the British lands of Wiltshire and Somerset, although they lost their northern-most territories to the powerful Mercian Iclingas. The Kings of the Gewissæ became known as the Kings of the Saxons and would eventually form the kingdom of Wessex itself.

I was born and grew up in the same wooded valleys that the Gewissæ called home. Their legacy remains today, in the form of lonely burial mounds set upon hillsides, and ancient remnants of great border forests. These ancient places inspired the project and its name.

With thanks to:
Herknungr, Musician, playing 'The Wolf Chieftan'.
Hector Cole, Blacksmith, for forging the Saxon T-shaped Axe.
Grzegorz Kulig, Silversmith, for making the pattern-welded knife.

If you would like to support me further, you can become a patron here:
  / gesithasgewissa  

Or make a one-off donation:
https://paypal.me/gesithasgewissa

  / gesithasgewissa  
  / gesithasgewissa