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The Magonset (Westerna / Herefordshire Saxons)
The British territory of Pengwern was
conquered by Oswiu of Northumbria
in 656, while he was overlord of the Mercians.
Western Pengwern was then settled by Saxon groups moving up from the territory of
the West Saxons and the
Hwicce.
They made the most of the sudden power gap to found small kingdoms. These were based
on modern Wroxeter (Roman Viroconium, which evolved into British Caer Guricon, and the new arrivals
called themselves Wrocenset based on that name), and modern Kenchester, just west of Hereford in
Herefordshire (Roman Magnis, probably adapted as Caer Magnis by the
Romano-British and bastardised as Magon by the Saxons: Magonset means Saxons
of Magon).
By the beginning of the eighth century, the Anglian Mercians had gained overall
control of the territory of the Magonset and Wrocenset. |