On Some Ancient Battle-Fields in Lancashire: And Their Historical, Legendary, and Aesthetic Associations.Hardwick, Charles
History
On Some Ancient Battle-Fields in Lancashire: And Their Historical, Legendary, and Aesthetic Associations.
Hardwick, Charles
Battles -- England; Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066; Lancashire (England) -- History
I have said that there are several places in Lancashire, even, which
answer to Brunan or Brun. The following are amongst the number: On the
Wyre, near the commencement of the Roman agger or "_Danes' Pad_,"
as it is locally termed, which led from the Portus Setantiorum
of Ptolemy to York, is a place named Bourne, written in the Domesday
survey Brune. Bourne Hall is situated upon a "dune" or hill, which
commands a relatively recently blocked up channel of the Wyre.
Therefore Brunnandune or Brunford would strictly apply to it.
Bryning-with-Kellamergh, near _Warton_, in the parish of Kirkham, is
described in a charter of the reign of John, as Brichscrach _Brun_ and
Kelmers_burgh_. In the time of Henry III. it is described as Brininge.
Not far from Rochdale is a spot named "Kildanes," near Bamford. The site
is not much more than two miles from a place named Burnedge or Brunedge.
There is a Burnage between Manchester and Stockport. Burnley is situated
on the river Burn, generally, however, called the Brun. This
demonstrates how utterly impossible it is to identify the locality by
the name Brunanburh. The Manchester, Rochdale, and Burnley sites are too
far from the seashore. The fine old poem, describing the battle, says
emphatically--"There were made flee the Northman's chieftain, By need
constrained, To the ship's prow, With a little band. The bark drove
afloat--The king departed--On the fallow flood his life he preserved."
And, again, the poem says--"The Northmen departed In their nailed barks;
Bloody relic of darts; On roaring ocean, O'er the deep water, DUBLIN to
seek; Again Ireland shamed in mind." And further--"West Saxons onwards
Throughout the day, In numerous bands, Pursued the footsteps of the
loathed nations." I therefore contend that, in this particular, as well
as those already disposed of, the "pass of the Ribble" answers to the
locality of the struggle, as described by contemporary authority. Where
this topographical feature is wanting, I hold it to be fatal. The ships
of Anlaf might be attending the army in the estuaries of the Ribble or
Wyre, and to them the defeated and routed forces would, of course,
repair with headlong speed, after crossing the fords, the defence of
which they had so gallantly, if unsuccessfully, attempted. During this
hasty retreat, I contend it is highly probable the great Cuerdale hoard
was deposited, and, owing to death, or other disaster, the precise
locality could not be determined in after times, although the tradition
of its deposition remained. There is plenty of analagous evidence in
support of such a conjecture, to some of which I have already referred.
In the seventh volume of "Collectania Antiqua," Mr. Charles Roach Smith,
referring to the then recent discovery near the Roman station,
"Procolitia," near the great Roman Wall, of an enormous mass (15,000) of
Roman coins, weighing about 400 pounds, says he regards the hoard as
part of the money set apart for the payment of the troops occupying the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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