Alfred’s will can be found in translation in Simon Keynes & Michael Lapidge, eds., Alfred the Great: Asser’s Life of Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources (Penguin, London, 1983), pp. 173-8.
The article can be found at http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59193755]]>An article on page 5 of the regional Victorian newspaper The Broadford Courier and Reedy Creek Times on June 20, 1902. The anonymous article is about the will of Alfred the Great, king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in southern England. In particular it claims that Alfred is ‘the author of the law of entail in England’ as one of the clauses of his will stipulated that certain of the lands he had granted to his men (bookland) had to be passed on to their male children. If the men do not have children they are to pass the land back to members of Alfred’s family.
Alfred’s will can be found in translation in Simon Keynes & Michael Lapidge, eds., Alfred the Great: Asser’s Life of Alfred and Other Contemporary Sources (Penguin, London, 1983), pp. 173-8.
The article can be found at http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59193755An article on page 10 of The Sydney Morning Herald on September 25, 1901. The article reports on a sermon by Archdeacon Gunther in St. John’s Church in which he mentioned that it was the thousandth anniversary of Alfred the Great, king of Wessex (primarily England south of the Thames), ‘the greatest and best of English kings’. Particular mention was made of the glories of his reign, and his morality and learning. Although the main primary source, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, records Alfred’s death in the annal for 901, the texts date had gone awry and it is now thought that he died in 899. Alfred is renowned for defeating Viking invaders and promoting learning at his court, including the translation of many Latin works into (Old) English.
The article can be found at http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14411811The article can be found at http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28351939
The cantata is based on contemporary accounts about Alfred found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Asser’s Life of Alfred, but the story of him disguising himself as a minstrel to spy on the Viking camp is not found in these sources. It became a very popular tale in the nineteenth century, being the subject of various illustrations and mentioned in works of history.]]>This anonymous article in The Sydney Morning Herald on 30 November 1886 is a review of a musical performance about Alfred the Great. The cantata ‘Alfred’ was composed by Ebenezer Prout with a libretto by Mr Grist. The piece is based around Alfred’s battle with the Viking great army and its leader Guthrum in 878 and opens with Alfred at Athelney, where he had been forced to take refuge with his wife Alswitha (Ealhswith) and men following a Viking attack on the royal estate at Chippenham. Alfred eventually enters the Viking camp disguised as a minstrel where he enters a singing competition with Guthrum, which he wins. During the competition Guthrum sings about the Norse god Thor and Alfred a song of love. Alfred and his men later defeat the Vikings at the battle of Ethandun and Guthrum and his followers become Christians. The performance was given to raise money for a new organ at St Paul’s, Redfern, and took place at the Y.M.C.A.
The article can be found at http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28351939
The cantata is based on contemporary accounts about Alfred found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Asser’s Life of Alfred, but the story of him disguising himself as a minstrel to spy on the Viking camp is not found in these sources. It became a very popular tale in the nineteenth century, being the subject of various illustrations and mentioned in works of history.