It is sad to record that one of the two recipients of this Festschrift, Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle, died just before its appearance, although she had the satisfaction of seeing an advance copy. The seventeen-page list of her publications, together with those of her husband Martin, and their many joint contributions, reflects patient scholarship and deep thought, as well as meticulous excavation. Their most recent thoughts on early medieval Winchester, the place of their main project, were contained in a Festschrift for one of the editors of this one, Martin Henig, and the compliment is well returned.
The volume is introduced by Queen Margrethe ii of Denmark, who knew both Martin and Birthe before they knew each other – could any other archaeologists claim such a majestic connection? Contributions then range widely, from late Roman and early Christian objects and practices to twelfth-century architecture and ivories. As was to be expected, Winchester is a particular focus, and it is good to see a chapter by Derek Keene, one of the first members of the Winchester Studies team of the 1960s and 1970s. Michael Lapidge, who contributes on Bede, has also been a contributor to the publication series. Carolyn Heighway, who here writes on Gloucester, was one of the many excavators who learnt their skills at the Old and New Minsters, Wolvesey Palace, the Brooks and many other sites. The contribution by Rosalind Nisbett takes us to another of the places where Martin and Birthe worked, St Albans, and the piece on St Martin-in-the-Fields by Alison Telfer is a reminder of their interest in London as well as in urban origins in general. Repton is not directly represented, though Michael Hare's piece stemming from his long-term interest in Deerhurst appropriately involves a church-based study.
The longest contribution, by John Blair on fonts, will have one of the longest shelf lives. Remarkably, no one had previously put together the various different forms of evidence for baptism in early English churches – certainly not with parallels drawn from the Baltic, and using re-enactment with a (presumably unconsulted) baby. The black-and-white photographs have not reproduced very well, but the line drawings are usable and provide a comprehensive corpus of survivals and drawings. Another paper that analyses objects and their production methods is Brian Gilmour's on pattern-welded swords, which shows once again how great was the skill needed to make the best blades, including the use of phosphoritic iron that seems to imply technological innovation at a time before the sixth century when it would not have been expected. Also unexpected is the revelation that steel was used very sparingly, and not for the whole run of a blade's edges, further evidence of very careful use and selection of different alloys.
Winchester is rightly a focus for many contributions. Barbara Yorke shows the implications of the hanging-bowl burial outside the city for its role as a social centre, and Katharina Ulmschneider's updating of her work on mid-Saxon Hampshire (‘Middle Saxon’ is always an unfortunate cause of potential confusion with the province of the Middle Saxons) shows the growth of its commercial role. Julian Munby returns to its omission from Domesday Book, John Crook reveals what is known and what little survives of the grand Norman west end of its cathedral, Derek Keene considers the place of its guilds, and Pamela Tudor-Craig dwells on an aspect of one of its most famous bishops, the great collector Henry of Blois, whose international focus brings to mind the Biddles’ work in Jerusalem.
The Biddles’ time in Oxford has been characterized by new friendships and contacts, and this is reflected in the distinguished names of such Oxford scholars as James Campbell, Helena Hamerow, Sally Crawford and David Howlett. All in all, this is an eclectic mixture that made me think of a typical lecture by Martin and Birthe, wide-ranging and full of insights.
