AN AUTHOR, who carried out research on a Dark Age king for his book, believes the outskirts of Andover could be the potential burial site of the mysterious ruler.
Paul Harper, who has done extensive research on Wessex kingdom's founder Cerdic, said Walworth Road could be the resting place of this enigmatic warlord.
It is believed that Wessex kingdom grew into England later. Cerdic ruled around a similar time as King Arthur - they rivalled each other, according to research.
Mr Harper said his new finding is based on a 'fascinating reference' in an ancient royal charter.
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In the charter Edward the Elder, king of the Anglo Saxons and son of Alfred the Great, granted 10 hides to Winchester Cathedral, which was roughly 11,000 acres and now largely makes up St Mary Bourne parish, where Cerdic rests now, according to Mr Harper.
Inspired by research from academic George Grundy, Mr Harper said his investigation discovered a burial mound in the location of Cerdic’s Barrow and it has been identified in Hampshire County Council’s Historic Environment Records.
Although the tumulus has now been flattened and ploughed over, Mr Harper said that aerial photography in the 1960s and 70s showed traces of a massive barrow measuring 72ft in diameter. With a height of possibly 12ft, this would have been a spectacular and imposing feature of the landscape, he added.
“The exciting discovery has brought the story of Cerdic from a lost period of British history to life,” Mr Harper said.
“This could be overwhelming proof that Cerdic was not just a product of fantasy in the chaotic aftermath of post-Roman Britain but a real warlord who forged a powerful realm which evolved into the nation of England. Barring King Arthur, no other figure from the early medieval period achieved such legendary status.”
The author added that the barrow’s location near Walworth Road was worked out by pinpointing landmarks from the 10th century charter before and after such as the Roman Road, a ‘Willow Grove’ (Withig Grafe) next to a wood which had a former watercourse running alongside, where such trees are traditionally found, and a ‘Barrow of the Ash Tree’ (Aesees Beorge) still marked on Ordnance Survey maps on the nearby Apsley Farm.
According to historic documents, Cerdic’s Barrow was situated on a hill near an ancient trackway known as the Harrow Way between Kent and Devon and close to a huge Offa’s Dyke style ditch that may have extended to the Wiltshire border in Chute parish around eight miles away.
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The former Roman Road called the ‘Portway’, between Old Sarum in Wiltshire and Silchester in Hampshire, was also visible in the distance.
Mr Harper said: “It was no accident that Cerdic's Barrow can be found at this site because it was a very public statement of power near ancient roads and a warning to his enemies in modern day Wiltshire that they could not miss in the shape of a huge burial mound. Cerdic was among a number of warlords fighting for territory in post-Roman Britain and his final resting place was deliberately placed with his rivals in mind. The message was clear that the land belongs to the Cerdicing dynasty and they enter at their own peril.”
With permission from the landowners, Mr Harper hopes in future there may be an archaeological geophysical survey of the site.
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