History Talk - Tony McAleavy

Tony McAleavy will explain the significance of the remarkable archaeological discoveries made at Cowage Farm near Foxley in the 1970s and 1980s. This site helps us to understand how Malmesbury Abbey was endowed by the royal family of the West Saxons. Aldhelm was a royal prince and the son of King Centwine. The site at Foxley was almost certainly given to Aldhelm by his father and helped to transform Malmesbury into one of the wealthiest monasteries in England. (this is a repeat of Tony’s sell-out tea-time talk, but experience shows us that a second sell-out is likely!) This talk is jointly run by Malmesbury Carnival and the Athelstan Museum.