Offa, king of the Mercians

Hemel Hempstead 1808 Part II p 940 A curious piece of antiquity has lately been discovered in the churchyard of Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire In digging a vault for a young lady of the name of Warren the sexton when he had excavated the earth about four feet below the surface of the ground found his spade to strike against something solid which upon inspection he discovered to be a large wrought stone which proved to be the lid of a coffin and under it the coffin entire which was afterwards taken up in perfect condition but the bones contained therein on being exposed to the air crumbled to dust On the lid of the coffin is an inscription partly effaced by time but still sufficiently legible decidedly to prove it contained the ashes of the celebrated Offa King of the Mercians who rebuilt the Abbey of St Alban's and died in the eighth century The coffin is about six feet and a half long and contains a niche or resting place for the head and also a groove on each side for the arms likewise for the legs it is curiously carved and altogether unique of the kind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa_of_Mercia

Offa, King of Mercia (1)

M, #150358, d. July 796

Last Edited=27 Nov 2005

    Offa, King of Mercia was the son of Thingfrith (?). (1) He married Cynethryth (?). 

He died in July 796. (2)

    Offa, King of Mercia succeeded to the title of King Offa of Mercia in 757. (1)

Children of Offa, King of Mercia and Cynethryth (?)

-1. Ecgfrið, King of Mercia+ d. bt 14 Dec 796 - 17 Dec 796 (1)

-2. Ælfflæd (?) (2)

-3. Eadburh (?) (2)

-4. Æthelburh (?) (2)

Forrás / Source:

http://www.thepeerage.com/p15036.htm#i150358

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Offa van Mercia is gekozen tot koning na het overlijden van koning Aethelbald. Hij verovert het gebied van de Humber tot aan Het Kanaal. Hij is de eerste Bretwalda d.w.z. De eerste koning van alle Engelsen in Groot Brittannië. Hij laat Offa's dyke aanleggen, een 238 km lange dijk ter bescherming tegen aanvallen uit Wales. Hij voert een zilveren munt uit ter waarde van 1 penny.

Translation from Dutch: Offa van Mercia was chosen as king after the death of King Aethelbald. He conquers the area from the Humber to the Channel. He is the first Bretwalda, i.e. the first king of all English in Great Britain. He has Offa's dyke constructed, a 238 km long dyke to protect against attacks from Wales. He exports a silver coin with a value of 1 penny.

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Cynan Dindaethwy - Furter Notes; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id307.html (Steven Ferry, October 21, 2022.)