Some rare artefacts will be showcased at a museum in Wiltshire this summer to celebrate the anniversary of Athelstan becoming King. 

The Athelstan Museum in Malmesbury, located in the Town Hall building, has a range of events going on across the town and will be displaying items on loan from The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, the British Library and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Whit and Kim Hanks, the owners of the Old Bell Hotel and Abbey House in Malmesbury, donated £5,000 to the museum to allow them to showcase the iconic artefacts, including the charter of Athelstan to the burgesses of Malmesbury - the earliest known version of a charter by which Athelstan supposedly granted common land of around 600 acres to the burgesses of Malmesbury.

Kim said: “We’re so thrilled to be able to support this exhibition at the museum and also in doing so to support a whole range of activities planned across the summer in the town. We cannot wait to be part of the celebrations.”

They will also display the Abingdon Sword, a fragment of a late Anglo Saxon c875AD, the first two pages of Bede the Venerable, Two Lives of St Cuthbert including the famous picture of Athelstan presenting the book to St. Cuthbert and a silver penny from King Athelstan’s reign.

The couple, who live and run their own hospitality company in Dripping Springs, Texas have fallen in love with Malmesbury, particularly the Athelstan Museum which is home to the ‘Hanks’ clock - made by Whit’s seventh great grandfather Benjamin Hanks, before he left for America in 1699.

Chairman of the Trustees Sharon Nolan said: “The items are wonderful and are being loaned to us free of charge – however there are insurance and security implications around hosting them and that is why we need to raise funds. We’re very grateful to Whit and Kim Hanks for being our main sponsors for the exhibition.”

Athelstan chose to be buried within the Abbey but the exact location is a mystery because his remains were moved 200 years after his death.

There are strict requirements around hosting the artefacts and additional funds have come from the King Athelstan Memorial Fund and some private donors who are friends of the museum.

Volunteers will be helping out over the summer months to keep the museum open for visitors and entry is free, but donations are welcomed.