Kingdom of Surrey

Origins

Surrey, Suthrige, probably began as the southern part of a larger Middle Saxon territory on both sides of the Thames. In the 7th century it lay between Kent, Wessex, Sussex and Mercia and was ruled by local leaders under one or another of them.

Rule and society

The only known ruler is Frithuwold, a sub-king under Wulfhere of the Kingdom of Mercia, who around 672 to 674 endowed Chertsey Abbey, founded by Bishop Eorcenwald. The charter shows estates, minsters and Mercian overlordship but no independent dynasty.

Decline and legacy

Surrey never had a lasting royal line. Control passed between Mercia and Wessex, and in the 9th century it became a West Saxon shire, keeping its name and much of its boundary.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.