Friday, December 6, 2024

Suffolk Gazette mugs found at Sutton Hoo burial site

Two Suffolk Gazette mugs have been unearthed at the Sutton Hoo burial site, now featuring in the hit film The Dig on Netflix.

There is no suggestion that the two mugs – How to Talk Suffolk and Sloightly on th’ Huh – were part of Anglo Saxon King Raedwald’s treasure trove because that would be rather far-fetched.

Instead, it is thought the two mugs were used by archaeologist Basil Brown as he worked on excavating the site, near Woodbridge, in 1939.

A check back through the records shows that landowner Edith Pretty purchased two mugs online from our sister site, the funny mugs shop Dirty Old Goat.

And it is now believed she gave the mugs to Mr Brown because she adored his local Suffolk accent.

He would have used them to drink his coffee and tea every day during the dig.

Museum experts say the two mugs were then left in the ground when the excavation site was covered over.

Lorraine Fisher, 34, of Ipswich Museum, explained: “The two mugs were found in perfect condition during maintenance on the Sutton Hoo site last week.

“At first we thought they could be even more treasure from the Anglo Saxon burial site.

“But now we think they were Mr Brown’s mugs that he left behind for others to find years later.

“It’s lovely how this is exactly what happened in the same week that The Dig was launched on Netflix.”

A Suffolk Gazette spokesman said: “You couldn’t make it up.”

Buy a mug just like Basil Brown

Now you can have a How to Talk Suffolk or a Sloightly on th’ Huh mug, just like Basil Brown enjoyed.

Buy direct from the images below, or visit DirtyOldGoat.com

🤞 Get our stories on email

Receive awesome content in your inbox, every week.

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Share
Be a shining star, follow us on Twitter!