Wessex the ensuing Norman Conquest of England, and as the Norman kings soon did away with the great earldoms of the late Anglo-Saxon period, 1066 marks the extinction of Wessex as a political unit. From the second edition (1989) of the "Oxford English Dictionary": Wessex 1. The name of a kingdom in south-west England in Anglo-Saxon times, used by Thomas Hardy as the name of the county in which his stories are set (corresponding approximately to Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire) and since used as a name for south-west England or this part of it. Wessex is often symbolised by a
Historical novels by Nigel Tranter set between 1286 and 1603 Historical novels by Nigel Tranter set between 1286 and 1603 The Scottish author Nigel Tranter wrote many novels based on historical events and figures. This page includes those of his historical novels set in Scotland in the period 1286–1603. This begins with the death of Alexander III, which precipitated the Contest for the Crown and the Wars of Scottish Independence. The period closes with the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when James VI of Scotland acceded the English throne. For Tranter's historical novels set outside this timeframe see: For other books by Nigel Tranter, see here. 1306-29? The central