A417 A429 Oxford About Wessex Cirencester A419 OXFORDSHIRE , the most powerful of the West A338 Abingdon Saxon kingdoms, was the largest, most GLOUCESTERSHIRE Wpowerful and most civilised of the Anglo- Saxon states. The British Royal Family is descended A429 directly from the West Saxon Kings. The first of M5 A46 Abbey House A419 A420 these was Cerdic who, with his son Cynric, landed Wantage To Heathrow Airport 30miles/50km | Lydiard Park with a war band from five ships at Horton Court (Birthplace of M4 and defeated a native British king at Portchester Malmesbury Swindon Alfred the Great) in the year AD 495. Westbury College BERKSHIRE By 800, the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms with SOUTH Gatehouse M4 power in were Mercia, Northumberland, WALES M4 M4 A338 East Anglia and Wessex. Around that time ‘Shires’ Dyrham M4 Reading were created in Wessex, the names of each referring Park Chippenham A345 Clevedon Court Avebury to the towns on which the surrounding Shire was Avon A4 Calne Bristol Corsham Marlborough Hungerford dependent. Thus: A4 Court A4

Tyntesfield Avon Silbury Lacock Abbey Bowood House Hill Savernake Newbury Dornsaete, Dorchester - A338 West Green now the County of Bath A342 A346 Silchester House Wiltunscir, Wilton - Prior Great Chalfield Manor Highclere Garden Weston-Super-Mare Park Bradford-on-Avon Broadleas now the County of Wiltshire Westwood Manor Somersaete, Somerton - Iford Manor Devizes The Vyne The Courts Garden A343 now the County of Trowbridge A342 Farleigh Hungerford Basingstoke Hamtunscir, Southampton - Cheddar Gorge A350 A360 Downside Castle Battle of A34 now the County of Abbey Edington A361 M5 Westbury WILTSHIRE A342 Farnham A371 Castle Other shires were created elsewhere in Andover Test Wells A338 Keep England as they became subject to the Kings of Minehead Brue Milton Lodge A361 Bishop Palaces Warminster A303 Wessex. Each was presided over by a bishop and a Dunster Castle Shepton Mallet Nunney A303 sheriff. and Mill Glastonbury Longleat M3 Wessex was the only Anglo-Saxon kingdom to Abbey A338 Glastonbury Tor Stonehenge • Museum of Coleridge A39 (Ruins) A30 survive the onslaught of the Vikings in the ninth B Cottage Little Test Army Flying FOREST R Bridgwater Glastonbury Gant’s Mill Clarendon Heale Chawton century. Under Alfred the Great (871-899) ruling EN Old Sarum A34 DO A30 Avington Park from Winchester, it became the centre for revival N HILLS Parrett A272 A358 SOMERSET A359 Stourhead A31 and the dominant force in the unification of A361 Wilton Newhouse Houghton Lodge Hestercombe Somerton Hadspen Hindon England. It was this, even more than his victory A396 SOMERSET Mompesson HAMPSHIRE Gaulden Manor A303 A350 Hamptworth over the Danes at Edington in 878, that marks him A372 House Lodge Winchester A361 Lytes Cary Manor Chiff Chaffs A30 Salisbury Mottisfont Abbey as one of the greatest figures in English history.

Taunton Shaftesbury Old Wardour Avon Sir Harold Hillier Muchelney Abbey A372 Cadbury Hinton Ampner To protect his kingdom, he recognised the A361 • Abbey Castle A361 Fleet Air • Rockbourne M3 Petersfield importance of professional soldiers and sea power, Priest’s Arm Museum A30 Shaftesbury Roman Villa Broadlands Romsey and ensured that Wessex had both. He developed Cothay Manor Tintinhull Itchen Bishop’s Waltham A358 House Treasurer’s Braemore House a system of fortified burghs, garrisoned by full House Garden Barrington A350 Test M27 time, well-trained soldiers. These burghs became M5 East NEW Hamble A396 Court Chettle House the earliest towns in the country. A strong believer Lambrook Yeovil Sherborne Old FOREST Southampton A303 Manor Castle that respect for law must be at the heart of a Montacute House A354 A30 Cranborne Manor Meon Goodwood House civilised society, he created a collection of laws Sherborne Castle A31 Titchfield Abbey

Yarty that is seen today by many as the foundation of Lower Severalls Fort Beaulieu A31 M27 Brockenhurst English law as we know it. He was also a learned Exe Blandford Forum Lymington A37 Ringwood Portchester Castle man who played a major role in the development A30 Forde Abbey Axe Beaulieu Abbey Milton Kingston Avon Cathedral of the English language. A356 DORSET A31 Portsmouth Piddle Abbey Lacey Minterne Knoll Exbury The Danes returned early in the eleventh century A377 A396 A354 Calshot Historic Dockyards • Fort Cumberland A35 Longwood Meeting Wimborne and Canute became King of England in 1016. He Honiton House Mapperton Hardy’s Minster Bournemouth Osborne Ferries to divided the country into four parts, each an Airport A30 Cottage Lymington House France earldom. Godwin was appointed the first Earl of Shute Poole A35 Wolfeton House Kingston Maurwood Bournemouth Wessex with jurisdiction over all of England south A30 Barton A352 Athelhampton of the Thames. Although there was to be another Dorchester House Clouds Hill Compton Acres Exeter Otter • Maiden Castle Frome • Tank Museum upheaval in 1066 with the Norman Conquest, the Max Gate Morton Manor Carisbrooke transfer of the capital of England from Winchester Abbotsbury Sub-tropical Wareham Brownsea Ferries to Castle to London had already been made in 1042 and A38 Island Haseley Manor France was never reversed. Thereafter the name of Lulworth Castle Swanage Wessex faded into the background. Appuldurcombe The area, however, always remained important A380 Corfe Castle Castle Weymouth in the flow of English history. The concentration of heritage that Wessex now enjoys bears witness to this. At the end of the nineteenth century, the publication of Thomas Hardy’s novels created a Bovey Ferries to National Trust France revival in the use of Wessex to describe the central part of southern England. Queen Elizabeth II also Abbeys, Cathedrals, gave Wessex much increased prominence in 1999 Priories on the occasion of the marriage of her third son, Dart Edward, to Sophie Rhys-Jones whom she created Historic Houses Earl and Countess of Wessex. The name Wessex is now used widely by such Gardens diverse entities as train operators, hotels and water suppliers, and more and more by all those who see themselves happily and profitably centred on this historic and extremely beautiful part of England.

The Wessex Wyvern is one of the oldest emblems in Europe. It was the emblem of Wessex and England until replaced by the cross of St. George after the Crusades. Taken from original map by Taken Alexander S. Grenfell