Rooted in red: reflections on experimenting with archaeological plant dyes

This talk is a summary and reflection of the experimental work I did for my MA at the University of York in 2023-24. For this project, I designed a series of dyeing experiments to compare the performance of two plant dyes: Lady's Bedstraw (G. verum) and Dyer's Madder (R. tinctorum). In this talk, I will outline the Early Medieval archaeological evidence for the use of both of these plants as dyes, including case studies from Yorkshire. I will also discuss the recipes I designed to test these dyes and the outcomes of these experiments, as well as why making a 'good' red dye was important in Early Medieval England. This talk will also include a chance to handle my dyed woollen samples.

Isobel is currently in the second year of a PhD at the University of Glasgow, studying the environmental impact of human activity on Scotland's peatlands through time. She graduated with a First class (Hons) BA in Archaeology from the University of Manchester in 2023, receiving multiple awards for her dissertation "These Enchanted Garments": An Archaeological Assessment of Bog Clothing. In 2025 she graduated with a Masters from the University of York, specialising in Material Culture and Experimental Archaeology. Her dissertation, Rooted in Red: An Experimental Comparison of Two Early Medieval Botanical Dyes, was awarded the Society of Medieval Archaeology's Postgraduate Dissertation Prize, and will be the subject of her talk. Issy's research interests include the use of organic materials for dress and adornment, experimental archaeology, and the relationship between place, identity and the natural world.