Wimborne Minster & Wilton, Kingdom of Wessex, 871 AD
Wimborne Minster & Wilton, Kingdom of Wessex, 871 ADThe funeral service for King Aethelred took place in the magnificent minster of Wimborne, Dorset. The stone-built minster, a landmark for anyone approaching Wimborne on the raised causeway across the marsh, was an extension of the famed Benedictine abbey founded by Saint Cuthburga, sister to the great King Ine. As the obsequies droned on around him, Alfred considered the appropriateness of the minster for his brother’s entombment. His gaze roved over the painted walls, the reds, ochres, greens, and blues, all depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The choice of his final resting place had been Aethelred’s, so Alfred ensured he fulfilled his will.
Family connections, that’s
