The Burghal Hidage is a Anglo-Saxon document providing a list of Wessex's fortified burhs. It offers an unusually detailed picture of the network of burhs that Alfred the Great designed to defend his kingdom from the predatations of Viking invaders.^[1] The existing document is dated to the reign of Alfred's son Edward. The list identifies 33 burhs, most founded during Alfred's reign. The distribution of these fortified communities was such that no one in Alfred's kingdom was more than a day's march, about 20 miles, from a place of refuge. The Anglo-Saxons refers collectively to the groups of Germanic tribes who achieved dominance in southern Britain from the mid-5th century, forming the basis for the modern English nation. ... Map of the British Isles circa 802 Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ... The burh wall at Wallingford A Burh is an Anglo-Saxon name for a fortified town or other defended site, such as a hill fort. ... Alfred (also Ælfred from the Old English: Ælfrēd) (c. ... The term Viking commonly denotes the ship-borne explorers, traders, and warriors of the Norsemen who originated in Scandinavia and raided the coasts of the British Isles, France and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century. ... Edward the Elder or Eadweard I (c. ...

List of Burhs

This list shows the 33 burhs included in the existing document in order of hidage. Burhs that were probably added to the document after Alfred's time are shown in bold. The hidage for Exeter is thought to be too low, and likely a error.

Statistics Population: 40,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SU485295 Administration District: City of Winchester Shire county: Hampshire Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Hampshire Historic county: Hampshire Services Police force: Hampshire Constabulary Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South Central Post office... Map sources for Wallingford at grid reference SU6089 Wallingford is a small town in Oxfordshire in southern England. ... Map sources for Warwick at grid reference SP2865 Warwick (pronounced ) is the historic county town of Warwickshire in England and has a population of 25,434 (2001 census). ... The Borough or Southwark is an area of the London Borough of Southwark situated 1. ... Wareham is a historic market town in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. ... Statistics Population: 11,572 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SP695335 Administration District: Aylesbury Vale Shire county: Buckinghamshire Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Buckinghamshire Historic county: Buckinghamshire Services Police force: Thames Valley Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South Central Post office... Statistics Population: 25,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SU865045 Administration District: Chichester Shire county: West Sussex Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: West Sussex Historic county: Sussex Services Police force: Sussex Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South East Coast Post... Cricklade is a small town in north Wiltshire in the UK, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. ... Wilton is the name of several places in England: Wilton, a place in the county of Cumbria. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... Statistics Population: 16,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TQ414101 Administration District: Lewes Shire county: East Sussex Region: South East England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: East Sussex Historic county: Sussex Services Police force: Sussex Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South East Coast Post... Malmesbury is an old-established south Cotswold town in south west England in the county of Wiltshire. ... The city of Worcester (pronounced ) is a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England, situated some 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Birmingham and 29 miles (47 km) north of Gloucester. ... Statistics Population: 84,000 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: ST745645 Administration District: Bath and North East Somerset Region: South West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Somerset Historic county: Somerset Services Police force: Avon and Somerset Fire and rescue: Avon Ambulance: South Western Post office... See also Bridport, Tasmania. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this articles infobox may require cleanup. ... Burpham is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. ... For other uses, see Shaftesbury (disambiguation) Shaftesbury is a town in North Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. ... Langport is a small town and parish in Somerset, England, situated five miles west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. ... Eashing is a small village in Surrey a couple of miles outside Godalming and was once part of the Godalming Hundred but is now administered by Guildford Borough Council. ... Statistics Population: Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: ST074431 Administration District: West Somerset Shire county: Somerset Region: South West England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Somerset Historic county: Somerset Services Police force: Avon and Somerset Police Fire and rescue: {{{Fire}}} Ambulance: South Western Post office and... Shown within East Sussex Geography Status: Borough Region: South East England Historic County: Sussex Admin. ... View of Portchester from Portsdown Hill; castle keep on left, Portsmouth harbour and city in background Portchester is a small suburb to the northwest of Portsmouth, England. ... Twynam is an English family name originating from Hampshire, although an apparently separate family is found in Scotland and the Borders. ... Map sources for Axbridge at grid reference ST4354 Axbridge is a town in Somerset, England, situated in the Sedgemoor district on the River Axe, near the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. ... Pilton is a suburb of Barnstaple. ... Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... Village in Devon, established as a burh by Alfred the Great, though the dedication of the parish church to St. ... Lyng could be Lyng, Norfolk Lyng, Somerset This article consisting of geographical locations is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

See also

• History of the English borough

External links

The Burghal Hidage

References

1. ^ Stenton, F. (1971). Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

• Hill, D., & Rumble, A. R. (eds.)(1996). The Defence of Wessex: The Burghal Hidage and Anglo-Saxon fortifications. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.