Battle of Otford (776)

The Battle of Otford was a battle fought in 776 between Mercia, led by King Offa, and the Jutes of Kent at Otford (in what is today in the English county of Kent).

Although the outcome of the battle is not recorded, the re-establishment of Kent as an independent kingdom implies that the battle was won by Kent.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle notes only that the Mercians and the people of Kent fought at Otford, without giving the outcome. It is from the four charters issued by independent kings of Kent in the years after 776 that we can deduce that Otford was a Kentish victory. S 35 (dated 778), S 36 (dated 779) and S 37 (not precisely dated) are in the name of King Ecgberht, while S 38 (dated 784) is in the name of King Ealhmund. The changeover between Ecgberht and Ealhmund cannot be dated more precisely than 779–784.

Kent was struggling to keep its independence against the growing power of Mercia. In the 770s Kent's rulers were resisting their demotion to subkings. According to Henry of Huntingdon, the Mercians were victorious at this battle near Sevenoaks. But the historian Frank Stenton argued that Egbert of Kent defeated Offa and that Kentish independence was restored for some years. But after Offa's victory over Wessex at Bensington, pressure was resumed and Kent subdued and absorbed into Mercia.