The period between the start of the ninth century and the mid-eleventh century marks the final third of the Anglo-Saxon period. It was during these centuries that the Kingdom of England was created and consolidated from West Saxon conquest and administration. This process was both unwittingly aided and interrupted at different times by Scandinavian incursions, which radically altered the political and cultural landscape.

This chapter will again review in detail the archaeological evidence from dress, coinage, and pottery to examine Essex's socio-political and economic landscape in the centuries preceding the Norman Conquest that began in 1066. Throughout the analysis, reference will be made to major contemporary themes; particularly the development of the North Atlantic network within Essex, as well as Scandinavian influences in the archaeological record.

The results from the material-specific analyses will be brought together and viewed in their broader archaeological context in the culminating discussion. The chapter as a whole will give a huge amount of new information about Essex during this period, which helps to further our understanding of developments at a wider geographical scale. It will be demonstrated that Essex continued to take on board cultural elements from across the North Sea, resulting in a cosmopolitan culture, as maritime economic relationships developed. Furthermore, this chapter shows that Essex was far more influenced by the Scandinavian conquest of the ninth century than has previously been argued. This is particularly the case for northern Essex, which continued to operate as almost a peripheral East Anglian zone, and coastal Essex, which reveals evidence of Scandinavian-style exchange. Ultimately, it will be shown that the small landing places and sites of exchange that emerged in the earlier centuries now declined as regional towns began to develop, especially in the tenth and eleventh centuries.

Dress in Essex, c.800-1066

This section continues the examination of costume display in Essex into the last centuries of the Anglo-Saxon period. Very few distinctive dress accessories have been found dating to between the mid-seventh century and the tenth century. However, there are very interesting survivals, which help shed light on the nature of society at this time.