Although it might seem odd to us today, Aberlady was for centuries in frontier territory.  Prior to the expansion of Alba south of the Forth at some point in the late 10^th century, the river created a natural barrier between the Picts and the Britons and, later, the Anglo Saxons.  It is likely that in addition to violent interaction between the peoples fuelled by territorial ambitions and the potential of tribute and overlordship, trade and cultural exchange also took place and that Aberlady, served by its natural anchorage, would have had a role in these activities.

The Northumbrian cross which stood here, almost certainly on the high ground of the kirkyard which overlooks the Bay today, demonstrates that Aberlady was an important ecclesiastical centre during Northumbria's Golden Age.   The concentration of stray Anglo Saxon finds - the largest yet discovered in Scotland - from the area between the kirkyard and the shore adds to this evidence of Anglo Saxon activity. Some of these finds, comprising enamelled strap ends, pins, brooches and a number of coins, may be seen on display in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. 

The metallic artwork of one particular pinhead, which we have incorporated into the design of our website banner, stands out:

In as yet unpublished work, Alice Blackwell, currently Glenmorangie Research Officer at the National Museum of Scotland, describes the pinhead and its historical context in the following terms:

“Our understanding of the relations between Anglo-Saxon England and the Early Historic kingdoms of Scotland during this period is quite limited because of the dearth of historical sources and identified archaeological remains, and as such Aberlady is an exciting site. 

"The disc-headed pin with its Mercian-style beast is of a very high quality, and openwork of this quality is difficult to parallel among Anglo-Saxon metalwork.  The amount of 8th century metalwork from across England is really quite limited and so this is an important addition and an outlier in terms of the distribution. 

"The east coast seems to have been a vital means of communication during the Early Historic period in terms of travel, trade and the transmission of ideas.  As such it is likely that, in addition to being on a pilgrimage route to Iona, it was also part of an east coast network potentially extending up into Pictland.  Mercian influence has long been identified in Pictish sculpture, and the recovery of a piece of Mercian style metalwork from Aberlady provides further context to the artistic connections between the two areas.”

Some of the Anglo Saxon finds from Aberlady on display in the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Copyright Trustees of the National Museum of Scotland