Welcome to Wessex Society, the cultural society for the land of Thomas Hardy, King Alfred, Broadchurch, Hot Fuzz and The Wurzels. Here you can buy merchandise, learn about the region, and read our blog.
Wessex Chronicle (Blog)
The Character of Wessex: The Thames Valley
The Thames Valley National Character Area (NCA), should not be confused with the birthplace of Wessex, centred on Dorchester-on-Thames. That falls within the Oxford & Upper Thames NCA, subject of a future post. Rather, it begins on the outskirts of London and extends into Wessex as far as Reading. Geologically, the area is defined by …
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Esential Wessex: Æthelred Unræd
Æthelred Unræd (966-1016) was a king of all the English, descended from the royal house of Wessex. He ascended to the throne as a boy, when his older brother, Edward the Martyr, was murdered at Corfe Castle. As he was so young, he relied on his counsellors, particularly Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester, after whom the …
Book Review: The Dialects of England by Peter Trudgill
This review originally appeared in Wessex Chronicle Volume 1, Issue 4 (Winter 2000-1) This book was an important one for Wessex Society. It featured the dialect maps (reproduced above) which helped us to define the boundaries of the Wessex cultural region. In fact, we held back a little. A look at the maps and their …
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Contact Us
The Society holds events on the closest Saturday to Barnes Night (22nd February), St Ealdhelm's Day (25th May) and King Alfred Day (26th October).See the blog for details of forthcoming events.