King Arwald Stone
Weight
81kg / 178lbs
Location
View on what3words - nuzzling.deduced.gently
Original Challenge
Stone to chest
Name Origin
Named after the last Pagan King of the Isle of Wight, he was recently made the patron saint of the New Forest.
Stone Submission
The Stone was discovered by @tea_and_stones.
History
King Arwald — Last Pagan King of the Isle of Wight
Arwald, who died in 686 AD, was the last known king of the Wihtwara, the Jutish people who inhabited the Isle of Wight, and is traditionally regarded as the last pagan king of Anglo-Saxon England. Very little is known about his life, and almost everything recorded about him comes from the writings of the eighth-century historian Bede.
In 686, the Isle of Wight was invaded by Cædwalla, King of Wessex. Bede describes the island as still following its traditional pagan religion and records a violent conquest in which Arwald was killed. His two young brothers attempted to escape to the mainland but were captured. Before their execution, they were baptised into Christianity and subsequently came to be venerated as martyrs.
Arwald's death marked the end of the independent Jutish kingdom on the Isle of Wight and the disappearance of the island's last pagan royal dynasty. His story survives as a rare glimpse into the religious and political landscape of seventh-century England, when older pagan traditions and the expanding Christian kingdoms existed alongside one another.
The name Arwald therefore connects the stone to one of the island's most distinctive historical figures — a king whose life stands at the meeting point of England's ancient traditions, changing beliefs and the emergence of the kingdoms that would shape medieval England.
Access and Permissions
This stone is located on private land.
Please read our Stonelifting Policy before attempting to lift this stone. The policy sets out the requirements regarding access, permissions, safety, conservation and responsible lifting.
