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Anglo Saxon Chronicles - 449AD(1) - Ypwinesfleot
(Henghest and Horsa)
 
The entry from the Chronicles

Original text
449. Her Mauricius 7 Ualentines onfengon rice 7 ricsodon .vii. winter. 7 On hiera dagum Hengest 7 Horsa from Wyrtgeorne geleaþade Bretta kyninge gesohton Bretene on þam staþe þe is genemned Ypwinesfleot, ærest Brettum to fultume, ac hie eft on hie fuhton.

Translation
449AD. This year Marcian and Valentinian assumed the empire, and reigned seven winters. In their days Hengest and Horsa, invited by Wurtgern, king of the Britons to his assistance, landed in Britain in a place that is called Ypwinesfleot; first of all to support the Britons, but they afterwards fought against them.

What does this mean

If we look at the Saxon name 'Ypwinesfleot', pronounced 'Ip wines fleet' it is made up from three Saxon components 'Yp' which means 'Look Out' and 'wines' which means 'wine' and 'fleot' a fleet[sea passage between two bodies of land].

This translates to 'the lookout place by the vineyard overlooking the Fleet' which means that the place is on a south facing hill (wine grows on south facing hills) and is on a 'Fleet' and has a lookout point.

This fits nicely with the location of modern Ebbsfleet on Thanet, as Thanet was an island at the time and has a 'fleet' between here and the mainland. It would make a good lookout point to Richborough and is south facing and is on a fleet.

This is also the location of Caesars fort from 43AD overlooking Pegwell bay, and would be a good place to isolate the Jutes from the mainland, but still provide them with a defensive location.
 
Possible interpretation of the Chronicles

If Vortigern had been pushed back to Richborough by Marcian and Valentinian then Ebbsfleet would also have been a good point for the Jutes to land as it would provide a blockade of the Wantsum Channel, give them a defensive fort, and a route to Richborough, Canterbury and along the coast.

Henghest and Horsa's base at Ebbsfleet, would have enabled them to sail into Canterbury, Rochester, Crayford and Purfleet, and that may have been the route taken as opposed to the yellow lines on the map below that follow Watling Street.

Map showing the Battles of Henghest and Horsa
 
Map of Henghest and Horsa invasion of Kent in 455AD
Map generated using Google My Maps 2024 - showing the Landscape, modern Counties and sea in 455AD


Please Note: this map is my interpretation of the Anglo Saxon Chronicles entries relating to Henghest, Horsa and Aesc and their take over of Kent, the purple line shows the modern Kent boundary.

The logic for the coastal changes and the Forest of Andredsweald can be viewed on the following pages:

Roman Roads in Britain

The Great Forest of Andredsweald - Anglo Saxon Chronicles

Landscape - Was the sea level in Saxon times at Pevensey 4 to 5 metres higher ?

Was the high tide in Saxon times 5 metres higher ? - the Wash

Landscape - The History of the Romney Marsh in maps(Pre-Roman to Modern times)

Roman Locations that have not been identified and roads that just terminate



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Author Simon M - Last updated - 2024-10-16 07:50:43
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