HAROLD II SILVER PENNY DISPLAYED

A silver coin which links England's last Anglo-Saxon king with Bishop's Stortford now has a permanent home in Saffron Walden Museum.

The Harold II penny will go on show for the first time on Saturday August 24 at the north-west Essex archive along with three other ancient treasures unearthed in the district.

The monarch defeated at Hastings by William the Conqueror in 1066 is rumoured to be buried under the floor of St Michael's Church in Windhill.

The coin, found in the Ugley area, is very rare because Harold Godwinson ruled for less than a year. He succeeded Edward the Confessor and reigned from January 6, 1066, until his death at the hands of the Norman invaders on October 14 that year.

His mistress, or common-law wife, was the first Saxon owner of the Manor of Esterteferd (Stortford), Eddeva Pulchrima. She was a renowned beauty, sometimes called Edith the Fair or Edith 'Swan-neck'.

The couple had children before he made a politically expedient marriage to Ealdgyth, widow of the Welsh king, Gruffydd.

To read the complete article, see:
Silver penny linking Bishop's Stortford to last Anglo-Saxon king goes on show for first time (https://www.bishopsstortfordindependent.co.uk/news/uttlesford-residents-raise-cash-to-buy-stortford-king-harold-iis-silver-penny-9080012/)

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