Winchcombeshire

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Winchcombeshire

Winchcombeshire, an ancient county

Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxons kingdoms and shires....
in the South West

South West England

South West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly....
of England

England

County town

A county town is the 'capital' of a county in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county....
, Winchcombe

Winchcombe

Winchcombe is a Cotswolds town in the Local Authority District of Tewkesbury , in Gloucestershire, England. Its United Kingdom Census 2001 population was 4,379....
.

It appears that it had a separate existence as a petty kingdom

Petty kingdom

A petty kingdom is an independent realm recognizing no Suzerainty and controlling only a portion of the territory held by a particular ethnic group or nation....
prior to this time. King Coenwulf of Mercia

Coenwulf of Mercia

Coenwulf was King of Mercia from December 796 to 821. He was a descendant of a brother of King Penda of Mercia, who had ruled Mercia in the middle of the 7th century....
is associated with the region before becoming king. A link with the earlier kingdom of Hwicce

Hwicce

The Hwicce were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxons. The exact boundaries of their kingdom are uncertain, though it is likely that they coincided with those of the old Anglican Diocese of Worcester, founded in 679?80, the early bishops of which bore the title Episcopus Hwicciorum....
has been surmised, given the apparent link between Coenwulf's family and that of the kings of Hwicce.

It appears to have been amalgmated with Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a Counties of England in South West England England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
after Cnut

Canute the Great

Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut was a Viking king of England, Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden ....
conquered England in 1017, although some parts of the county appear to lie in what is usually considered to be Worcestershire

Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
.

ra, Julian, A Lost English County: Winchcombeshire in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Winchcombeshire'

Start a new discussion about 'Winchcombeshire'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Winchcombeshire, an ancient county
Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxons kingdoms and shires....
in the South West
South West England

South West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, and extends from Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly....
of England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, in the 10th and 11th centuries, developed around its county town
County town

A county town is the 'capital' of a county in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county....
, Winchcombe
Winchcombe

Winchcombe is a Cotswolds town in the Local Authority District of Tewkesbury , in Gloucestershire, England. Its United Kingdom Census 2001 population was 4,379....
.

It appears that it had a separate existence as a petty kingdom
Petty kingdom

A petty kingdom is an independent realm recognizing no Suzerainty and controlling only a portion of the territory held by a particular ethnic group or nation....
prior to this time. King Coenwulf of Mercia
Coenwulf of Mercia

Coenwulf was King of Mercia from December 796 to 821. He was a descendant of a brother of King Penda of Mercia, who had ruled Mercia in the middle of the 7th century....
is associated with the region before becoming king. A link with the earlier kingdom of Hwicce
Hwicce

The Hwicce were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxons. The exact boundaries of their kingdom are uncertain, though it is likely that they coincided with those of the old Anglican Diocese of Worcester, founded in 679?80, the early bishops of which bore the title Episcopus Hwicciorum....
has been surmised, given the apparent link between Coenwulf's family and that of the kings of Hwicce.

It appears to have been amalgmated with Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a Counties of England in South West England England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
after Cnut
Canute the Great

Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut was a Viking king of England, Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden ....
conquered England in 1017, although some parts of the county appear to lie in what is usually considered to be Worcestershire
Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
.

Further reading
Whybra, Julian, A Lost English County: Winchcombeshire in the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries. (Studies in Anglo-Saxon History, 1). Boydell & Brewer, Woodbridge, 1990. ISBN 0-85115-500-6