Oshere of Hwicce

Oshere (fl. 690s) was king of the Hwicce, an Anglo-Saxon tribe occupying land in what later became Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.[1][2] A member of the royal house of Northumbria, Oshere was a sub-king to Æthelred, king of Mercia (d. c 709).

Family

From meagre sources, historians have tried to piece together the relationships between Oshere and other Hwiccian contemporaries—Osric, king of Hwicce (d. 729), and Oswald, founder of Pershore Abbey (689).[3][4]

There are various theories regarding the relationships among these figures. One is that Oshere was a brother of both Osric and Oswald;[1][5] another, put forward by Bishop William Stubbs, was that Oshere was the son of Oswald, who was brother to Osric. Royal Historical Society president William Hunt favored the first theory and added that, if true, it would mean that Oshere was a nephew of Queen Osthryth, wife of King Æthelred of Mercia.[1]

Historians have felt on firmer ground identifying two sisters of Oshere: Ecgburg, second abbess of Gloucester, and Wethburg, a nun.[1][6] Details of the family appear in a letter Ecgburg wrote to Bishop Wynfrith (Boniface) c. 716, lamenting the death of her brother and the long absence of her sister. Her sister, she had heard, was "Romana carcer inclusit," which historian Diane Watt translates as "in a Roman cell as a recluse" nun.[7] He subsequently communicated with Wethburg, who responded by pointing out the dangers of traveling to Rome due to frequent Saracen attacks.[8] In addition to Ecgburg and Wethburg, a third sister is also possible. To be specific, William Hunt identified Kyneburga, first abbess of Gloucester, as the sister of Ecgburg and, therefore, of King Oshere.[1]

The sons of Oshere have been identified as Æthelheard, Æthelward and Æthelric.[9]

Education

Little is known of Oshere's education, but since his sister was educated, it follows that he would have been as well. Ecgburg's letter to Boniface reveals a cultivated intellect, leading Diane Watt to state that she was among the "highly educated women" who corresponded with the bishop.[10] The historian Patrick Sims-Williams noted her familiarity with the works of classical Greece and Rome and even went so far as to compare her "highly poetic style" to those of Jerome and Paulinus of Nola.[11]

Ecgburg indeed identifies Boniface as her teacher, and, in mentioning "the affection which assuredly bound you to my brother," she suggests that Oshere also studied under Boniface. Most instructive regarding Oshere's education is Ecgburg's statement that she was "inferior" to her brother "in knowledge and in merit."[12]

Charters

Charters granted in Oshere's name prior to 693 are said to be spurious.[13] Among those is a charter of 680 granting 30 hides for a monastery at Ripple in Worcestershire,[14] which did, however, refer to Oshere as king of the Hwicce acting under Æthelred's authority.[15]

In 693, Oshere, along with his son Æthelheard, granted land to Cuthswith, abbess of Bath[16] who may have been a member of the Mercian royal family or the Hwiccian dynasty.[17] Specifically, the abbess was given 15 hides at Penintanham (believed to be Inkberrow in Worcestershire) and at Dyllawidu (location unknown) for the foundation of a monastery, which must have prospered since she later added 5 hides at Ingin(n) (probably Ingon) twelve miles from Penintanham.[18][19]

Between 674 and 704, Oshere also granted 21 hides at Withington (now in Gloucestershire) to Abbess Dunna for the founding of a monastery.[20][21]

Death

Ecgburg's letter to Boniface, dated c. 716, laments the death of Oshere. Ecgburg referred to Oshere's death as "cruel and bitter," leading one historian to speculate that he may have fallen in battle.[22]

Notes
  1. Hunt, William (1895). "Oshere" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 42. p. 311.
  2. Lapidge, Michael (2014). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England (2 ed.). Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons. p. n.p. ISBN 9781118316108. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  3. Williams, Ann; Smyth, Alfred P.; Kirby, D. B. (1991). A Biographical Dictionary of Dark Age Britain: England, Scotland, Wales, c. 500 to c. 1050. London: Seaby. p. 194. ISBN 9781852640477. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  4. Ford, David Nash. "Historical Chronology of the Early Saxon Kingdoms: Part 2, AD 650-692". Early British Kingdoms. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  5. Ford. "Historical Chronology".
  6. Hollis, Stephanie (1992). Anglo-Saxon Women and the Church: Sharing a Common Fate. Boydell. ISBN 9780851153179. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  7. Watt, Diane (2020). Women, Writing, and Religion in England and Beyond: 650-1100. London: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 80. ISBN 9781474270656. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  8. Watt (12 December 2019). Women, Writing, and Religion. Bloomsbury. p. 83. ISBN 9781474270656.
  9. Wiley (2 October 2013). Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118316108.
  10. Wellesley, Mary (22 October 2020). "Love, Ecgburg". The New York Review. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  11. Sims-Williams, Patrick (1990). Religion and Literature in Western England, 600-800. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. p. 220. ISBN 9780521673426. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  12. Eckenstein, Lina (1896). Woman under Monasticism. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. p. 127. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  13. Stubbs, William (1863). "The Cathedral, Dynasties, and Monasteries of Worcester in the Eighth Century". The Archaeological Journal. 19: 248. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  14. "S 52". The Electronic Sawyer: Online Catalog of Anglo-Saxon Charters. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  15. Smith, William; Wace, Henry (1887). A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects, and Doctrines during the First Eight Centuries. London. p. 4:160. Retrieved 20 November 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. Kirby, D. P. (2000). The Earliest English Kings. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 9781000082869. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  17. Sims-Williams (30 June 2005). Religion and Literature. Cambridge University Press. p. 191. ISBN 9780521673426.
  18. Sims-Williams (30 June 2005). Religion and Literature. Cambridge University Press. p. 191. ISBN 9780521673426.
  19. "S 53". Anglo-Saxons.net. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  20. "A Brief History of Withington Parish". Withington Parish Council. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  21. Stubbs, William (1863). "The Cathedral, Dynasties, and Monasteries of Worcester in the Eighth Century". The Archaeological Journal. 19: 248. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  22. Hollis. Anglo-Saxon Women and the Church: Sharing a Common Fate.

Further reading
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