Mystery
The lost bones of King Alfred
Alfred's grave was dug up for a prison.
Stand where it happened
- What's there
- Small public garden with markers for the lost abbey
- Legend from
- History / antiquarian claims
- Tone
- Curious
England's greatest Saxon king, buried three times and then lost.
Alfred the Great was buried at the New Minster in Winchester, and in 1110 his remains, with those of his wife Ealhswith and his son Edward the Elder, were carried to the new Hyde Abbey north of the city. The abbey was dissolved in 1538 and torn down. In 1788 a bridewell was built on the site and many stone coffins were dug up and scattered. A 19th-century antiquary claimed to have found Alfred's remains and reburied them outside St Bartholomew's Church. Where the great king really lies is still unknown.