Battlefields›Offa Executes Oslac of Sussex c.772
Early Medieval

Offa Executes Oslac of Sussex c.772

772
England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
Outcome
Oslac of Sussex executed; South Saxon aristocratic independence extinguished.
The Battle

History & Significance

Oslac was a King of Sussex. He reigned jointly with Ealdwulf and Ælfwald, and probably also Oswald and Osmund.

Oslac witnessed an undated charter of Ealdwulf, believed to be from about 765, with his name corruptly recorded in the surviving revision as Osiai rex.

After the conquest of Sussex by Offa, King of Mercia, Oslac witnessed a charter of Offa, dated 772, as Oslac dux, with his name placed after Oswald, Osmund, and Ælfwald, suggesting that he was the most junior of the former kings.

His latest surviving charter is dated 780, and the original still exists; in it he is styled Oslac dux Suthsaxorum.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Offa Executes Oslac of Sussex c.772 lies on Lower Greensand Group, bedrock that formed in the Albian. The rock here is sandstone and mudstone.

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Everything a full report reveals about Offa Executes Oslac of Sussex c.772

This page covers Offa Executes Oslac of Sussex c.772. 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
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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
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Offa Executes Oslac of Sussex c.772

Hardham Priory
Hardham Priory
Scheduled monument · ~0.4 mi

Hardham Priory is a small Augustinian priory founded in the early twelfth century in West Sussex, situated near the River Arun. The surviving remains consist principally of flint and stone rubble walls, fragments of the priory church, and earthwork features that trace the layout of the monastic c…

Simon Carey / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Stopham Bridge
Stopham Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~0.5 mi

Stopham Bridge is a medieval bridge crossing the River Arun near Stopham in West Sussex. The structure dates from the fourteenth century and represents a significant surviving example of medieval bridge engineering in southern England. The bridge is constructed of stone and features multiple arch…

HJ Mitchell / CC BY 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Old Swan Bridge, Pulborough
Old Swan Bridge, Pulborough
Scheduled monument · ~0.9 mi

Old Swan Bridge, Pulborough is a medieval bridge crossing the River Arun in West Sussex. The structure dates from the medieval period and represents an important example of bridge engineering from that era, serving as a vital crossing point for local traffic and trade in the Pulborough area. The…

Mertbiol / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons
Lower Fittleworth South Bridge
Lower Fittleworth South Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~1.5 mi

Lower Fittleworth South Bridge is a medieval bridge structure located in Sussex, England. The bridge crosses the River Rother and forms part of the historic routeway through the Rother valley. Constructed in stone, it retains characteristics typical of medieval bridge engineering of the thirteent…

Simon Burchell / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Amberley Castle
Amberley Castle
Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

Amberley Castle is a 14th-century fortified residence located in the parish of Amberley in West Sussex, constructed by Bishop Rede of Chichester as a defensive stronghold and episcopal retreat. The castle comprises a substantial gatehouse, curtain walls, and rounded bastions that reflect its peri…

Jonathan Day from Brighton, UK / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bignor Roman Villa, 450m east of Manor Farm
Bignor Roman Villa, 450m east of Manor Farm
Scheduled monument · ~3.4 mi

Bignor Roman Villa is a substantial Roman country house situated in West Sussex, England, dating to the second and third centuries AD. The villa represents a significant example of Romano-British domestic architecture and wealth, comprising multiple ranges of buildings arranged around courtyards…

Trevor Harris / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Roman mansio and settlement, 535m north-east of Penn House
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles
Motte and bailey castle in Pulborough Park
Scheduled monument · ~0.7 miles
More from this era

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In the same landscape

Battles near Offa Executes Oslac of Sussex c.772

Siege of Arundel (1102)
1102
~4.3 miles away
Siege of Arundel Castle (Civil War of 1173-74)
1173
~6.4 miles away
Siege of Arundel
1643
~6.7 miles away
Siege of Arundel Castle (1643-44)
1643
~6.7 miles away
Aubrey Research

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