User:Jheald/sandbox/Kingdom of West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List

The West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List is a name given to the list of the kings of Wessex (the "Genealogy of King Alfred"), that is found as a preface to manuscripts A,G, and B of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

It appears that it was as an independent unit, already in existence when the chronicle was compiled (although perhaps only by a few years), because versions also appear in some other manuscripts, that differ from the tradition in the Chronicle manuscripts.

Versions

The surviving versions of the genealogical list are found in the manuscripts listed below:

Version	Name	Date	Location	Manuscript	Notes
N		9th century	British Library	Additional MS. 23211, f. 1v	fragmentary
P	Winchester Chronicle	10th century	Corpus Christi College, Cambridge	CCCC 173, f. 1r	preface to ASC A
Q	Winchester Chronicle (copy)	1001x1013	British Library	Additional MS. 34652, f. 2r,v	preface to ASC G
R	Textus Roffensis	1122x1124	Rochester, Cathedral Library	MS A.3.5, f. 7v-8r
S	New Minster Liber Vitae	probably 1031	British Library	Stowe MS. 944 f. 39r	abbreviated variant
T	Abingdon Chronicle I	probably 977/8	British Library	MS Cotton Tiberius A.iii, f.178r/v	preface to ASC B
U		11th century	British Library	MS Cotton Tiberius B.v, Part I, f.22r	tabular extract
V	Bede, Historia ecclesiastica	11th century	Cambridge University Library	MS Kk.3.18 (2004), f.3v-4r
W		12th century	Corpus Christi College, Cambridge	CCCC 383, f.108	fragmentary

Dumville finds P,Q,T and U share a common text tradition. The other texts appear to vary independently of this, in ways that suggest that there must have been a slightly earlier original version from which all ultimately derive.

Content

The text opens by introducing Cerdic as the first to have been king, and giving a genealogy for him, before entering into a list of those who followed:

There had passed from Christ's birth 494 winters, then Cerdic and Cynric his son landed at Cerdic's Shore with 5 ships. And Cerdic was of Elesa, Elesa of Gewis, Gewis of Wig, Wig of Freawine, Freawine of Frithugar, Frithugar of Brond, Brond of Bældæg, Bældæg of Woden. And six years after they landed, they subdued the West Saxons' kingdom, and they were the first kings who conquered the West Saxons' land from the Welsh.

The account then gives a succession of kings and reign lengths, in each case generally stating a relation of the new king to a previous king, or saying that his "family goes back to Cerdic", down to the 9th-century reign of Æthelwulf:

He held the kingdom for 16 years, then he died. Then Cynric his son succeeded to the kingdom and held it 27 winters, then he passed away. Then Ceawlin his son succeeded and held it 7 years, then he died. Then Ceol succeeded and held it 6 years, then he died... [etc] ... Then Ecgbryht succeeded to the kingdom, and held it 37 winters and 7 months. Then Æthelwulf his son succeeded, and held it 18 and a half years.

Finally the account concludes by recapitulating a full ancestry for Æthelwulf, and setting out the reigns of Alfred and his brothers.

... and that Æthelwulf was [the son] of Ecgbryht, Ecgbryht of Eahlmund, Eahlmund of Eafa, Eafa of Eoppa, Eoppa of Ingild, Ingild of Cenred, and Ine of Cenred, and Cuthburh of Cenred, and Cwenburh of Cenred, and Cenred of Ceowald, and Ceolwald of Cuthwulf, and Cuthwulf of Cuthwine, and Cuthwine of Ceawlin, and Ceawlin of Cynric, and Cynric of Creoda, and Creoda of Cerdic.

Then Æthelbald his son succeeded to the kingdom and held it 5 years. Then Æthelberht his brother succeeded and held it 5 years. Then Æthelred his brother succeeded to the kingdom and held it 5 years. Then Alfred his brother succeeded to the kingdom and then were past of his age 23 winters and 396 winters since his kin first conquered the West Saxons' land from the Welsh.

Differences from the Chronicle annals

For the Christian period (c. 650 onwards) the reign lengths in the list accord quite closely with the Chronicle annals' sequence of accession dates.