Magonsaete, kingdom of the

Although the Anglo-Saxon kingdom which was conterminous with the diocese of Hereford is usually referred to as the kingdom of the Magonsaete, the name is not recorded until the 9th cent. The people of the province may originally have been known as the West Angles. The first element of ‘Magonsaete’ is possibly derived from Magnis, the Roman town of Kentchester. The earliest recorded king is Merewalh, who is described as a son of Penda of Mercia. The last known ruler Mildfrith, son of Merewalh, died c. 735 and it would appear that the province became a Mercian ealdormanry after that date.