Oisc of Kent

Oisc (also Aesc or Esc, meaning "ash tree"; his birth name was Oeric) was an early king of Kent who ruled for twenty-four years, from 488 to 516.

Little is known about him, and the information that does survive regarding his life is often vague and suspect. He seems to have been the son or the grandson of Hengest, who led the initial Anglo-Saxon conquest and settlement of Kent. According to Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Oisc's given name was Orric. Bede indicates that he was the son of Hengest and travelled to Britain with him, with the permission of the British king Vortigern. He was the father of Octa, who succeeded him. His descendants called themselves "Oiscingas" after him.