Gesiþas Gewissa | Anglo-Saxon Heritage

My name is Alec Newland, and 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’. Gesiþs were warrior companions to a king or chieftain, in exchange for gifts of gold and land. During the 7th century, 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.

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. This inspired the project and its name.

Hand Forging an Early Medieval Betrothal Ring from Silver using Historical Jewelry Making Techniques

Building a Medieval Timber Framed Granary House with Hand Tools - Part II | Anglo-Saxon Woodworking

Defending West Seaxe against Mercian Raiders | Anglo-Saxon Warfare

Face to Face with an Anglo-Saxon King | Cenwalh of the Gewissæ and West Seaxe

Taming Feral Kittens to Tackle the Mice on my Early Medieval Farmstead - Anglo-Saxon Cats

Making an Anglo-Saxon Shield with Historical Techniques - Part IV | Early Medieval Woodworking

Making an Anglo-Saxon Shield with Just an Axe and a Knife - Part III | Early Medieval Woodworking

Making Anglo-Saxon Coins for Sale | Early Medieval Coin Striking by Hand

Growing a Medieval Vegetable Garden for Self Sufficiency | Farming on an Early Anglo-Saxon Homestead

Building a Medieval Timber Framed Granary House with Hand Tools - Part I | Anglo-Saxon Woodworking

Defending My House with a Living Blackthorn Hedge | Anglo-Saxon Hedgelaying and Coppicing

I Built a Medieval House Using Primitive Techniques | COMMENTARY

I Built a Medieval House Using Primitive Techniques | Start to Finish

Building a Medieval Cob Oven and Baking Bread - Part II | Anglo-Saxon Romano-British Updraft Furnace

Making Medieval Leather Shoes by Hand | Anglo-Saxon Early Medieval Turn Shoes

Making an Anglo-Saxon Warrior's Kaftan by Hand - Part I | Early Medieval Clothing & Sewing

Building a Medieval Clay Oven in the Anglo-Saxon House - Part I | Romano-British Updraft Furnace

Chopping Firewood and Building a Medieval Cordwood Stack with Bracken Roof | Anglo-Saxon Coppicing

Medieval Harvest Season and Cooking on an Anglo-Saxon Homestead | Historic Vegetable Garden

Building a Medieval Forge and Blacksmith Shop by Hand | Anglo-Saxon Blacksmithing

Midsummer on an Anglo-Saxon Farmstead | Medieval Vegetable Garden Update

Making a Medieval Bee Hive out of Straw | Anglo-Saxon Skep Coiled Basket Weaving

FOREST TO FIELD | Digging a Medieval Vegetable Garden and Planting by Hand | Anglo-Saxon Farming

Hand Carving Windows for the Anglo-Saxon Pit House | Early Medieval Carpentry and Live-Edge Joinery

Making Germanic Thorsberg Trousers by Hand | Anglo-Saxon Clothing and Early Medieval Sewing

Medieval Woodland Forestry Ambience | Axe Woodcutting, Birdsong and Riverside Nature

Tree Felling and Regenerating Ancient Hazel Coppice with an Axe | Early Medieval Woodland Management

Making a Medieval Bed for the Anglo-Saxon House with Hand Tools | Early Medieval Carpentry

Building an Anglo-Saxon Pit House with Hand Tools - Part V | Medieval Primitive Bushcraft Shelter

A Winter Solstice Prayer