Pt. 3 - Saxon Shrewsbury Up to 1066 and All That!
Scrobbes-byrig (Shrewsbury) flourished as a Saxon town.
It had its own mint in the early 900s, during the reign of King Alfred's son Edward the Elder.
The mint produced coins for the Saxon kings, and, in 2015 the Shropshire Star reported on an auction of one of the coins.
This coin, worth a penny when it was created in Shrewsbury more than 1,000 years ago, was sold for more than £500 in 2015.
The mint had closed by the time of the Norman invasion in 1066.
In 1006 the Kingdom of Pengwern was organised into "shires" (smaller areas of administration). and "Scrobbesbyrigscire" (Shropshire), was created.
So, even in 1006, people were still evidently talking about the "town of scrubby bushes" (Scrobbes-byrig) for many years to come.
...That's quite a tongue-twister! Try saying it out loud. NOW!
AND, it gets worse!
...You got it! They even named the whole COUNTY after those "scrubby bushes" (alders)!
That happened when "Scrobbesbyrigscire", became the County name of what we now call "Shropshire".
Moving on to a new subject.
The County Sheriff was a powerful man, and acted on behalf of the king.
He had the authority to collect taxes and raise armies for attacks into Wales.
He was also responsible for enforcing law and order.
Presumably attacking Wales was a perfectly respectable thing, in those days!
Maybe, it was tit for tat?
Also in 1006 King "Aethelred the Unready" spent the winter in Shrewsbury.
Translation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles states "Unready" to mean “poor counsel”, “evil counsel” or “unwise".
By the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 the town was important enough to be called a city, and Included within its walls four churches and two hundred and fifty-two houses. But, it's was still only the size of one average housing estate!
Historical Text from: The Story of Shrewsbury, R. Graves, Hardwick House, Ellesmere 1993.
And, www.shropshire history.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgStNKgiYZuxQXqwHujxLew
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