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Gentleman's Magazine 1856 part 1 p.408
was taken from it which now stands in Bewcastle churchyard.
(Rev. J. Maughan.)
Soon after their marriage, the "Alcfrith" and "Cyneburga" of
the monument agreed to live together as brother and sister;
and she gathered round her many young women, of noble as
well as plebeian rank, who regarded her as their spiritual
mother. "Oswu cyning elt" (Oswiu King the elder), father of
Alcfrid, succeeded S. Oswald in 642. In many respects a good
king, his memory is stained with the murder of S. Oswin, who
had governed the provinceof Deira for seven yeras, in 650.
By Oswiu's persuassions, Sigebert, King of the East Saxons,
was converted to Christianity, and baptised at Walbottle,
A.D. 654. "Eanflaed Cyngn," also named on the column, was
the second wife of Oswiu, and the early patroness of St.
Wilfrid - the "Wilfrid preaster" of the stone. "Ecgfrid
cyning," son of Oswiu, appears to have borne the title of
king in the lifetime of his father - to whose throne he
succeeded in 670, and ruled one of the largest and most
powerful kingdoms in the heptarchy. Of "Oslaac cyning,"
whose name is written on the monument, we have but one
notice in history. Under the year 617, the Saxon Chronicle
names him as an AEtheling driven out by Edwin, after his
victory over Ethelfrid. Thus, as in a Saxon charter, after
the act of donation, we have the names, in order of their
dignity, of the witnesses thereto, so here, on the funeral
monument of King Alcfrid, after the inscription to his
memory, we have the names of those who, we may believe,
assisted at his obsequies - his father Oswiu, his
mother-in-law Queen Eanfled, his widow Cyneburga, his uncle
Oslac, his brother Ecgfrid, and his chaplain Wilfrid,
bishop-elect of York; and, above them all, the holy name of
Jesus, reminding us of that beautiful prayer which is to be
found in some ancient liturgies:- "Almighty and everlasting
God, who hast created and redeemed us, mercifully regard our
prayers, that, Thy grace being poured into our hearts, we
may rejoice that our names are written in heaven beneath the
glorious name of Jesus, the head of the book of eternal
predestination, through the same Jesus Christ out Lord."
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