Cearl (or
Ceorl) was an early
king of
Mercia who ruled during the early part of the 7th century, until about 626. He is the first Mercian king mentioned by
Bede in his
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum. Bede was a Northumbrian who was hostile to Mercia, and historian
Robin Fleming speculates that as "ceorl" means "rustic" in Old English, his name may have been a joke.