Anglo Saxon History Home Background Landscape Changing Landscape and Language Sea Levels in AD400(Pevensey) Sea Levels in AD400(The Wash) Sea level changes last 2000 years Andredsweald and Anderida Where are the Roman Roads History of the Romney Marsh The Great Storm 1287AD List of Landscape Documents Local The Saxon Kingdom of the Haestingas The Cinque Ports 914AD Alfred the Great's fort in Hastings Battle Museum Battle History Society Villagenet Local Gazeteer World War 2 Tank database Simon the Piman(Raspberry Pi) Tourist Guides for the area Romans First Invasion 55BC Second Invasion 43AD Roman roads in Britannia Ptolemy Geographica Tribes MAP-Margary Roman Roads MAP-Roman Roads South East MAP-Roman Roads South West MAP-Roman Roads Wales MAP-Roman Roads South Midlands MAP-Roman Roads South Yorkshire MAP-Roman Locations Norfolk MAP-Roman Locations Essex MAP-Wealden Roads/Bloomeries Wealden Bloomeries 1st Century Wealden Bloomeries 2nd Century Wealden Bloomeries 3rd Century Wealden Bloomeries 4th Century MAP-Antonine Itinery I Roman Industry in the Brede Valley Decline in Roman Wealden Ironworking The Gallic Empire 260AD - 274AD Types of Roman Fortification List of Roman Documents Saxon Chronicles 914AD Burghal Hideage Locations - 449AD Ebbsfleet Locations - 455AD Agelesþrep Locations - 485AD Mearcredesburnan Stede Locations - 914AD Eorpeburnan Saxon Invasion sequence Invaders 1 - Henghest, Horsa and Æsc Invaders 2 - The Haestingas Invaders 3 - Aelle Cymen Wlenca Cissa Invaders 4 - West Seaxe (Wessex) List of Saxon Chronicles Documents 449AD(1) Henghest lands at Ypwinesfleot 449AD(2) the Welsh flee from Henghest 455AD Henghest fights at Agælesþrep 456AD Henghest fights at Wippedesfleote 457AD Henghest fights at Crecganford 457AD the Haestingas !! 473AD - Welsh Flee again (Henghest and Æsc) 477AD Ælle lands at Cymensora 485AD Ælle and Mearcrædesburnan stæðe 491AD Ælle fights at Andredescester 495AD Cerdic lands at Cerdicesora 501AD Port arrives at Portesmuþa 508AD Cerdicesford and Netley 514AD Stuff and Whitgar 519AD Cerdic & Cynric at Cerdicesford 527AD Cerdic & Cynric at Cerdicesleigh 530AD - Wihtgarabyrg (Cerdic and Cynric) 534AD - Isle of Wight given to Stuff and Wihtgar 552AD - Searobyrg (Cynric) 556AD - Beranbyrg (Cynric and Ceawlin) 568AD - Wibban dune (Ceaulin and Cuþa) 1066 Battle Documentary Evidence Available Documents  1 Anglo Saxon Chronicles  2 Battle Abbey Chronicles  3 Bayeux Tapestry  4 Carmen Guy d'Amiens  5 Florence of Worcester  6 Henry of Huntingdon  7 Master Wace  8 Orderic Vitalis(Gesta)  9 William of Jumièges(Gesta) 10 William of Malmesbury 11 Quedam Exceptiones Reference to Locations Phases of the Events Phases 1066AD  1 Background 1066AD  2 In Normandy 1066AD  3 Channel Crossing 1066AD  4 The Landing 1066AD  5 Feast after Landing 1066AD  6 Building the Forts 1066AD  7 Raiding the Area 1066AD  8 Warning to Harold 1066AD  9 Stamford Bridge 1066AD 10 Harold returns to London 1066AD 11 William is Alerted 1066AD 12 Exchange of Messages 1066AD 13 Defenses 1066AD 14 Harold Reconnoitres 1066AD 15 Preparations 1066AD 16 The Night Before 1066AD 17 The Battle 1066AD 18 Harold is Killed 1066AD 19 The English Rout 1066AD 20 After the Battle 1066AD 21 The Malfosse Warriors, Weapons & Snippets Saxon - Huscarl Saxon - Fyrd(Fyrð) Senlac Hill The Malfosse The Hoar Apple Tree The Shield Wall Salt Production near Hastings The Battle of Jengland 851AD William's Ship List Norman/Viking Ships and stuff Norman bows and crossbows Harold was NOT killed by an arrow The Time Team view of the Battle 1066AD Landscape Details 1066AD Sailing from Normandy 1066AD Norman Landing 1066AD Possible Fort 1066AD to Pevensey and Hastings 1066AD Manors Wasted 1066AD Manors All 1066AD Warning to Harold 1066AD Harold to Hastings  List of 1066AD Documents List of 1066AD Weapons Sub Category A - The Ship list of William the Conqueror B - Ships - Drekka, Snekkja and Knarr C - Why Hastings? D - Sailing - Dives sur Mer to St Valerie E - The Sailing - St Valerie to Pevensey F - The Coastline and Landscape G - New Romney Destroyed H -Duke Williams army size and logistics I - Landscape of Haestingaport J - Hastings and its links to Fécamp Abbey K - The Landing , where was it ? L - The Warning to Harold and its implications LOCATION - Hecheland where is it ? LOCATION - The Lands of Battle Abbey M - The Castles N - The Hoar Apple Tree O - The Intermediary Observations ‑ Bows and Crossbows P - Places named in the Chronicles Q - Evidence for the Malfosse Z - King Harold was not killed by an arrow in the eye 1086AD Domesday Boundary of Anderida Domesday Hursts Post Domesday Hursts Domesday Manors Wasted UK Norfolk Salt Production Salt Production near Hastings The Wash at 1086 The Humber estuary at 1086 Domesday County details B Bedfordshire Domesday Population Berkshire Domesday Population Buckinghamshire Domesday Population Domesday County details C Cambridgeshire Domesday Population Cheshire Domesday Population Cornwall Domesday Population Domesday County details D Derbyshire Domesday Population Devon Domesday Population Dorset Domesday Population Domesday County details E Essex Domesday Population Domesday County details G Gloucestershire Domesday Population Domesday County details H Hampshire Domesday Population Herefordshire Domesday Population Hertfordshire Domesday Population Huntingdonshire Domesday Population Domesday County details K Kent Domesday Population Domesday County details L Leicestershire Domesday Population Lincolnshire Domesday Population Domesday County details M Middlesex Domesday Population Domesday County details N Norfolk Domesday Population Northamptonshire Domesday Population Nottinghamshire Domesday Population Domesday County details O Oxfordshire Domesday Population Domesday County details R Rutland Domesday Population Domesday County details S Shropshire Domesday Population Somerset Domesday Population Staffordshire Domesday Population Suffolk Domesday Population Surrey Domesday Population Sussex Domesday Population Domesday County details W Warwickshire Domesday Population Wiltshire Domesday Population Worcestershire Domesday Population Domesday County details Y Yorkshire Domesday Population Place names Translate my Location Celtic name snippets Jutish name snippets Roman name snippets Saxon name snippets Viking name snippets Norman name snippets Modern name snippets List of name Snippets Snippet 1 - What is an eye,island etc Snippet 2 - What is a hurst Snippet 3 - What is a bury, a borough or burgh Snippet Places 1 - Tidebrook Villages containing EY/EYE/SEA Villages containing HAM Villages containing TON Villages containing CASTLE Sussex Locations with ING Domesday Sussex with ING Kent Locations with ING Sussex Locations with HURST Loads of Village Translations Res Anglo Saxon Chronicles - 914AD - Alfred the Great and the Burghal Hideage   Index ▼ Source ▼ Size of the Forts ▼ Likely Locations of the Burh's ▼ Eorpeburnan -324 hides ▼ Chichester - 1500 hides ▼ Portchester - 500 hides ▼ Southampton - 150 hides ▼ Winchester - 2400 hides ▼ Wilton - 1400 hides ▼ Chisbury - 700 hides ▼ Bridport - 760 hides ▼ Halwell - 300 hides ▼ Lydford - 140 hides ▼ Lyng - 100 hides ▼ Langport - 600 hides ▼ Eashing - 600 hides ▼ Map of the Burghal Hideage Forts   ▼ Map of the probable Boundary of Wessex AD914   Source ▲ The Burgal Hidage is a collection of a number of medieval texts that describe the location of defensive forts around the state of Wessex during the time of Alfred the Great. The document was named the Burghal Hidage by F. W. Maitland in 1897 after a great deal of research into the subject. The documents list the major defensive forts anti clockwise around Wessex starting at the unproven location of 'Eorpeburnan' somewhere on the Kent,Sussex or Surrey borders and ending at the last fort in the list at Southwark on the Thames . The Anglo Saxon word Burgh or more correctly Burh describes a defensive position or fort usually on a hill with a defensive ditch and bank topped with wooden walls and an internal regular layout to help the defenders. These Burhs were mostly built during the reign of Alfred the Great to defend Wessex against the Viking invaders. Each Burh has a number of hides associated with it, which describes the size of the Burh and its defensive population. Size of the Forts ▲   The original starting text reads To anes æcere bræde on Ɵealstillinge 7 þære Ɵære gebirirgeað. xvi hida Gif ælc hid byþ be anum men gemannod þonne mæg man gesettan ælce gyrde mid feoƟer mannun. þonne gebyreð to tƟentigan gyrdan on Ɵealstillinge. hundeahtatig hida. This translates to For one acre breadth of wall-setting & manning is required 16 hides, if each hide is one man, then the manpower to be set for each pole is with four men. Then is required for twenty poles of wall- setting eighty hides. with the finishing text reading Gif se ymbegang mara biþ. þonne mæg man eaþe þone ofereacan geþencan of þisse tale for þon ealning to anum furlange gebyreð sixtig manna. 7. c. þonne biþ ælc gyrd mid feoƟer mannum geset This translates to If the surrounding is greater, then the manpower can easily be reckoned from this assessing, since there is always required for one furlong breadth sixty men & 100; then each pole is set with four men. This means that from the first statement: An acres width of wall(aprox 208ft) needs 16 hides to build - this equates to about 13ft per hide, but this appears to be the construction dimensions. A pole of wall(16.5 ft) requires 4 defenders and 20 poles requires 80 men, and 1 defender is required for each 4ft of wall which is provided by 1 hide. Therefore a hide defends 4ft of wall From the table shown above the Hastings Burh of 500 hides would have a wall of 125 poles so about 2000ft(aprox 610mtrs) of wall which would enclose a 500ft square of land(2.3 hectares) which would have needed 500 men to defend. wall length hides ft mtrs sq mtr hectares Eorpeburnan 324 1296 395 9753 0.98 Hastings 500 2000 610 23226 2.32 Lewes 1300 5200 1585 157006 15.70 Burpham 720 2880 878 48161 4.82 Chichester 1500 6000 1829 209032 20.90 Portchester 500 2000 610 23226 2.32 Southampton 150 600 183 2090 0.21 Winchester 2400 9600 2926 535122 53.51 Wilton 1400 5600 1707 182090 18.21 Chisbury 700 2800 853 45522 4.55 Shaftesbury 700 2800 853 45522 4.55 Twynam (Christchurch) 470 1880 573 20522 2.05 Wareham 1600 6400 1951 237832 23.78 Bridport 760 3040 927 53661 5.37 Exeter 734 2936 895 50052 5.01 Halwell 300 1200 366 8361 0.84 Lydford 140 560 171 1821 0.18 Pilton 360 1440 439 12040 1.20 Watchet 513 2052 625 24449 2.44 Axbridge 400 1600 488 14864 1.49 Lyng 100 400 122 929 0.09 Langport 600 2400 732 33445 3.34 Bath 1000 4000 1219 92903 9.29 Malmesbury 1200 4800 1463 133780 13.38 Cricklade 1500 6000 1829 209032 20.90 Oxford 1400 5600 1707 182090 18.21 Wallingford 2400 9600 2926 535122 53.51 Buckingham 1600 6400 1951 237832 23.78 Sashes 1000 4000 1219 92903 9.29 Eashing 600 2400 732 33445 3.34 Southwark 1800 7200 2195 301006 30.10 Worcester 1200 4800 1463 133780 13.38 Warwick 2400 9600 2926 535122 53.51   Likely Locations of the Burh's ▲ The images below are made up from, to the left, based on Google My Maps overlayed with the fort area, those to the right are from the National Library of Scotland with the 'OS Six inch map 1888-1915' overlayed with a 'Lidar DSM 1M' lidar image.   Eorpeburnan -324 hides ▲ Eorpburnan actually spelt eorþ burnan means the earthy stream Most likely location is modern Orpington which translates from eorþ ing tun meaning the earth fort on the hill Hastings   500 hides The fort was probably at Baldslow down which derives from baels hleow dun meaning the fire refuge on the hill Lewes   1300 hides probably located on offham hill - Lewes derives from hleow aes which translates to the refuge by the river Burpham   720 hides Burpham from burþ ham which translates to the fortress settlement in the valley   Chichester - 1500 hides ▲   Chichester derives from chyee ceaster which translates to the roman fortress of the Crows The area covered by the image is the boundary of the old Roman fortress which has a boundary of 2140m and an area of 34.4 hectares.   Portchester - 500 hides ▲   Portchester derives from port ceaster which translates to the roman fortress with the harbour. The area covered by the image has a boundary of 740m and an area of 3.42 hectares.   Southampton - 150 hides ▲   Southampton derives from suþ þam tun which translates to the southern wet place on the hill Please Note: It is difficult to identify a site in Southampton due to the sheer number of buildings that have been erected since 914AD. However I have noticed that the Burhs are sometimes on playing fields, and this one is called Hoglands that may have been derived from 'Hleow land' meaning the land where the burh is, so that is my Guess. There seem to be ground marks on the Google maps where the orange patch is located.. The area covered by the orange image has a boundary of 198m and an area of 0.24 hectares.   Winchester - 2400 hides ▲   Winchester derives from win ceaster which translates to the roman fortress of the wine The area covered by the image is the boundary of the old Roman fortress which has a boundary of 3000m and an area of 58.6 hectares.   Wilton - 1400 hides ▲   The most likely location for this fort was at Old Sarum the old Roman fort on the junction of two major Roman roads. The area covered by the image has a boundary of 1.4km and an area of 15.0 hectares   Chisbury - 700 hides ▲   Chisbury derived from 'cise byrg' - the cheese fort The most likely location for this fort was at Chisbury Camp an old Iron Age fort.The area covered by the image has a boundary of 866m and an area of 4.92 hectares. Shaftesbury   700 hides The most likely location for this fort was at Shaftesbury Castle an old Iron Age fort Twynam (now called Christchurch, Dorset)   470 hides The most likely location for this fort was on 'St Catherines Hill' an old Roman signalling station Wareham   1600 hides The most likely location for this fort was in Wareham itself, wær ham meaning sea valley settlement   Bridport - 760 hides ▲   probably located on Sloes Hill which is likely to be derived from eas hloes hyll which translates to the riverside refuge on the hill Exeter   734 hides The most likely location for this fort was the Roman fort in Exeter(Isca)   Halwell - 300 hides ▲   The most likely location for this fort was the hill fort at Stanborough Camp, stane borough means the stone fortress, or the fortress on the roman road. The area covered by the image has a boundary of 345m and an area of 0.91 hectares.   Lydford - 140 hides ▲   The most likely location for this fort at Lydford is on ths small hill near to Eastern Cleve wood, on modern maps is marked as Lydford Norman ringwork. The area covered by the orange area has a boundary of 190m and an area of 0.27 hectares. Pilton   360 hides The most likely location was an old iron age fort called RoboroughCamp who's name could have derived from the Saxon hleow borough meaning the old roman fort refuge Watchet   513 hides The most likely location was an old iron age fort called Dawes Castle Axbridge   400 hides The fort was probably on 'Callow Hill' which derives from Cal hleow Hyll meaning cabbage refuge hill   Lyng - 100 hides ▲   This location must be near Athelney where Alfred the Great fled in 878AD this small fort is most likely located on Burrow mump - which was Burh hleow munt - meaning the fort refuge on the mound. The area covered by the image has a boundary of 117m and an area of 0.94 hectares   Langport - 600 hides ▲ Meaning the long port as the sea reached here in the times of Wessex. The fort was most likely to be found in the location of Combe quarry but any evidence would be long since removed. Bath 1000 hides The location for the Burh is in the old Roman center of the town. Malmesbury 1200 hides Probably on the Holloway road translated from hoh hleow ǽ which means the promontory refuge on the river Cricklade   1500 hides The fort was most likely in Cricklade - the name derives from crycc gelad which means the strong stick road, which refers to the well built straight Roman Ermin Street from Speen to Cirencester that crosses the Thames at this point. Oxford   1400 hides Wallingford   2400 hides The fort was most likely in the town where the current town walls are. Buckingham   1600 hides Sashes   1000 hides   Eashing - 600 hides ▲     The fort was most likely at Peper Harow as this derives from piþa hár hleów meaning the old pith refuge . The likely location is on Warren Hill just above the river Wey. The area covered by the image has a boundary of 690m and an area of 3.93 hectares. Southwark   1800 hides The fort was probably somewhere near Crystal Palace or the high ground near Forest Hill, but modern buildings would have removed any evidence Worcester   1200 hides The fort was most likely near Hallow park which derives from har hleów meaning the the old refuge Warwick   2400 hides The fort was most likely near Woodloes farm which derives from wudu hleów es meaning the the people of the wood refuge   Map of the Burghal Hideage Forts  ▲   This Google map shows the location of the forts, we have joined the outer forts to get an approximation of the area that Wessex occupied at this time. See below for a more likely boundary   Map of the probable Boundary of Wessex AD914  ▲   This Google map shows the most likely boundary for Wessex. This map shows the Political layout of the country in 880AD showing the location of Alfred's Burhs in relation to the surrounding Kingdoms. The red line shows Offas Dyke built to defend Mercia from the Welsh, but by the time of this map Mercia had been absorbed into the Viking controlled areas. As you can see, the boundary of Wessex is surrounded by Burhs, with others inside these boundaries, this would imply a massive build up of defenses, however a lot of these locations were already old Celtic Hillforts, this reduced building costs for Wessex and increases the speed at which these defenses can be incorporated.

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Author Simon M - Last updated - 2025-10-08 10:37:57

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