Eanred, 808 to 840.
Of Alfwold who succeeded Heardulf and reigned two years, there are not any known coins. Eanred
then mounted the throne, and reigned thirty-two years. His coins are all stycas and are very
numerous, presenting the names of not less than 60 or 70 moneyers. Sometimes Rex, or one or two
of its letters, is added to the king's name. In one instance the final D of VVLFHEARD the moneyer's
name, (110), and in another the letter A occupies the place of the type, which generally consists of a
cross, a pellet, or an annulet, (111). FOLCNOD adds M to his name, and ODILO adds MO or MON, (112),
occasionally Runic letters are substituted for Roman, (113), where the real name is WINTRED. See
Ruding, x. and xxvii. 2. Archaeol. vol. xxv. MB. 262.
There is in the collection of Mr. Rashleigh, a silver penny weighing 16 9/10 gr. of the usual size, form
and standard of Anglo-saxon pennies, which bears the name of Eanred, and which has been assigned
to this king of Northumbria, because history does not record any other king of that name. Should
other pennies of this description be discovered in that kingdom, there would be no resisting the claims
of this king to the coin in question. But the strong probability is, that whatever others of this kind may
turn up will be found in another district, and prove to belong to some prince hitherto unknown. At
present the coin must remain where it is, an unacknowledged stranger, alone, and dissimilar to every
surrounding coin. It has the king's head with his name and titles EANRED REX. Rev. a cross, two arms
crosslet, two moline, with DES MONETA M [Lombardic M], (116) Ruc. xxvii. It is in vain to conjecture
what may be the meaning of the M upon the reverse; but it may be observed that it is upon Mercian
coins that this letter usually appears, and that this particular form of cross appears upon the coins of
Berhtulf king of Mercia and Ethelwlf sole monarch. It was found at Trewiddle near St. Austle with
several others, namely of the sole monarch, Ecgbearht, A. D. 837, Ethelwlf, 837 to 857, AEthelred 867
to 872: of kings of Mercia, Berhtulf 839 to 852, Burgred 852 to 874, and the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Ceolnoth 830 to 870. Of these persons Burgred was the last survivor 874, the latest commencement of
a reign was that of AEthelred in 867, these coins were therefore probably deposited about the year
870. More than half the whole number were coins of Berhtulf and Burgred, and the author has no
doubt that the coin of Eanred belongs to some unknown personage of that name, who was a
neighbour and cotemporary of these Mercian kings. Not a single known coin of Northumbria was
discovered with them. The Northumbrian Eanred died in 840, and though thousands of his copper
stycas are known, not one silver penny of his has ever yet been discovered, unless the unique coin
above described should really be his, which we feel perfectly confident it is not.
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Northumberland - AEthelred
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