A HISTORY OF SURREY 



to account for the silence of the chronicles as to the prowess of a people 

 who could thus permanently hold in check the leading powers of Britain ; 

 for in the sixth century Wessex under Ceawlin already exercised a 

 supremacy that rivalled that of Kent, and was destined later to unite the 

 English kingdoms under one sovereign. At some time the West Saxons 

 made the upper Thames valley their own, and after the extinction of 

 Silchester probably came upon the Roman road which leads to Staines. 

 The issue is thus narrowed, and whatever site is ultimately fixed on 

 for the battle it may be reasonably assumed that Wibbandune was in 

 Surrey, and that ' the battle resulted in the extension of West Saxon 

 conquest or control to the Kentish border much as it stands to-day. 



Beyond this rather dubious reference some insight into the early 

 condition of the district is afforded by the Chertsey Charter, which will 

 be fully dealt with elsewhere, but must here be referred to as marking 

 the definite establishment of Christianity in a part of Surrey not by any 

 means the most attractive or populous at that time. The foundation of 

 the abbey by Wulfhere is generally placed in the year 666, while Frith- 

 wald was the local under-king owning allegiance to the Mercian throne ; 

 but the mention of Ecgberht in the preamble 1 looks like a confusion in 

 the mind of an editor between the kings of Wessex and Kent who bore 

 that name. The latter was in fact contemporary, but had no authority 

 in Surrey, and only serves to fix the date. Something will presently be 

 said as to the bearing of the Charter on the archaeology of the county ; 

 but as it was granted at a date when we may suppose Christianity to 

 have been already a living force in what were then the more healthful 

 and civilized parts of Surrey, it will be more convenient first to notice 

 the remains of a pagan or half-converted population that have been 

 brought to light from time to time. An investigation of the few well 

 attested relics of the early Anglo-Saxon period will no doubt justify 

 certain conclusions as to the condition of the first Teutonic occupants of 

 the district ; but more extensive discoveries are necessary before the 

 nationality of those early comers, and their relations with other settlers 

 in the south, can be determined with any degree of accuracy. 



The most important discovery of Anglo-Saxon remains in the 

 county is no doubt that recorded by Mr. Francis LI. Griffith in 1895," 

 though circumstances rendered a complete account impossible. In 

 constructing the present Edridge road, to the south of the town-hall 

 at Croydon, the workmen came upon a number of burnt and unburnt 

 interments at a depth of about z\ feet ; but as the excavations extended 

 over many months, and were not specially watched, the remains cannot 

 be precisely grouped or located, and their archaeological value is thereby 

 much impaired. An interesting collection was however made by 

 Mr. Thomas Rigby, who presented typical specimens to the British 

 Museum ; and some objects from the site are exhibited in the Croydon 

 town-hall. 



1 The words are 'regnante ghrioso Egberto, rege Angkrum? 

 ' Society of Antiquaries, Proceedings, xv. 328. 

 258 



