Tamworth Literary Festival welcomes archaeologist, writer and broadcaster Martin Carver to Tamworth on March 2nd. Martin is Professor emeritus at the University of York, Department of Archaeology and Chairman of the commercial archaeology company FAS-Heritage Ltd.

2018 is the year that coincides with the 1100th anniversary of Aethaelflaed's death in Tamworth. It is therefore fitting that Martin's talk documenting the excavation of the fort built by Aethelflaeda in Stafford kicks off this year's Literary Festival.

Æthelflæd, regarded as ‘ruler of the Mercians’ was the first-born child of King Alfred and is a rare example of female rulership in English history. The site of St Editha's Church, the venue for the talk, is regarded by many as being part of or adjacent to the palace of the Anglo- Saxon Mercian King Offa.

About the Book

Stafford - Birth of a Borough, details the excavation of the fort built by Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians in 913AD.The majority of our county towns, and the shires themselves, owe their origins to the campaigns of Alfred and his children Edward the Elder and Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, in the late 9th and early 10th centuries. Stafford is one such town, and the large-scale archaeological examinations undertaken there over the last fifty years have provided an extraordinary opportunity to piece together the history of such a "typical" town.

The case of Stafford has prompted a new review of the origins of county towns as a whole, and the composition of a new model for the birth of the Anglo-Saxon borough on which the local administration of England has ever since been based.

Tickets for the talk are £7 per person and doors open 19.00 for a 19.30 start (refreshments available). Following the talk there will be the opportunity to purchase copies of Martin's book.

The event is part of the Tamworth Literary Festival March 2nd - 10th 2018. Check our social media for full programme and updates:

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Alternatively tel: 07562 653565 or 07913 686295 or email tamlitfest@gmail.com Please note, all events are subject to change.

Tamworth and the Kingdom of Mercia

In Anglo Saxon times, Tamworth played an important role in the Kingdom of Mercia. Although the peripatetic nature of Anglo-Saxon kingship is well documented, as far back as the 7th to the 9th century, charters indicate that the town was for many years the principal royal and administrative centre of the Mercian kings. The charters show Mercian Royal families celebrated both Easter and Christmas at Tamworth regularly between 751 and 857.