About this objectA silver penny of Offa, King of Mercia 757-796. It has three lines of inscription on the obverse face: M | + OFFA | REX (which means “of Mercia, Offa, King”). The reverse reads EALHMVND arranged around a Celtic cross; Ealhmund was the name of the moneyer who struck the coin. These coins are thought to have been struck in Canterbury between 792 and King Offa’s death in July 796. Although he was King of Mercia, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom stretching between the River Thames and the River Humber, Offa conquered and ruled Kent from the 780s until his death. Hertfordshire Historic Environment Record entry.
The king founded a religious house at Hitchin, and Offley may be named after him. Pennies were first used in his reign, based on Frankish (French) coins.
Date Made792-796
PeriodEarly medieval (411-900)
Place MadeCanterbury
Place NotesThe moneyer, Ealhmund, worked at the Canterbury mint.