Offton

The name Offton literally means ‘Offa’s town’. There are three Offas who are contenders for this association. The first and most likely candidate was king of Mercia from 755 to 795. He was the person responsible for Offa’s Dyke. He may have occupied East Anglia in the 8th century and possibly had a stronghold here in Offton.

Mercia was a kingdom spreading across the midlands from South Lincolnshire to about Staffordshire. At its height, Mercia spread from about Manchester down to the south coast, from the Welsh borders to Cambridge. As far as is known the kingdom did not extend into East Anglia, although there were a number of excursions into the area. There are two main stories about Offa.

The usual story told is that Offa beheaded St Ethelbert in 793 at Sutton St Michael (known locally as Sutton Wall), five miles north of Hereford. The story goes that Offa’s queen had persuaded her husband that Ethelbert had come to spy out the land rather than court the king’s daughter. Full of remorse, Offa was said to have gone on a pilgrimage to Rome and founded St Alban’s Abbey. Ethelbcrt’s

Body was later buried in Hereford Cathedral.

However, there is another version of this story which may be speculation but is somewhat thought-provoking. There is strong evidence that Offa was a follower of Islam. The main evidence for this assertion is the minting of a pound coin called a ‘dynar’ during his reign. On this coin was Offa’s name in Latin. In addition was the phrase of Islamic Unity: ‘There is no God worthy of worship except Allah and Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah. God sent him with guidance and with the truth, in order that it might prevail over all religions.’

In order to silence this heathen within, Ethelbert, a young king of East Anglia, was given an order by the Pope to attack Offa. For Ethelbert the attack was unsuccessful and he was killed at the ensuing battle. The Pope immediately canonised Ethelbert as a Christian mart3n-.

King Offa was eventually to die on Friday 29th July 796 at Offley. It is said his body was taken to Bedford for burial in a non-Christian site.

The second reason for my choice of King Offa is that the site has all the hallmarks of a Saxon hill fort of about 750-800 with its square shape. Could it be that the site eontained a large hall for the king himself and that is why it was so well eonstrueted? Certainly, there would have been a wateh tower and a wooden palisade. Unfortunately, there have been no exeavations on the site to give us any evidence. Perhaps this was the fortress of one of Offa’s senior supporters.

Another Offa was Offa of East Anglia, who in seeking an heir visited a relative, Alcmund of Saxony, whilst on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He adopted Alcmund’s son, our local saint, Edmund. Offa was said to have died on ship whilst returning horric from the Holy Land.

The third Offa could have been the bravest and most distinguished of Byrhtnoth’s men who fought at the battle of Maldon in 991.

The castle is situated at Castle Farm on high ground, with good visibility of the surrounding Brett and Gipping valleys. The tree-covered motte rises to 16 feet (just over 5 m) in height. The castle takes advantage of a natural chalk hill, with the motte having been further raised by local labour, digging out the substantial moat which surrounds the half-acre (0.2 ha) site. This moat, which is about feet (2 m) deep and 13 feet (4 m) across, is usually full so it must be fed from an underground

Spring as no stream is present.

The site is extremely impressive and is well cared for by the present owners, Mr and Mrs Paul Chapman. The top of the motte is extremely level and flat. It has been estimated by the Suffolk Archaeological Society that it would have taken 1,000 men two years to construct the earthworks.

In addition there is an adjoining field which looks like a bailey. There is a dry fosse on two sides.

During the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, an adulterine castle was constructed on the site by William of Ambli. He, according to Jocelin of Brakclond, was in conflict with his neighbours at Milden and Lindsey. William was almost certainly related to Geoffrey de Ambley who came from next-door Somersham. He was probably his son. Geoffrey of Ambley was probably one of the large number of Normans who came to England to seek their fortune after Hastings. Amblie is a small village near Bayeux in Normandy.

This castle was probably hastily erected in wood, would only have lasted a very short time and would have been dismantled by the start of the reign of Henry II, when all adulterine castles were ordered to be destroyed. There were no ruins visible in 1618 when written about by Robert Rcycc in his Breviary of Suffolk.

CoftU it be that Offley was Uffton? Could it be that Offa’s kingdom did stretch thisfarinto Suffolk and that Offa died here? It is an extremely big maybe! More likely, Offa died at Offley in Hertfordshire, near the Bedfordshire border; it would seem logical to have taken his body to Bedford from that Offley, the shortest distance possible for burial.

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