Is Netflix's 'The Dig' a true story and was Edith Pretty a real person?

Netflix’s new series The Dig revolves around the story of Edith Pretty played by Carey Mulligan who is a self-taught archaeologist who finds interesting artefacts in her plot of land known as Sutton Hoo. The series is directed by Simon Stone. However, after watching the series many fans have been wondering if the plot is based on the real-life Sutton Hoo excavation that happened 80 years ago. Read on to find out Is Netflix's The Dig a true story?

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Is Netflix’s 'The Dig' a True Story?

The answer is yes. The Dig is based on a true story, and the events at Sutton Hoo in 1939 did take place. According to the National Trust, who runs the site now as a tourist attraction, The Dig is based on a novel written by John Preston. The events in the movie and the characters featured in both the novel and the film are inspired by real people. Here is a still from the Netflix show:

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Edith Pretty’s Character Was Based on a Real Person?

Edith Pretty, played by Carey Mulligan, owned the Sutton Hoo estate and was the instigator of the first excavations, which ended up revealing some incredible artefacts. Carey said of the role to Vogue UK, “I’d never heard her name before. The character was so compelling, but diving into her real-life was extraordinary. She was so beyond her time as a woman at the beginning of the 20th century. She was well travelled and educated and generous throughout her life.”

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About Edith Pretty and Robert Pretty

According to the British Museum, Edith Pretty was born in 1883 came from a wealthy family and inherited the Sutton Hoo estate. Her husband, Frank Pretty, knew her for many years before they got married. He proposed to Edith on her eighteenth birthday, but she had to decline because her father disapproved of their relationship. Edith and Frank finally married a year after her father passed away in 1925. Frank and Edith Pretty's son Robert was born in 1930.

Frank Pretty died due to stomach cancer when Edith Pretty's son Robert was just 4 years old. When Edith Pretty’s son Robert Pretty got a bit older she asked for help from the Ipswich museum to tell her what was on her estate. In July 1937, Edith met Vincent Redstone, a local historian, and spoke about burial mounds on her estate, which she became increasingly curious about. She along with Basil Brown played by actor Ralph Fiennes who worked on the excavation of The Great Ship Burial and his assistants Bert Fuller and Tom Sawyer along with the Ipswich museum joined forces and started excavating Edith’s estate.

Robert Pretty and Edith Pretty were extremely taken up by the excavation and Robert would often play around the site. Robert also dug around the area with a toy spade. Their excavation led them to find out some very important historical information of the Anglo-Saxon period.

Robert was 12 when Edith passed away and Edith's sister Elizabeth took care of him. Robert died in 1988 of cancer when he was 57. He has three kids Penny, David and John. 

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The Dig's cast includes Carey Mulligan and Ralph Finnes. The series has released on Netflix. See the trailer of the series below: