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Person Page 120
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Alfred The Great Unknown1,2
M, #2980, Deceased, b. 847, d. 28 October 899
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Parents
| Father | Aethelwulf Unknown (b. 795, d. 13 January 858) |
| Mother | Osburga Unknown (b. 810, d. 855) |
Family: Ealhswith Unknown (b. about 852, d. 5 December 905)
| Son | Edward the Elder Unknown+ (b. 871, d. 17 July 924) |
| Daughter | Aelfthryth Unknown+ (b. 873, d. 7 June 929) |
Main Events
| Residence | Alfred The Great Unknown resided See notes.1 |
| User Reference Number | He; 18595 |
| Note | Event Memos from GEDCOM Import... Residence Alfred (Old English: Ælfred) (c. 849 – 26 October 899) was king of the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred is famous for his defence of the kingdom against the Danish Vikings, becoming the only English monarch awarded the epithet 'the Great'. Alfred was also the first King of the West Saxons to style himself 'King of the Anglo-Saxons'. Details of his life are known from a work by the Welsh scholar, Asser. A learned man, Alfred encouraged education and improved the kingdom's law system. Alfred was born sometime between 847 and 849 at Wantage in the present-day ceremonial county of Oxfordshire (though historically speaking in the historic county of Berkshire). He was the fourth son, and fifth child, of King Ethelwulf of Wessex, by his first wife, Osburga. At five years of age, Alfred is said to have been sent to Rome where, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, he was confirmed by Pope Leo IV who also 'anointed him as king'. Victorian writers interpreted this as an anticipatory coronation in preparation for his ultimate succession to the throne of Wessex. However, this could not have been foreseen at the time, since Alfred had three living elder brothers. It may also be based on Alfred later having accompanied his father on a pilgrimage to Rome and spending some time at the court of Charles the Bald, King of the Franks, around 854 – 855. In 858, Ethelwulf died and Wessex was ruled by a succession of three of Alfred's brothers. During the short reigns of his two eldest brothers, Ethelbald and Ethelbert, nothing is heard of Alfred. But with the accession of the third brother, Ethelred I, in 866, the public life of Alfred began and it is during this period that Asser applies to him the unique title of 'secundarius', which may show a position akin to that of the Celtic tanist, a recognized successor closely associated with the reigning monarch. In 868, Alfred, fighting beside his brother Ethelred, unsuccessfully attempted to keep the invading Danes out of the adjoining kingdom of Mercia. For nearly two years, Wessex itself was spared attacks; but, at the end of 870, the Danes arrived in his home land. The year that followed has been called 'Alfred's year of battles'. Nine general engagements were fought with varying fortunes, though the place and date of two of them have not been recorded. In April 871, King Ethelred died, probably from wounds received at the Battle of Merton. Alfred succeeded to the throne of Wessex and the burden of its defence, despite the fact that Ethelred left two young sons. Although contemporary turmoil meant the accession of Alfred - an adult with military experience and patronage resources - over his nephews went unchallenged, he remained obliged to secure their property rights. While he was busy with the burial and ceremonies for his brother, the Danes defeated the English in his absence at an unnamed spot, and then again in his presence at Wilton in the May. After this, peace was made and, for the next five years, the Danes were occupied in other parts of England. However, in 876, under their new leader, Guthrum, the enemy slipped past the English army and attacked Wareham in Dorset. From there, early in 877, and under the pretext of talks, they moved westwards and took Exeter in Devon. There, Alfred blockaded them and, a relieving fleet having been scattered by a storm, the Danes were forced to submit. They withdrew to Mercia, but, in January 878, made a sudden attack on Chippenham, a royal stronghold in which Alfred had been staying over Christmas, 'and most of the people they reduced, except the King Alfred, and he with a little band made his way by wood and swamp, and after Easter he made a fort at Athelney, and from that fort kept fighting against the foe' (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle). From his fort at Athelney, a marshy island near North Petherton, Alfred was able to mount an effective resistance movement while rallying the local militia from Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire. The Battle of Edington, near Westbury in Wiltshire resulted in a decisive victory for Alfred. The Danes submitted and, according to Asser, Guthrum, and twenty-nine of his chief men, received baptism when they signed the Treaty of Wedmore. As a result, England became split in two: the south-western half kept by the Saxons and the north-eastern half including London, thence known as the Danelaw, by the Vikings. By the following year (879), not only Wessex, but also Mercia, west of Watling Street, was cleared of the invaders. The tide had turned. For the next few years there was peace, the Danes being kept busy in Europe. A landing in Kent in 884 or 885 close to Plucks Gutter, though successfully repelled, encouraged the East Anglian Danes to rise up. The measures taken by Alfred to repress this uprising culminated in the taking of London in 885 or 886, and an agreement was reached between Alfred and Guthrum, known as the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum. Once more, for a time, there was a lull, but in the autumn of 892 or 893, the Danes attacked again. Finding their position in Europe somewhat precarious, they crossed to England in 330 ships in two divisions. They entrenched themselves, the larger body at Appledore, Kent, and the lesser, under Haesten, at Milton also in Kent. The invaders brought their wives and children with them, indicating a meaningful attempt at conquest and colonization. Alfred, in 893 or 894, took up a position from where he could observe both forces. While he was in talks with Haesten, the Danes at Appledore broke out and struck north-westwards. They were overtaken by Alfred's eldest son, Edward, and defeated in a general engagement at Farnham in Surrey. They were obliged to take refuge on an island in the Hertfordshire Colne, where they were blockaded and ultimately compelled to submit. The force fell back on Essex and, after suffering another defeat at Benfleet, coalesced with Haesten's force at Shoebury. Alfred had been on his way to relieve his son at Thorney when he heard that the Northumbrian and East Anglian Danes were besieging Exeter and an unnamed stronghold on the North Devon shore. Alfred at once hurried westward and raised the Siege of Exeter. The fate of the other place is not recorded. Meanwhile the force under Haesten set out to march up the Thames Valley, possibly with the idea of assisting their friends in the west. But they were met by a large force under the three great ealdormen of Mercia, Wiltshire and Somerset, and made to head off to the north-west, being finally overtaken and blockaded at Buttington. Some identify with Buttington Tump at the mouth of the Wye River, others with Buttington near Welshpool. An attempt to break through the English lines was defeated. Those who escaped retreated to Shoebury. Then after collecting reinforcements they made a sudden dash across England and occupied the ruined Roman walls of Chester. The English did not attempt a winter blockade, but contented themselves with destroying all the supplies in the neighbourhood. Early in 894 (or 895), want of food obliged the Danes to retire once more to Essex. At the end of this year and early in 895 (or 896), the Danes drew their ships up the Thames and Lea and fortified themselves twenty miles above London. A direct attack on the Danish lines failed, but later in the year, Alfred saw a means of obstructing the river so as to prevent the egress of the Danish ships. The Danes realised that they were out-maneuvred. They struck off north-westwards and wintered at Bridgenorth. The next year, 896 (or 897), they gave up the struggle. Some retired to Northumbria, some to East Anglia. Those who had no connections in England withdrew to the Continent. The long campaign was over. After the dispersal of the Danish invaders, Alfred turned his attention to the increase of the royal navy, partly to repress the ravages of the Northumbrian and East Anglian Danes on the coasts of Wessex, partly to prevent the landing of fresh invaders. This is not, as often asserted, the beginning of the English navy. There had been earlier naval operations under Alfred. One naval engagement was certainly fought under Aethelwulf in 851, and earlier ones, possibly in 833 and 840. The partisan Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, however, does credits Alfred with the construction of a new type of ship, built according to the king's own designs, 'swifter, steadier and also higher/more responsive than the others'. However, these new ships do not seem to have been a great success, as we hear of them grounding in action and foundering in a storm. Nevertheless both the Royal Navy and the United States Navy claim Alfred as the founder of their traditions. The first vessel ever commissioned into the Continental Navy, precursor to the United States Navy, was named the Alfred. Alfred is credited with a significant degree of civil reorganization, especially in the districts ravaged by the Danes. Even if one rejects the thesis crediting the 'Burghal Hidage' to Alfred, what is undeniable is that, in the parts of Mercia acquired by Alfred from the Vikings, the shire system seems now to have been introduced for the first time. Alfred's care for the administration of justice is testified both by history and legend; and he has gained the popular title 'protector of the poor'. Of the actions of the Witangemot, we do not hear very much under Alfred. He was certainly anxious to respect its rights, but both the circumstances of the time and the character of the king would have tended to throw more power into his hands. The legislation of Alfred probably belongs to the later part of the reign, after the pressure of the Danes had relaxed. He also paid attention to the country's finances, though details are lacking. To the ruin of learning and education wrought by the Danes, and the practical extinction of the knowledge of Latin even among the clergy, the preface to Alfred's translation into Old English of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care bears eloquent witness. It was to remedy these evils that he established a court school, after the example of Charlemagne; for this he imported scholars like Grimbald and John the Saxon from Europe and Asser from South Wales; for this, above all, he put himself to school, and made the series of translations for the instruction of his clergy and people, most of which yet survive. These belong unquestionably to the latter part of his reign, likely to the last four years, during which the chronicles are almost silent. We come now to what is in many ways the most interesting of Alfred's works, his translation of The Consolation of Philosophy of Boethius, the most popular philosophical handbook of the middle ages. Here again Alfred deals very freely with his original and though the late Dr. G. Schepss showed that many of the additions to the text are to be traced not to Alfred himself, but to the glosses and commentaries which he used, still there is much in the work which is solely Alfred's and highly characteristic of his genius. It is in the Boethius that the oft-quoted sentence occurs: 'My will was to live worthily as long as I lived, and after my life to leave to them that should come after, my memory in good works.' The book has come down to us in two manuscripts only. In one of these the writing is prose, in the other alliterating verse. The authorship of the latter has been much disputed; but likely they also are by Alfred. In fact, he writes in the prelude that he first created a prose work and then used it as the basis for his poem, the Lays of Boethius, his crowning literary achievement. He spent a great deal of time working on these books, which he tells us he gradually wrote through the many stressful times of his reign to refresh his mind. Of the authenticity of the work as a whole there has never been any doubt. The last of Alfred's works is one to which he gave the name Blostman, i.e., 'Blooms' or Anthology. The first half is based mainly on the Soliloquies of St Augustine of Hippo, the remainder is drawn from various sources, and contains much that is Alfred's own and highly characteristic of him. The last words of it may be quoted; they form a fitting epitaph for the noblest of English kings. 'Therefore he seems to me a very foolish man, and truly wretched, who will not increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear.' In 868, Alfred married Ealhswith, daughter of Aethelred Mucill, who is called Ealdorman of the Gaini, the people from the Gainsborough region of Lincolnshire. She appears to have been the maternal granddaughter of a King of Mercia. They had five or six children together, including Edward the Elder who succeeded his father and Ethelfleda who would become Queen of Mercia in her own right. Alfred died on 26 October 899. The year is not quite certain, but it was not 900 or 901 as were previously accepted. How he died is unknown. He was originally buried temporarily in the Old Minster in Winchester, then moved to the New Minster (perhaps built especially to receive his body). When the New Minster moved to Hyde, a little north of the city, in 1110, the monks transferred to Hyde Abbey along with Alfred's body. Thomas Augustine Arne's Masque of Alfred (first public performance: 1745) is a masque about the king. It incorporates the song 'Rule Britannia'. G. K. Chesterton's poetical epic The Ballad of the White Horse depicts Alfred uniting the fragmented Kingdoms of Britain to chase the northern invaders away from the island. It depicts Alfred as a divinely oriented leader waging holy war, in a similar way to Shakespeare's Henry V. In C. Walter Hodges' juvenile novels The Namesake and The Marsh King, Alfred is an important character. G. A. Henty wrote an historical novel The Dragon and the Raven, or The Days of King Alfred. Joan Wolf's historical novel The Edge of Light (1990) is about life and times of Alfred the Great. The historical fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay features Alfred in his novel The Last Light of the Sun (2004) thinly disguised under the name King Aeldred. Bernard Cornwell's series of books The Saxon Stories (2004-, currently consisting of The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman and The Lords of the North) depicts Alfred's life and his struggle against the Vikings from the perspective of a Saxon raised by Danes. A new biography of Alfred the Great by Justin Pollard was published by John Murray in 2005. Alfred Duggan wrote an Historical Novel biography of Alfred, entitled 'The King of Athelny'. It is a mixture of uncontested facts, as well as some stories of less certain authenticity such as the burning of the cakes. Alfred was played by David Hemmings in the 1969 film Alfred the Great, co-starring Michael York as Guthrum. |
| Birth | He was born in 847.2,1 |
| His mother Osburga Unknown died in 855. | |
| His father Aethelwulf Unknown died on 13 January 858. | |
| Marriage | Alfred The Great Unknown and Ealhswith Unknown were married in 868.2,1 |
| His son Edward the Elder Unknown was born in 871. | |
| His daughter Aelfthryth Unknown was born in 873. | |
| Death | Alfred The Great Unknown died on 28 October 899, at age ~52.2,1 |
| His wife Ealhswith Unknown died on 5 December 905. |
Citations
Philip Arthur Guckenheim
M, #2981, Deceased, b. 1924, d. 1996
| Consanguinity | 2nd cousin of Adrian John Snelson |
Parents
| Father | Reginald Arthur Guckenheim (b. 8 July 1905, d. 1980) |
| Mother | Winifred Margaret Pierce (b. 2 July 1904, d. 1981) |
| Person References | Catherine Owen say 1757 Edward Mason 1771 - 1841 Lewis Pugh ca 1782 - Margaret Swain say 1778 Thomas Pierce c1876 - 1864 William Dean say 1789 |
Main Events
| User Reference Number | Philip Arthur Guckenheim; 23723 |
| Birth | He was born in 1924. |
| His father Reginald Arthur Guckenheim died in 1980 in Wirral, Cheshire. | |
| His mother Winifred Margaret Pierce died in 1981 in Chester & Ellesmere Port. | |
| Death | Philip Arthur Guckenheim died in 1996, at age ~72, in Bromley, Kent. |
Edward "Ted" Snelson
M, #2984, Deceased, b. 27 July 1894, d. 1957
| Consanguinity | 1st cousin 2 times removed of Adrian John Snelson |
Parents
| Father | Alfred Snelson (b. about 1857, d. 22 October 1933) |
| Mother | Catherine Fanny Hamm (b. 13 March 1860, d. 21 January 1955) |
Family: Sarah Ellen McMullen (b. 16 June 1899, d. 10 May 1957)
| Daughter | Catherine Jean Snelson (b. 26 November 1929, d. 25 March 2016) |
| Son | Peter Robert Snelson+ (b. 25 February 1932, d. 20 September 2002) |
Main Events
| User Reference Number | Edward "Ted" Snelson; 15777 |
| Birth | He was born on 27 July 1894 in Scotland. |
| Education | He was educated in Boughton St Pauls Boys School on 1 April 1901.1 |
| Marriage | Edward "Ted" Snelson and Sarah Ellen McMullen were married about January 1929 in Atcham, Shropshire. |
| His daughter Catherine Jean Snelson was born on 26 November 1929 in Atcham, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. | |
| His son Peter Robert Snelson was born on 25 February 1932 in Shrewsbury. | |
| His father Alfred Snelson died on 22 October 1933 in Atcham, Shropshire, England. | |
| Occupation | Edward "Ted" Snelson was working as a clothing club collector, clothing club collector in 1939. |
| His mother Catherine Fanny Hamm died on 21 January 1955 in Bebington, Cheshire, England. | |
| Residence | He resided in Moreton, Wirral, Cheshire, before 1957. |
| Death | He died in 1957, at age ~63, in Moreton, Wirral, Cheshire, England. |
| His wife Sarah Ellen McMullen died on 10 May 1957 in Moreton, Wirral, Cheshire, England. |
Census
| Label and Year | Manual |
|---|---|
| Census 1901 | Edward "Ted" Snelson Id #2,984 (Principal) was at home on Census night 1901 at Tollemarsh Street, Chester; Witness Role: Son
Original Documents, Source and Citations here  |
| Census 1939 | Edward "Ted" Snelson Id #2,984 (Principal) was at home on Census night 1939 at Holmlea Cobham Road, Wallasey C.B., Cheshire, England; Principal Role Principal Role Original Documents, Source and Citations here |
Citations
- [S1577] School Admision Register
Malcolm I Unknown1,2,3
M, #2989, Deceased, b. before 900, d. 954
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Parents
| Father | Donald II Unknown (b. about 862, d. 900) |
Family:
| Son | Kenneth II Unknown+ (b. before 954, d. 995) |
Main Events
| Residence | Malcolm I Unknown resided Máel Coluim mac Domnaill (anglicised Malcolm I) (before 900–954) was king of Scots, becoming king when his cousin CausantÃn mac Ãeda (Constantine II) abdicated to become a monk. He was the son of Domnall mac CausantÃn (Donald II). In 945 Edmund of Wessex, having expelled AmlaÃb Cuaran (Olaf Sihtricsson) from Northumbria, devastated Cumbria and blinded two sons of Domnall mac Eógain, king of Strathclyde. It is said that he then 'let' or 'commended' Strathclyde to Máel Coluim in return for an alliance. What is to be understood by 'let' or 'commended' is unclear, but it may well mean that Máel Coluim had been the overlord of Strathclyde and that Edmund recognised this while taking lands in southern Cumbria for himself. Máel Coluim appears to have kept his agreement with the late English king, which may have been renewed with the new king, Edmund having been murdered in 946 and succeeded by his brother Edred. Eric Bloodaxe took York in 948, before being driven out by Edred, and when AmlaÃb Cuaran again took York in 949–950, Máel Coluim raided Northumbria as far south as the Tees taking 'a multitude of people and many herds of cattle' according to the Chronicle. The Annals of Ulster for 952 report a battle between 'the men of Alba and the Britons [of Strathclyde] and the English' against the foreigners, i.e. the Northmen or the Norse-Gaels. This battle is not reported by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and it is unclear whether it should be related to the expulsion of AmlaÃb Cuaran from York or the return of Eric Bloodaxe. The Annals of Ulster report that Máel Coluim was killed in 954. Other sources place this most probably in the Mearns, either at Fetteresso following the Chronicle, or at Dunnottar following the Prophecy of Berchán. He was buried on Iona. Máel Coluim's sons Dub and Cináed (Kenneth II) were later kings.1 |
| User Reference Number | He; 18450 |
| Birth | He was born before 900 in Scotland.4,1 |
| His father Donald II Unknown died in 900. | |
| Marriage | Malcolm I Unknown was married about 931.1 |
| His son Kenneth II Unknown was born before 954 in Scotland. | |
| Death | Malcolm I Unknown died in 954.3,1 |
Citations
Edward Mason
M, #2990, Deceased, b. about 1842
| Consanguinity | 1st cousin 3 times removed of Adrian John Snelson |
Parents
| Father | Edward Mason (b. 1798, d. 1870) |
| Mother | Jane Rubbathan (b. about November 1800) |
| Person References | Edward Mason 1771 - 1841 Margaret Swain say 1778 |
| Last Edited | 18 November 2025 |
Main Events
| Birth | Edward Mason was born about 1842. |
| His father Edward Mason died in 1870. |
Elizabeth Tilley1
F, #2999, Deceased, b. 1869, d. 16 February 1909
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Parents
| Father | William Tilley (b. about 1825, d. about January 1891) |
| Mother | Jane Caldwell (b. about 1828, d. 4 May 1877) |
Family: George Watts
| Son | James Alfred Watts+ (b. 13 August 1892, d. 1976) |
Main Events
| Also Known As | Elizabeth Tilley was also known as Elizabeth Watts. |
| User Reference Number | She; 23430 |
| Birth | She was born in 1869 in Acton, Middlesex [2]. |
| Marriage | Elizabeth Tilley and George Watts were married before 1870. |
| Her mother Jane Caldwell died on 4 May 1877 in Acton [2]. | |
| Her father William Tilley died about January 1891. | |
| Her son James Alfred Watts was born on 13 August 1892 in Kensington [2]. | |
| Death | Elizabeth Tilley died on 16 February 1909, at age ~40. |
Citations
- [S1523] File (merged): C:UsersJohn SnelsonDocumentsFamily Historian ProjectsJane Hearn Export 5 April 2016Jane Hearn Export 5 April 2016.fh_dataJane Hearn Export 5 April 2016.ged