Kings of Northumbria Alchred & Abp. Ecgberht Silver Sceat 765-766AD Very Rare

Kings of Northumbria Alchred & Abp. Ecgberht Silver Sceat 765-766AD Very Rare

S854, 12mm, 0.95g

Provenance will be provided

Alchred (765-774) – a relation of Archbishop Ecberht of York by marriage, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle comments very little on Alchred’s reign, except to state that his reign ended in deposition and exile – after which he allegedly fled to Scotland. However, some surviving documentary evidence suggests that he was involved in the endorsing of several religious missions to mainland Europe.

Archbishop Ecgberht – notable reformer of the English church and proponent of Bede’s teachings, as well as correspondent and personal friend of the Northumbrian scholar Alcuin. Ecgberht issued coins jointly with his brother King Eadberht, these uniquely depicting himself standing between two crosses or croziers. An excellent in-depth die and metallurgical study of these coins has been recently undertaken by Dr Ronald Bude, published in the British Numismatic Journal.