Battlefields›Battle of Kempsford, 802
Early Medieval

Battle of Kempsford, 802

802
Berkshire, England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Berkshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Æthelmund of Hwicce (Mercia)
VS
Victor
West Saxons of Wiltshire (led by Weohstan)
Outcome
Æthelmund of Hwicce led a raiding force from Mercia across the Thames at Kempsford into Wiltshire; he was met by Weohstan, Ealdorman of Wiltshire, with a West Saxon levy. Both leaders were killed in the battle, but victory rested with the men of Wiltshire.
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of Kempsford, 802 was an early medieval pitched battle between opposing field armies, fought at Berkshire, England in 802. West Saxons of Wiltshire (led by Weohstan) prevailed over Æthelmund of Hwicce (Mercia). Æthelmund of Hwicce led a raiding force from Mercia across the Thames at Kempsford into Wiltshire; he was met by Weohstan, Ealdorman of Wiltshire, with a West Saxon levy. Both leaders were killed in the battle, but victory rested with the men of Wiltshire.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Kempsford, 802 lies on Kellaways Formation And Oxford Clay Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Oxfordian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Kempsford, 802

This page covers Battle of Kempsford, 802. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Kempsford, 802

Churchyard cross, 10m south east of St John the Baptist's Church
Churchyard cross, 10m south east of St John the Baptist's Church
Scheduled monument · ~3 mi

The Churchyard cross, located 10 metres south-east of St John the Baptist's Church in Berkshire, is a medieval monument typical of parochial religious centres in England. The cross dates from the medieval period and would have functioned as a focal point within the churchyard, serving both practi…

Michael Dibb / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Medieval settlement remains at Inglesham
Medieval settlement remains at Inglesham
Scheduled monument · ~3.1 mi

Medieval settlement remains at Inglesham is a scheduled monument comprising the archaeological traces of a medieval village settlement in Berkshire. The site preserves earthwork evidence of settlement activity spanning the medieval period, including the physical remains of former dwellings, field…

Michael Dibb / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Halfpenny Bridge
Halfpenny Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~3.7 mi

Halfpenny Bridge is a late eighteenth-century toll bridge spanning the River Thames between Berkshire and Oxfordshire near Sonning. Constructed in 1777 to replace an earlier ferry crossing, the bridge was designed by William Hayward and features a distinctive cast-iron arch structure characterist…

Martin Clark / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Village cross
Village cross
Scheduled monument · ~3.9 mi

Village cross is a medieval cross located in Gloucestershire, England. Such crosses served as focal points for community life and commerce in medieval villages, functioning as gathering places for markets and social gatherings. The structure reflects the common pattern of village crosses construc…

Philip Halling / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cross in St Mary's churchyard
Cross in St Mary's churchyard
Scheduled monument · ~4 mi

Cross in St Mary's churchyard is a medieval stone cross located in Wiltshire. The monument dates to the medieval period and stands within the churchyard of St Mary's Church, serving as a testament to the religious and communal significance of such structures in medieval parish life. Stone crosses…

Nick Smith / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cross in St Sampson's churchyard
Cross in St Sampson's churchyard
Scheduled monument · ~4.2 mi

Cross in St Sampson's churchyard is a medieval stone cross located in Cricklade, Wiltshire. The monument dates to the medieval period and stands within the churchyard of St Sampson's Church, a significant parish church in this historic market town. The cross represents an important example of ecc…

Gary Haywood / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cross in the churchyard of St Mary
Scheduled monument · ~1 miles
Sites near Manor Ham Barn
Scheduled monument · ~1.2 miles
More from this era

Other Early Medieval Battles

Battle of Wippedesfleot
466
England
Battle of Crayford (457)
457
Kent, England
Battle of Aylesford
455
England
Anglian Assault on Roman York (c.450-500 AD)
450
Yorkshire, England
In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Kempsford, 802

Aethelwold's Raid into Mercia and Wessex 902
902
~4.3 miles away
Battle of Ellendun 825
825
~7.3 miles away
Battle of Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle)
516
~9.7 miles away
Battle of Badon Hill (Liddington Castle tradition)
490
~9.9 miles away
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