BRUNANBURH, A.D. 937 [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] S IR, —For
the site of the " battle round " (ymbe), Brunanburh, no part of Great Britain can compare with the area lying within five miles of the junction of the rivers Don and Rother in Rotherham. At that point, intersected by the pre-Roman road, Riknild Street, the Romans had a permanent fortress, long known as Templeborough, in Brinsworth, doubtless identical with Brunesburh, restored and strengthened by the Lady of the Mercians in 910, for the express purpose of recover- ing Northumbria.
On the south-east of Brinsworth there is an ancient district of 40 square miles called Morthen, formerly Morth-ing, " the slaughter-field," from O.E. Morth " slaughter " and O.N. eng. " meadow."
In Morthen there are Ulley (011ei, D.B.) and Swallownest, both probably based on O'lafr or Anlaf Cuaran, son of Sihtric, Danish King of York and son-in-law of Constantine, King of Scots. Swallownest is most likely a corrupted form of Olave's- ness, " the triangular point or promontory headland associated With Olaf or Anlaf Cuaran," the leader of the invaders of 937: Between Brinsworth and Morthen there are names harmonis- ing with Egil's Saga : Gilthwaite " Egil's clearing," Thurcroft " Thorolf's burial place," and Herringthorpe, " the croft of Hring," a son of Harald Hairfair, King of Norway.
The substitution of Templeborough for Brunanburh has puzzled people for generations. Yet, Symeon of Durham says the battle was fought at Weondune, Egil's Saga calling it Winheath by Winwood. Weondune is " the hill or temple of the heathen deity," weon being the genitive of weoh, wlia " heathen temple." Close by there is red-rock called Whitehill (Wiht-hill), possibly based on O.N. vaettr, " a supernatural deity."
Politically, the question was whether northern peoples should acquire the Northumbrian territory extending from Lancaster to Goole and thence to Liverpool. History would have been different If that had become the southern portion of a Scandi- navian kingdom, including Scotland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The English Chronicle, 942, mentioning Dore, Whitwell's-gate and Humber, rejoices that Southern York- shire from Sheffield to Goole has been rescued from pagan Norwegians.
Strategetically, invaders, possessing the initiative, would never put themselves into the bottle-necked peninsula of Wirral at Bromborough, nor have _such a retreat line as that north of Burnswark.
Historically, Bromborough and Burnswark are definitely ruled out because they do not take into account the statements made by the northern chroniclers, Symeon of Durham, the Melrose Chronicle, Roger of Howden and Aibred of Rievaulx that the Scots, led by Anlaf Cuaran (Sihtricsson, and who would naturally retreat east with his father-in-law Constantine) entered the Humber with 615 ships. Close by Hull there is Anlaby, formerly " Anlofby." Those 30,000 invaders would never cross the Don and Mersey Marshes, nor march over the foodless Pennines to Burnswark, 545 miles distant from the frontier which was being fought for on the southernmost part of Yorkshire.
Hence, for Brinsworth-Mortlien there is a combination of topographical, political, military and historical factors, and many additional corroborations can be adduced.—Yours
Previous page
