Tomsaete facts for kids

The Tomsaete were an ancient group of people, like a tribe or clan, who lived in England a very long time ago. Their name means "dwellers of the Tame valley," because they lived near the River Tame in what is now the West Midlands of England. They settled there around the year 500 and stayed near Tamworth, even when the powerful Kingdom of Mercia grew.

These people were part of a larger group called the Anglian Mercians. They traveled from the north, following the Trent Valley, until they found their home along the Tame River valleys.

Who Were the Tomsaete?

The Tomsaete were an important early group of people who settled in the heart of Mercia. They were known as "dwellers of the Tame valley" because their homes were along the River Tame. This river flows through the West Midlands region of England. They arrived around the year 500.

Where Did the Tomsaete Live?

The Tomsaete lived in the area around modern-day Tamworth. This location was very important because it was right in the middle of the powerful Kingdom of Mercia. Even after Mercia became a big kingdom, the Tomsaete kept their unique identity for a long time.

How Do We Know About Them?

We know about the Tomsaete from very old documents called Anglo-Saxon charters. These charters were like official papers or agreements from Anglo-Saxon times.

• One charter from the year 849 talks about a place called Cofton Hackett. This area is in the Lickey Hills south of Birmingham. The charter describes it as the "boundary of the Tomsæte and the Pencersæte". This shows us where their land ended and another group's land began.
• Another charter from 835 mentions a person named Humberht. It calls him "Princeps of the Tomsæte." A "Princeps" was like a leader or an important person in charge of the group. This tells us that the Tomsaete still had their own leaders even after they became part of Mercia.

Old Forts and Boundaries

The boundary lines between the Tomsaete and the Pencersæte often followed Late Iron Age hill forts. These hill forts were ancient strongholds built on hills. They were also used as places to collect goods and food from the surrounding land. This suggests that these areas were important for a very long time, even before the Tomsaete settled there.