The Defence of Wessex: The Burghal Hidage and Anglo-Saxon FortificationsDavid Hill, Alexander R. Rumble After defeating Guthrum's Vikings at Edington, King Alfred initiated a great programme of building to defend southern England against Viking attack. This book is the first comprehensive analysis of the Burghal Hidage, the early 10th century vernacular document which gives details of this extraordinary web of fortifications, many of which developed into familiar English towns. This book offers an entirely new edition and translation of the Burghal Hidage, which is one of our most important windows onto the organisation of Anglo-Saxon government and urban development. It tests its subject matter against the evidence of surviving archaeological remains, and sets the document in its historical and paleographical contexts. A gazetteer gives details and site plans of all the fortifications. |
Contents
Introduction David Hill and Alexander R Rumble | 1 |
An edition and translation of the Burghal Hidage together with | 14 |
The manuscript evidence | 36 |
The Burghal Hidage as a document | 69 |
The Burghal Hidage placenames | 98 |
The administrative background to the Burghal Hidage | 128 |
Common terms and phrases
Æthelstan Alfred Anglo-Saxon appear appendix archaeological Axbridge Barnstaple Bath borough Bridport Brooks Buckingham Burghal Hidage Burghal Hidage figures burh Burpham Calculation Cambridge chapter Chichester Chisbury Chronicle circuit copied Cotton Cricklade dative defences DEPN Devon document Dodgson Domesday Book Dorset Eashing Edward the Elder Ekwall England Eorpeburnan excavations exemplar Exeter genitive grid ref Halwell Hickes hides belong hides The tribute Hill hund hida hundred hides hyrp inflexion King Langport Laurence Nowell length Lewes Liebermann List of fortifications London Lydford Lyng Maitland Malmesbury manuscript medieval Mercia mints misreading moneyers Nowell's transcript number of hides Old English omitted original Otho Oxford Pilton place-name plural Portchester Recension reign represent River Roman Rylands Sashes Sawyer scribe Shaftesbury shire Somerset Southampton spelling Surrey Sussex town Tribal Hidage Unidentified Forts Version wall Wallingford Wanley Wareham Warwick Watchet Wessex West Saxon Wiltshire Winchester Worcester