A Province That Became a Kingdom and is again a *** Province *** he word Wessex, meaning as it literally does, West Saxons, was known to our ancient forebears long before the Roman Empire extended its borders beyond Italy and mainland Europe to encompass these fair islands that are our homeland and our birth right. After the last of the Roman Legions had left British shores, around the year 410 AD the presumably doomed province of Wessex was left to fend for itself. This once prosperous and productive Province rapidly declined to a combination of a collapsed economy, famine, plague and internal political feuding,and to all of this was added the repeated incursions of the marauding Picts and the Scots - Irish, who had crossed the Irish Sea and were now settling in what we now know as South West Scotland. It was also probable that there were already many Germanic warriors who, with their families, resided in various parts of East and West Britain,

they may well had previously been employed by the Romans as mercenary troops, possibly manning their Forts, in their efforts to stop the Picts and the Scots - Irish on their nefarious raids. Not long after the Romano forces had departed, along came the Friesians, Franks, Swedes, Angles and Saxons. These additional combined forces certainly assisted in keeping the marauders at bay, but they soon moved on to other parts of Britain to colonise them to their own way of life. Thus began the decline of the province of Wessex into virtual obscurity. At some point toward the end of the 5th. Century, or perhaps the beginning of the 6th century AD, these hostile advances were halted by the Romano - British, with the final crushing defeat of them at the battle of the fated Mons Badonicus in South West Britain. It was around this period that the mythical King Arthur appeared on the Cornish and West country scene. It is mentioned in the Anglo - Saxon Chronicle of 495 AD that a tribal army led by Cerdic arrived here and took control of the pockets of Jutes and Saxons that had settled in the West of the land. Some 6 years after his arrival he started to galvanise into being the embryo state of Wessex and by 519 AD he was declared as the first King of the Kingdom of Wessex. When Cerdic's Son, Cymric, became King upon his Father's demise in 534 AD, he started to even further expand his Kingdom over the area that we now know as Salisbury Plain. This expansion continued under the Kingship of Cymric's Son, Ceawlin, to include the area of the Chiltern Hills bounded by the Cherwell Valley; and by the time of his death in 591 AD he had expanded his control to include the areas of Bath, Cirencester and Southern Gloucestershire. According to the records no attempts were made to include the London area in to the Kingdom of Wessex. Even more expansion of the Kingdom of Wessex took place after Cynegils had been crowned King of Wessex, because he invaded other regions to include Cornwall (Cerbiu) and Devon (Defnas) within his realm. Cynegils was baptised as a Christian by Birinus seven years prior to his death in 642 AD. It was in the time around the end of the 6th Century that Surrey (Suthria) fell under the yoke so that Wessex now held sway over a vast area that stretched from the borders of Kent, everywhere south of the River Thames (Pater Tamus), Sussex and far west beyond the Tamar River. Thus by 802 AD the Kingdom of Wessex was the most powerful of all of the Saxon Kingdoms. It was also recorded that around this time the Kingdom of Dumnonia (West Wales) was defeated by the might of Mercia, and the then King, Egbert, later fought and beat the forces of Marcia at the Battle of Ellandon (Wroughton near Swindon) despite being out - numbered, not long after his return home he started another successful campaign to control the Cornish area completely. He also invaded Kent, where he at once placed one of his Sons on the Throne; because of these feats the Kings of Wessex were honoured with having the prestigious title of Bretwalda (Warlord of Britain) bestowed upon them. The Kings that followed on after Egbert until 887 AD included Aethulwulf, Aethelbald, Aethelbert and Aethelred. Therefore, we now come to the most famous of all our Saxon Kings, Alfred the Great. Alfred was born at Wantage, AD 849, his arrival as monarch was at the time when Britain as a whole was in a devastating state of turmoil. In 865 AD the Vikings, whose sole intent was to capture, occupy and control the whole of these islands, had invaded the East of England. This they started to do by systematically destroying the Kingdoms of Northumbria, East Anglia and then Mercia. In their deadly process they succeeded in killing Alfred's older Brother, which is the only reason that Alfred was crowned King in 871 AD. But fortunately, by 874 AD, South Marcia had somehow managed to survive the ravages, and killings of the vicious Viking hordes and willingly accepted Alfred as their King. Miraculously the Kingdom of Wessex was the only survivor of all of these wicked and barbaric Viking onslaughts. Ultimately under the lead of Alfred, and his off -springs, the Kingdom of Wessex grew from strength to strength, and, at the height of it's powers was literally covering all of the following modern Counties, Hampshire, Berkshire, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, part of Sussex, the Isle of Wight and Surrey. Eventually both Saxon and Dane were united under one King, Athelstan (895 -939 AD), Grandson of King Alfred, who went on to annexe East Anglia in 918 AD and completed the conquest of West Wales around 920 AD to become the first official King of all England in 925 AD. King Athelstan was indeed a brave and distinguished soldier; he pushed the boundaries of his almost united kingdom to the furthest extent that it had yet reached. At the same time, of course, the Kingdom of Wessex no longer existed, just as the Province of Wessex disappeared under the influence of the Roman Empire, all having now been superseded by the new Kingdom of England. In 927 AD Athelstan took back York from the Danes, and forced the submission to him of King Constantine of Scotland and all the northerly Kings. All five of the Welsh Kings likewise agreed to pay homage to him and decided to pay him a huge annual financial tribute. He further eliminated the underlying apposition still prevalent in Cornwall. In 937 AD Athelstan led a force of British to defeat another invasion made by the then King of Scotland who had the alliance of the Danes and Irish from the Dublin area. Under the rule of Athelstan the Law Codes were strengthened over his large Kingdom; a new currency was introduced and regulated for the first time, buying and selling was mainly confined to the Burhs or Burghs (Towns), thus encouraging town life. Some areas of the Midlands and the Danish influenced towns were consolidated by him into Shires, whilst overseas he built alliances with the Western Rulers of Europe by marrying off four of his half sisters to them. He was also a great and avid collector of works of art and religious relics, these he would then give to many of his followers and churches in order to gain, and retain, their support. Upon his death in 939 AD he was reverentially interred in Malmesbury Abbey, this was, indeed, a most fitting place for Athelstan to lie, he being a King who had been such an ardent supporter and endower of the Abbey. Moving on from those turbulent and formative years of more than one thousand years ago, arriving now at the modem War years of 1914 - 1918 and from 1939 - 1945, and again from 1950 right up to the present day, there has been an Army Division known as the 43rd. Wessex Division, comprising of Battalions of Regiments from the Counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Together with the necessary, even essential, auxiliary elements of Artillery, Ambulance, Medical, Transport, Mechanical, Electrical and Educational support. All members of the Wessex Division, then and now proudly wear, as a Shoulder Flash, the Wyvern, that Golden two legged, mythical Dragon -- like Bird, on a black background. Such a heraldic device is also incorporated in the official Flag of Wessex. Several Schools in the South West, a Local Radio, the Wessex Regionalist Party, the Wessex Constitutional Convention, many Hotels and businesses, use it as an emblem. The Wyvern is proudly displayed on the many Flags that are proudly flown throughout the whole of Wessex on St. Aldheim's Day, the 25th of May each year. From the fore - going it is to be hoped that you will discern that an attempt has been made, to describe as briefly as is possible, the long and turbulent history that has become so much a part of the historical factuality's of our now newly revived Province of Wessex. Our newly formed Masonic Province, under the guidance and leadership of the Provincial Grand Master, R.W. Bro. Malcolm Bums, will adhere to the concepts and ideals, whenever it is possible to do so, to those idealistic thoughts and intentions of one of our most pious and religious Monarchs of England, King Athelstan. Athelstan was the enlightened King who gave so much to our heritage. The total number of Courts in a Province is 10, we have the intention to cover, very adequately, this Province of Wessex, so enabling those several excellent precepts, ones that we all hold close and dear to our hearts, to be adopted, utilised and acclaimed for the benefit of all, especially the many sincere individuals, those truly dedicated Freemasons, who will flock to become members of the Order of Athelstan in the Province of Wessex. We shall stand arrayed, figuratively, under the respected and distinctive Banner of the Wyvern, the ancient historical and heraldic Emblem of Wessex. Worshipful Brother George E. R. Gardner, Founder Member and Primus Eminent Prior of Malmesbury Court № 100. Provincial Eminent Prior of the Province of Wessex. 2008 Back to the Top of the PAGE HOUSE OF WESSEX (Family Tree)