Queen Cynethryth of Mercia’s Lost Abbey

Queen Cynethryth of Mercia was one of the most distinguished rulers of Anglo Saxon Britain. Wife to King Offa, ruler of the Mercians (the most powerful kingdom in Anglo-Saxon Britain) and the only woman to have coinage minted in her image. So how did she end up in Cookham Monastery in Berkshire? After the exciting excavation and discovery of the monastery this past summer, Cynethryth’s story is finally being told. In today’s episode, Cat is joined by Professor Gabor Thomas, an associate professor in archaeology at the University of Reading, and the archaeologist in charge of excavating the Cookham Monastery. Together they discuss Cynethrtyh’s importance as a medieval Queen and the roles medieval monasteries played beyond being a place of worship.

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