Alfred The Great - Death, Burial and Legacy

Death, Burial and Legacy

Alfred died on 26 October 899. How he died is unknown, although he suffered throughout his life with a painful and unpleasant illness – possibly Crohn's disease, which seems to have been inherited by his grandson King Edred. He was originally buried temporarily in the Old Minster in Winchester, then moved to the New Minster (perhaps built especially to receive his body). When the New Minster moved to Hyde, a little north of the city, in 1110, the monks transferred to Hyde Abbey along with Alfred's body and those of his wife and children. Soon after the dissolution of the abbey in 1539, during the reign of Henry VIII, the church was demolished, leaving the graves intact. The royal graves and many others were probably rediscovered by chance in 1788 when a prison was being constructed by convicts on the site. Coffins were stripped of lead, bones were scattered and lost, and no identifiable remains of Alfred have subsequently been found. Further excavations in 1866 and 1897 were inconclusive.

He is regarded as a saint by some Catholics, but an attempt by king Henry VI in 1441 to get him canonized was unsuccessful. The Anglican Communion venerates him as a Christian hero, with a feast day of 26 October, and he may often be found depicted in stained glass in Church of England parish churches.

A number of educational establishments are named in Alfred's honour. These include:

• The University of Winchester was named 'King Alfred's College, Winchester' between 1928 and 2004, whereupon it was renamed "University College Winchester".
• Alfred University and Alfred State College located in Alfred, NY, are both named after the king.
• In honour of Alfred, the University of Liverpool created a King Alfred Chair of English Literature.
• King Alfred's Community and Sports College, a secondary school in Wantage, Oxfordshire, the birthplace of Alfred.
• King's Lodge School, in Chippenham, Wiltshire is so named because King Alfred's hunting lodge is reputed to have stood on or near the site of the school.
• The King Alfred School & Specialist Sports Academy, Burnham Road, Highbridge is so named due to its rough proximity to Brent Knoll (a Beacon site) and Athelney.
• The King Alfred School in Barnet, North London, UK.
• King Alfred's Middle School, Shaftesbury, Dorset
• King's College, Taunton, Somerset. (The king in question is King Alfred).
• Saxonwold Primary School in Gauteng, South Africa names one of its houses after King Alfred. The others being Bede, Caedmon, and Dunston.

The Royal Navy has named one ship and two shore establishments HMS King Alfred.

In 2002, Alfred the Great was ranked number 14 in the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest Britons following a UK-wide vote.