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Source: The History Files.co.uk - Pybba, Anglo Saxon England

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Titre	The History Files.co.uk - Pybba, Anglo Saxon England

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PYBBA King of Mercia

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(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information by Edward Dawson and Dave Hayward, from The Oxford History of England: The English Settlements, J N L Meyers, from The Oxford History of England: Anglo-Saxon England, Sir Frank Stenton, from Mercian Studies, Ann Dornier (Ed), Leicester University Press 1977, and from External Link: Bosworth and Toller's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary.) A comment by Wendy Davies at a conference on Mercia which had been held in Leicester in 1975 is collated with others in a book called Mercian Studies. Amongst other comments, Ms Davies mentions from the analysis of various early documents that there is aninvasion from East Anglia into what becomes Mercia in the early sixth century - exactly at the time proposed here. There is no indication of precisely where this invasion takes place or how far it penetrates to the west. Does it reach as far as Watling Street and also feed the creation of the Ciltern Saetan in Northamptonshire? Initially, of course, the

(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information by Edward Dawson and Dave Hayward, from The Oxford History of England: The English Settlements, J N L Meyers, from The Oxford History of England: Anglo-Saxon England, Sir Frank Stenton, from Mercian Studies, Ann Dornier (Ed), Leicester University Press 1977, and from External Link: Bosworth and Toller's Anglo-Saxon Dictionary.)
A comment by Wendy Davies at a conference on Mercia which had been held in Leicester in 1975 is collated with others in a book called Mercian Studies. Amongst other comments, Ms Davies mentions from the analysis of various early documents that there is aninvasion from East Anglia into what becomes Mercia in the early sixth century - exactly at the time proposed here. There is no indication of precisely where this invasion takes place or how far it penetrates to the west. Does it reach as far as Watling Street and also feed the creation of the Ciltern Saetan in Northamptonshire? Initially, of course, the

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Iclingas From circa AD 520, and the beginnings of the East Engle domination of the eastern coast of Britain, this band of Angles gradually moved into the East Midlands, alongside other groups who eventually came to be known as the Middil Engle. They had emigrated from Angeln, the homeland of the Anglian peoples, around the start of the sixth century as part of a wholesale movement of peoples that apparently left Angeln deserted. Documentary evidence for the migration, and the Anglian settlement of central England is minimal, nothing more than elements of an oral tradition that was written down centuries later, but a picture has emerged regarding one particular group of Anglians, the Iclingas, who went further westwards than any of the others and carved out a small kingdom for themselves which soon came to dominate its neighbours to the east. The man who led them into Britain was probably Eomaer, acclaimed by tradition as the lastking of Angeln and father of Icel who gave his name to his newly settled people. Based on the fact, pointed out by Edward Dawson under the East Engle entry, that the Angles, Saxons and Franks all used the 'ch' pronunciation of the letter 'c', he suggests a possible link between Icel and the British tribe of the Iceni. The first Anglesto arrive in Britain appear to have settled in the territory of the Iceni (East Anglia). The 'i' at the end of the name is likely to be a Roman addition onto 'Icen', but Icen is already a plural form with the suffix '-en', which leaves the root name of that British tribe as either Ic or Ice. Sticking to the simplest possibility suggests 'ic' ('ich'). From that, Dawson suggests that the name of the founder of the Iclingas, Icel, is not really the name of a person but is an invented name to explain Icel-ingas after the true origin of the name was forgotten. The letter 'l' could be a diminutive, so if this is the name of a person, it could mean 'little ice' ('icha'). If the meaning was the same as for the Iceni themselves then Iclingas could mean something like 'travel people' - very apt. The result of this examination is that the Iclingas quite possibly formed in East Anglia but were then pushed westwards for whatever reason, perhaps by the subsequent rulers of the region. They forgot or failed to comprehend what their assumed name meant, and simply carried it as a badge of honour. A slightly more cheeky alternative is that the 'ic', meaning 'I, me' was added to a diminutive '-el'. This would have generated 'little me', or perhaps 'little Ic', referring to the Iceni - a lesser or junior version of the once great tribe. Was there an unrecorded early Mercian king (sub-king?) who had been named 'little me' by his father?! fl c.500 Eomær / Eomaer Last king of Angeln. Led his people into Britain? c.510s? As the former territory of the Iceni is the first arrival point for many Angles arriving in Britain at this time, it seems reasonable to assume that the Iclingas have also followed this route (the Wash being the other main entry point in this region). Onetheory for why they end up in the East Midlands is that they are forced to migrate by the growing power of the Wuffingas, who subsequently form the East Engle kingdom. The finds from a site at Marston St Lawrence in Northamptonshire which were examined by Sir Henry Dryden in 1884 seemed to point to a large number of burials of women and younger people rather than warriors, and could have been Ciltern Saetan who were integrating with local Romano-Britons FeatureAdditionally, in their earliest days in Britain, the Iclingas may have served in some capacity as a foederati force for Caer Went, perhaps also with some intermarriage with the existing population. This would make it easier for native Britons to accept them further west and would also explain the later Mercian tradition for mixing with, and allying themselves to, British elements against common Anglian foes. fl c.520 Icel Son. Founder of the Iclingas in a small Midlands domain? fl c.540 Cnebba Son. Ruled for about 10 years? c.550 The territory in the East Midlands into which the Iclingas settle is varied, and not entirely attractive. It contains heavy clays around the lower Trent, sandy soil in Sherwood, the wolds of southern Nottinghamshire, and broken country between the Derwentand Erewash. The earliest settlements are in the Trent valley, either close to the river or a little way along its tributaries. The first pagan burials appear in these areas, datable to the middle of the century. fl c.560 Cynewald Son. Highly obscure. c.580 - 593 Creoda / Cryda Son. Earlier Creodas: Lindisware (c.500) & West Seaxe (534). c.584 The first acknowledged king of Mercia (in later records at least), Creoda builds a fortress at Tamworth, the chief settlement of the Tomsæte who live in the valley of the River Tame in the West Midlands. This event probably suggests that they have been conquered or otherwise subjugated by the Iclingas (see the introduction for Mercia, below, for a detailed examination of this group). The name Tamworth derives from 'Tame' and 'worþig', which seems to mean an enclosed space (according to Bosworth and Toller). meaning a fortified area, probably around a homestead. The word is probably cognate with Old English 'weard', meaning 'ward', a guarded or protected area. An Anglo-Saxon family would often place a low wall of wood, or even a hedge around the house, rootcellar, barn, and other buildings of a homestead. Such an arrangement would be a worþig or, in modern English, a 'worthy'. c.593 - 606 Pybba Son. Expanded the kingdom westwards, into British lands. c.600 (or 584) By this time the various Angle and Saxon peoples which have migrated westwards have formed settlements and perhaps even minor kingdoms of their own around the Midlands, of which the Iclingas are just one. The Iclingas gradually extend the range of their power by slowly amalgamating these peoples. This includes the North Engle in modern Nottinghamshire, the South Engle in modern Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and the Pecsætna in The Peak District. It is possible that the latter move into the Peak District as a client unit of the Iclinga. The countryside around Tamworth became the earliest base for the Iclingas, although it was actually the home of the Tomsæte, a group that seems to have been subjugated quickly by the Iclingas At the heart of later Mercian territory, early conquests also include the Pencersæte in the West Midlands. It is unclear whether this and other groups had arrived first or had followed the Iclingas and are quickly subjugated. The Iclingas eventually become known by the March (border) territory they are conquering, and Mercia evolves into a major Anglo-Saxon kingdom over the course of the next century.

Iclingas

From circa AD 520, and the beginnings of the East Engle domination of the eastern coast of Britain, this band of Angles gradually moved into the East Midlands, alongside other groups who eventually came to be known as the Middil Engle. They had emigrated from Angeln, the homeland of the Anglian peoples, around the start of the sixth century as part of a wholesale movement of peoples that apparently left Angeln deserted.

Documentary evidence for the migration, and the Anglian settlement of central England is minimal, nothing more than elements of an oral tradition that was written down centuries later, but a picture has emerged regarding one particular group of Anglians, the Iclingas, who went further westwards than any of the others and carved out a small kingdom for themselves which soon came to dominate its neighbours to the east. The man who led them into Britain was probably Eomaer, acclaimed by tradition as the lastking of Angeln and father of Icel who gave his name to his newly settled people.

Based on the fact, pointed out by Edward Dawson under the East Engle entry, that the Angles, Saxons and Franks all used the 'ch' pronunciation of the letter 'c', he suggests a possible link between Icel and the British tribe of the Iceni. The first Anglesto arrive in Britain appear to have settled in the territory of the Iceni (East Anglia). The 'i' at the end of the name is likely to be a Roman addition onto 'Icen', but Icen is already a plural form with the suffix '-en', which leaves the root name of that British tribe as either Ic or Ice. Sticking to the simplest possibility suggests 'ic' ('ich'). From that, Dawson suggests that the name of the founder of the Iclingas, Icel, is not really the name of a person but is an invented name to explain Icel-ingas after the true origin of the name was forgotten. The letter 'l' could be a diminutive, so if this is the name of a person, it could mean 'little ice' ('icha'). If the meaning was the same as for the Iceni themselves then Iclingas could mean something like 'travel people' - very apt. The result of this examination is that the Iclingas quite possibly formed in East Anglia but were then pushed westwards for whatever reason, perhaps by the subsequent rulers of the region. They forgot or failed to comprehend what their assumed name meant, and simply carried it as a badge of honour.

A slightly more cheeky alternative is that the 'ic', meaning 'I, me' was added to a diminutive '-el'. This would have generated 'little me', or perhaps 'little Ic', referring to the Iceni - a lesser or junior version of the once great tribe. Was there an unrecorded early Mercian king (sub-king?) who had been named 'little me' by his father?!

fl c.500
Eomær / Eomaer
Last king of Angeln. Led his people into Britain?
c.510s?
As the former territory of the Iceni is the first arrival point for many Angles arriving in Britain at this time, it seems reasonable to assume that the Iclingas have also followed this route (the Wash being the other main entry point in this region). Onetheory for why they end up in the East Midlands is that they are forced to migrate by the growing power of the Wuffingas, who subsequently form the East Engle kingdom.

The finds from a site at Marston St Lawrence in Northamptonshire which were examined by Sir Henry Dryden in 1884 seemed to point to a large number of burials of women and younger people rather than warriors, and could have been Ciltern Saetan who were integrating with local Romano-Britons
FeatureAdditionally, in their earliest days in Britain, the Iclingas may have served in some capacity as a foederati force for Caer Went, perhaps also with some intermarriage with the existing population. This would make it easier for native Britons to accept them further west and would also explain the later Mercian tradition for mixing with, and allying themselves to, British elements against common Anglian foes.
fl c.520
Icel
Son. Founder of the Iclingas in a small Midlands domain?
fl c.540
Cnebba
Son. Ruled for about 10 years?
c.550
The territory in the East Midlands into which the Iclingas settle is varied, and not entirely attractive. It contains heavy clays around the lower Trent, sandy soil in Sherwood, the wolds of southern Nottinghamshire, and broken country between the Derwentand Erewash. The earliest settlements are in the Trent valley, either close to the river or a little way along its tributaries. The first pagan burials appear in these areas, datable to the middle of the century.
fl c.560
Cynewald
Son. Highly obscure.
c.580 - 593
Creoda / Cryda
Son. Earlier Creodas: Lindisware (c.500) & West Seaxe (534).
c.584
The first acknowledged king of Mercia (in later records at least), Creoda builds a fortress at Tamworth, the chief settlement of the Tomsæte who live in the valley of the River Tame in the West Midlands. This event probably suggests that they have been conquered or otherwise subjugated by the Iclingas (see the introduction for Mercia, below, for a detailed examination of this group).

The name Tamworth derives from 'Tame' and 'worþig', which seems to mean an enclosed space (according to Bosworth and Toller). meaning a fortified area, probably around a homestead. The word is probably cognate with Old English 'weard', meaning 'ward', a guarded or protected area. An Anglo-Saxon family would often place a low wall of wood, or even a hedge around the house, rootcellar, barn, and other buildings of a homestead. Such an arrangement would be a worþig or, in modern English, a 'worthy'.
c.593 - 606
Pybba
Son. Expanded the kingdom westwards, into British lands.
c.600 (or 584)
By this time the various Angle and Saxon peoples which have migrated westwards have formed settlements and perhaps even minor kingdoms of their own around the Midlands, of which the Iclingas are just one. The Iclingas gradually extend the range of their power by slowly amalgamating these peoples. This includes the North Engle in modern Nottinghamshire, the South Engle in modern Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and the Pecsætna in The Peak District. It is possible that the latter move into the Peak District as a client unit of the Iclinga.

The countryside around Tamworth became the earliest base for the Iclingas, although it was actually the home of the Tomsæte, a group that seems to have been subjugated quickly by the Iclingas

At the heart of later Mercian territory, early conquests also include the Pencersæte in the West Midlands. It is unclear whether this and other groups had arrived first or had followed the Iclingas and are quickly subjugated. The Iclingas eventually become known by the March (border) territory they are conquering, and Mercia evolves into a major Anglo-Saxon kingdom over the course of the next century.