Update:  King Alfred: A Man on the Move has now been published and is available from Amazon, through bookshops,  or can be  ordered by your library.

 

There is a growing blog associated with the book, which can be visited here.

 

In this book, Dr Kelly invites the reader to travel with him on a journey from the birth of King Alfred, passing through his life and battles, and arriving at his death and the mysteries surrounding his final resting place. This book is based on the author’s personal journey across the locations that are associated with King Alfred, combining his on-the-ground experiences with information gained through research. This book aims to make it easier for people to know where these places are. Paul Kelly is a retired dentist and has a PhD from the University of Birmingham. He is now a keen amateur historian and lives in Dorset with his partner Danielle and a big black cat called Sidney.

 

From the author:

 

"I  start at where Alfred was born, which, according to Asser, was in Wantage, Oxfordshire. I continue to trace him across his military engagements with the Vikings, including at the famous battles at Ashdown and Edington, but also at less famous engagements such as at Reading, Exeter, Wilton, Basing and Wareham. I cover the "truce" with Guthrum, the Viking leader, and also the later engagements in Kent when the Vikings landed on the north and south coasts of that county. I trace him up the River Lea into Hertfordshire where he stopped the Vikings escaping by obstructing the river. Finally, I cover his burial locations in Winchester and I examine what there is to know about the current location of his remains."

 

"My research is based on a combination of written documents and my own journeys to explore the locations associated with King Alfred. This led me to try to find enigmatic locations such as Egbert's Stone and Iglea (both covered in the book), not to mention the important battle sites of Ashdown and Ethandun. I also look at Alfred's refuge at Athelney, on the Somerset Levels, and speculate as to where he might have been before he arrived there (was he in Devon?). I also spent some time trying to understand King Alfred's relationship with London and his expanding influence beyond Wessex."

 

All photographs on this site and the linked blog are personally owned and copyright is retained. All writing is copyright.