7 April 2011 Last updated at 12:33

Photo-gallery: Saxon trail across Mercian Staffordshire

All across Staffordshire there are forgotten signs of the county's Saxon past when it was one of the centres of the ancient kingdom of Mercia. This Saxon cross is in Chebsey Church graveyard near Eccleshall.

Though there are not many obviously Christian items in the Staffordshire Hoard, there are some. This crucifix suggests the growing Christianisation of the area at this time, around 700.

Among the flags flown regularly from Tamworth Castle are the flag of the kingdom of Mercia (above), the Cross of St Alban, which comes from Offa's time. The one below is based on the coat of arms of the Marmion family, the lords of the castle from 1101-1291.

Running parallel to the A34 near Tittensor village is a strip of woodland - Bury Bank. At one end is clear evidence of an old hill fort. It's believed that it could have been the site of a palace of the king Wulfhere, who was ruler of Mercia 658 - 676 AD.

Just to the north of Bury's Bank, this mound, Saxon's Lowe, can be seen just off the public path. The ancient word, low, suggests a burial site: is it the last resting place of Wulfhere? On 19th century maps, the general area is referred to as Wulferecester.

Saxon crosses in Sandbach in south Cheshire

The most famous Saxon crosses in the area are those at Sandbach in south Cheshire. They commemorate the baptism nearby of Paeda, the first Christian king of Mercia.

The chapel of St Rufin, which is attached to a residential home in the village of Burston near Stone, is one of the smallest in Staffordshire. The legend of the brothers St Rufin & St Wulfad says they were martyred nearby. The chapel is probably on the site of the old Saxon shrine to Rufin.

Battlestead Hill overlooking Burton. Local legends tell of a mighty battle fought here in Saxon times - but actual evidence of any conflict is thin. The biggest battle of the time in this area was to the south - at Tettenhall, a victory over the Danes, in 910.

St Editha looks down from her niche above the main altar on the church in Tamworth that bears her name. The princess, spurned by her Viking husband, went on to organise a Christian religious tradition in this area.

St Werburgh spent much of her life as prioress both at Repton and at nearby Hanbury in east Staffordshire. The original building was destroyed by the Vikings, but the present church in the village is dedicated to her.

Saxon cross in Trentham Church graveyard

Saxon cross in the graveyard at St Marys Church in Trentham in south Stoke-on-Trent; both Saxon and Danish foundations have been discovered here. Saint Werburgh died at Trentham in 699 or 700.

In its windows, the parish church in Stafford, St Mary's, celebrates three of the saints of the Mercian period: St Diuma (first bishop of Mercia), St Bertelin (patron saint of Stafford), and St Chad-Caedda (Bishop of Lichfield).

On the exterior of Lichfield Cathedral is this well-suited pair. St Chad (Caedda) is the man said to have brought Christianity to Mercia, while next to him is Paeda, the first Christian king of Mercia. It is unlikely however that they met.

St Chad (right) is still celebrated in modern stained-glass windows, as here at St Nicholas in Fulford near Uttoxeter. As Bishop of Lichfield, he holds a crozier in one hand, and a copy of Lichfield Cathedral in the other.

The town of Stoke is older than people think. This Saxon preaching cross in the churchyard of St Peter's in Stoke is evidence that Christian missionaries were at work locally around 600-700.

A Saxon cross, showing the distinctive knot carvings of the time, stands outside St Edward's Church in Leek. (One theory for the origin of the Stafford Knot symbol is that it came from this Saxon style.)

The chapel of St Bertelin is in the Staffordshire Peak District on the Ilam Estate. It is supposed that his hermitage was near here - but the story is most likely a legend.

The two greatest kings of Mercia, arguably, are Athelred and Offa, seen here together on the exterior of Lichfield Cathedral.

This excavated area outside St Mary's in Stafford marks the first established church in the town. The wooden object in the centre is a copy of St Bertelin's Preaching Cross, by which he was supposed to held his outdoor gatherings. The original cross lies still in the ground below with other remains of the original wooden structure.

Saxon font at St Peter's Church, back in its rightful place after being found in a Stoke-on-Trent garden in the 1960s. Fonts, filled with blessed water, are used in baptism rites.

Christian art meets pagan in this odd item, a Sile Na Gig, probably 10th Century. This object was a kind of warning placed outside the then-church at Alstonefield, which is in the Staffordshire Peak District.

The 'Battle Stone' at the Ilam Estate in east Staffordshire dates to the mid 11th Century. It has been associated with the struggles between the Mercians and the Vikings.

Stoke & Staffordshire

Photo-gallery: Saxon trail across Mercian Staffordshire

Share this page

Related Stories

Services

About BBC News