Hoard

There are many ideas surmising why the Hammerwich Hoard was buried in a field alongside Watling St. Here is one popular idea expressed by others in the recent past.
Penda, the Mercian King at Tamworth and elsewhere, had alliances with Welsh warlords. He allied with Cadwallon to defeat the Northumbrian Edwin at the battle of Heathfield in 633. He joined Cynddylan, Prince of Powys, to defeat Oswald of Northumbria at the battle of Maserfelth in 642. According to the Welsh poem Marwnad Cynddylan (Elergy of Cynddylan) he might have been killed alongside Penda at their defeat in 655 at the battle of Winwaed in which the Northumbrians took revenge.
At some time between 642 and 655 (655 has been mentioned as the preferred date) there is a battle near the hoard site at Caer Lwytgoed, interpreted as “the fortification in the grey wood” and possibly located at Wall or Lichfield. It is logical to assume it was again a battle between the Mercians from Tamworth, allied with Cynddylan from Powys, against the Northumbrians coming south down Watling Street. (42 battles or skirmishes are known involving the Mercians and most are with the Northumbrians). In the poem Marwnad Cynddylan it is said “cattle and horses were captured in the presence of book clutching monks” and this suggests Lichfield was the site. Bishops are also mentioned. However, the earliest church at Lichfield, St Marys, is thought not to have been built until 656. Perhaps, this first church has a slightly earlier date. It alters a little the suggested date the hoard was buried of around 670, but this is only an approximation.
There is no reason to believe the hoard has Celtic (strictly Insular) motifs and therefore originates from the Christian Northumbrians. Instead it is probably entirely Germanic and thus Saxon in origin. If so, the probability would be the hoard was captured from the Mercians and was left behind when they fled.
The Welsh poem suggests Cynddylan’s brother, Morfael ap Glast, attacks Lichfield and takes extensive booty. Is this a renegade brother who is stealing from a Mercian location and either his brother or Penda catch up with him in Hammerwich and he is made to hide his booty and thus hide the fact he was responsible for the raid on Lichfield? If so the hoard belongs to Lichfield!
Another version has Cynddylan and Morfael against Penda and the Mercians without any mention of Northumbrians. 
(If ever Saxon material is found on or near the hoard site, this might add the complication Hammerwich Saxons lived close by and perhaps are complicit in burying the hoard!)

The flaw in all this is the poem is probably a 9th century composition and therefore might be romanticing the history.
There is also the unknown of where the battle occurred. The evidence for Wall being close to the battle site is that it had a Roman fort or forts on the top of the hill above the mansio or villa, whereas Lichfield had no known fort. A silver bowl with a Chi-Rho symbol has been given as evidence for the early presence of monastics, but this is tenuous. The relationship between the Roman site and the establishment of the ecclesiastic Lichfield centre in the seventh century is also uncertain, although much has been written about it.

It is possible the Mercian/Welsh battle with the Northumbrians could have occurred near Wall and Watling Street, but the plunder of hoard occurred at Lichfield as a side show involving Morfael.

The artwork of the hoard

It is not uncommon for visitors to the Cathedral Chapter house to see the hoard exhibits, to spot the motif that resembles a Staffordshire Knot and then wrongly conclude that is where it came from. So it is not surprising for some people to conclude the interlaced designs on the hoard pieces are connected to the tangled designs on the Chad's gospels illuminated pages. This connection is, however, difficult to prove. 

The photo shows three pieces of the hoard above a section of the carpet page of Chad's gospels. 

The hoard pre-dates the gospels. The hoard has Germanic designs. The garnets and byzantium gold, together with some motifs, suggest a connection with the Germanic Ostrogoths and the Lombards that followed them. It could well have a southern Europe manufacture.

The Gospels, on the other hand, do have Celtic (strictly Insular) motifs and it is not surprising since the writer must have been trained or has been influenced by gospel writing in Northumbria or Iona or Ireland. It could well have been written in Mercia.

The interesting conjecture is did the Mercian kings influence the writing of the Gospels and its artwork.

And another idea. Do the motifs on the hoard show ownership? Are there signatures in the design which tell which warrior owned the piece?

Alternative suggestions

1. In "British Archaeology" Jan/Feb2013 issue is a letter that suggests Ethelred, King of the Mercians, raids West Kent in 676AD and loots the hoard, possibly from Rochester. It is supported by the increasing amount of Saxon archaeology being uncovered in Kent, including two Saxon palaces.

2. Penda is either killed or critically injured at the battle of "Winwaed" on 15th November 655AD. Winwaed is a river and is often placed close to Leeds, but this is very uncertain.

It is possible Penda's body is brought back to Tamworth by his defeated thegns and as soon as they reach his border area for the sub-kingdom they bury his body. The thegns add their offering of sword and knife hilts and perhaps add Penda's helmet and sword. The crumpled crosses are added as a way to show that Penda was a pagan, but tolerated Christianity and may even have turned to God towards the end of his life. (He was at least 50years old and some have put him as much older). They keep the spot secret in order to avoid the victorious Northumbrians from finding it, and doing to Penda what Penda did to Oswald's body and probably to many others. According to Bede Penda dispatched at least five kings; two Northumbrians and three East Angles. This means the hoard spot is Penda's grave. 

This theory has not been considered enough. It is possibly testable by finding something in the hoard which could be personal to Penda. This means a motif or a special stud/piece which is so special it could only be ascribed to a warrior warlord of the highest level.

Recent photographs from the metal detecting from Warwickshire Archaeology. November 2012.