West Saxon Genealogical Regnal List
It is one of the main sources for understanding the early history of Wessex and the attempts of its dynasties (at the time of Alfred the Great and possibly before) to project an image of dynastic stability.
wintra þa Cerdic ⁊ Cynric his sunu coman upp æt Cerdicesoran mid fif scipum — ⁊ se Cerdic was Elesing, Elesa Gewising, Gewis Wiging, Wig Freawining, Freawine Freoþogaring, Freodogar Bronding, Brond Bældæging, Bældæg Wodening.
When four hundred and ninety-four years had passed from the birth of Christ, Cerdic and his son Cynric landed at Cerdicesora with five ships — and that Cerdic was son of Elesa, Elesa of Gewis, Gewis of Wig, Wig of Freawine, Freawine of Freoþogar, Freoðogar of Brond, Brong of Bældæg, and Bældæg of Woden.
When he passed on, his son Ceaulin succeeded him, and held it for seven years.The surviving manuscripts of the List are close copies of a text which scholars agree was compiled to promote the West-Saxon royal dynasty and its legitimacy.
[1]: 59–60 (The West-Saxon section of the Anglian king-list reads: "Ine Cenreding; Cenred Ceolwalding; Ceolwald Cuþwulfing; Cuþwulf Cuþwining; Cuþwine Celing; Celin Cynricing; Cynric Creoding; Creoda Cerdicing; Cerdic Alucing; Aluca Giwising; Giwis Branding; Brand Bældæging; Bældæg Wodning; Woden Frealafing".
That fact is itself suggestive both of an adequate means of transmission of chronological information (apparently without intentional manipulation of reign-lengths), from the first establishment of christian institutions".
[1]: 56 For the sixth century, however, the List and Chronicle are likely "a political fiction" designed to suggest "that a West Saxon monarchy of ninth-century type existed from the foundation of the kingdom, with one member of the Cerdicing dynasty following another in more or less lineal succession".
[1]: 66 He found the idea that the West Saxons first came under the dominance of a single dynasty around this time is plausible, since it is similar to the chronology of political developments elsewhere in England.
[1]: 65 On two subsequent occasions in copies of chronicles based on the archetype of the List, which subsequently became sources for the surviving Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the beginning of this chronology was pushed back by nineteen years (a period of time corresponding to a Paschal cycle and therefore a natural unit of time to early medieval clerics), extending the foundation of the dynasty first from 538 to 519, and then to 500.
[1]: 58–59 These alterations to the length of the reigns in the archetype of the List were presumably made to put the beginning of the Cerdicing dynasty closer to what was believed to be the time of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain and to compete with claims to dynastic antiquity in rival kingdoms.
