freeholders of the vicinity not habitually dwelling within the walls, but sheltering themselves behind them in times of danger; for the _Tun_ of the Gesithcundman was scarcely capable of defence, and the Ceorl’s _Hedge_ was only calculated to keep out cattle. Such seems to have been the case at the time of the Danish wars, when the walls were seldom of a more formidable construction than a strong wooden palisade, and were easily broken through at the great battle of York. As soon as he had saved the monarchy, Alfred directed his attention, as much to remedying this defect, as to reviving letters amongst his subjects, or building ships to protect the coast, constantly impressing the necessity of building _Burhs_ upon his Reeves and Ealdormen, and providing skilled artificers--a sure test of the ignorance of such arts amongst his own people--to carry out his projects. London-_wic_, plundered and ruined by the Danes, arose from its ashes as London-_burh_, and was made over--_geset_ or let--by Alfred to his daughter’s husband, the Mercian Ealdorman. The history of the next reign, after Edward was once securely seated on his throne, is one continual record of the progress of _Burh_-building and _Hlaford-socn_--or Commendation--the _Burh-bote_, a permanent obligation attached to all property held of the crown, whether church-land or thegn-land, binding the churchman or thegn to keep in repair the _Burh_ with which his land was connected, such associations being entered into for defence, not for trade; and it would be a grave error to mistake the Anglo-Danish confederacy of “the Five Burghs,” or the men of London-Burgh in the days of Athelstane--the _Burh-Thegns_ as they are often called--whose Bishops and Reeves were bound to keep the peace, as ordered by the king and his Witan, for mercantile or trading communities. The rules laid down by the London Reeves and Bishops at this period will be found to relate to tracing stolen cattle, and keeping their “Hirdmen” in order; but it is vain to look for the regulations about trades and craftsmen, which will be found invariably in later Burghal laws.[326]