Preston Guardian
Saturday July 12 1856
Where Was The Battle Of Brunanburh Fought? To The Editor of the Preston Chronicle.
Sir, -Notwithstanding what has been advanced by "A Subscriber to the forthcoming History of Preston," I am inclined to think that there are historical, or at all events poetical, reasons why this noted battle may have been fought on the west coast of England. By referring to the transactions of the region of Athelstan we find that in spite of all his exertions for attaining the absolute authority in England, "Wales retained its original independence; and in the north there was the kingdom of Northumbria which had not yet yielded to the power of the Kings of Wessex." Sigtric was at this time King of this powerful northern state, and after some defeats he appears to have made peace with Athelstan and married one of his sisters. When Sigtric died, Athelstan seized upon Northumbria and compelled Anlaff, the grandson and successor of Sigtric, to abandon the country. The Northumbirans were not satisfied with their new master, and Anlaff took advantage of this discontent to enter into a league with the Welsh, the Socts, and the Irish, for the purpose of regaining his dominions. Athelstan, however, was prepared, and marching against the confederated chiefs he gave them battle and totally defeated them near Brunanburh. Where this place stood is now a matter of dispute, but its importance, and, perhaps, a clue to its identification, may be gathered from the following extract respecting the battle from the Saxon Chronicle:- "A.D.937. Here Athelstan King; Of earls, the Lord; Of heroes, the bracelet-giver. And his brother eke, Edmund Atheling Life-long glory In battle won, With edges of swords, Near Brunanburh. The board-walls they clove. They hewed the war-lindens, Hamora lafan. Offspring of Edward. Such was their noble nature From their ancestors, That they in battle oft, Against every foe, The land defended; Hoards and homes. The foe they crushed;- The Scottish people, And the shipmen, Fated fell. The field they dyed With warriors' blood, Since the sun up, At morning tide, Mighty planet, Glided o'er grounds; God's candle bright, The eternal Lord's; Till the noble creature, Sank to her settle. There lay many a warrior, By javelins strewed;- Northern man Over shield shot; So the Scots eke, Weary war-sad. West Saxons onwards Throughout the day, In numerous bands Parsued the footsteps Of the loathed nations. they hewed the fugitives, Behind amain, With swords mill-sharp. Mercians refused not The hard-hand play To any heroes Who with Anlaff, Over the ocean In the ship's bosom This land sought - Fated to the fight. Five kings lay On the battle-stead. Youthful kings By swords in slumber laid. So seven eke Of Anlaff's earls. Of the army countless:- Shipmen and Scots. There was made flee The North-men'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. So there eke the sage, Came by flight, To his country, north, Constantine - hoary warrior. He had no cause to exult In the communion of swords. Here was his kindred band Of friends o'erthrown- On the folk-stead In battle slain. And his son he left On the slaughter-place, Mangled with wounds. Young in the fight He had no cause to boast. Hero grizzly-haired, Of the bill-clashing:- The old deceiver. Nor Anlaff, the moor, [armies; With the remnant of their They had no cause to laugh, That they in war's works We better men were, In the battle-stead. At the conflict of banners- Meeting of spears- Concourse of men- Traffic of weapons- That they on the slaughter-field With Edward's offspring played. The Northern 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. So too the brothers, Both together;- King and Atheling;- Their country sought- West Saxon's land, In the war exulting. They left behind them The corse to devour; The sallowy kite- And the swarthy raven With horned nob- And the dusky pada, Erne white-tailed, The corse to enjoy. The greedy war-hawk- And the grey beast Wolf of the wood. Carnage greater has not been In this island, ever yet, Of people slain before this, By edge of sword; As books us say and old writers, Since from the east hither Angles and Saxons Came to land, and, O'er the broad seas Britain sought Mighty war-smiths The Welsh o'ercame- Earls most bold This land obtained." I think a perusal of the preceding will satisfy any one that the battle was both bloody and decisive; but it may be urged that no locality is fixed upon by the poet in his description of the conflict. It would, however, be as easy for the Scots under Constantine to reach the vicinity of Preston by way of Carlisle as it would be for them to join Anlaff in the present county of Northumberland; but when we find the vanquished forces taking to their ships and making for Dublin and Ireland-"o'er the deep water"-I consider we become entitled to ask whether it would not be more natural for them to seek the shores of the sister island by crossing the Irish Sea rather than by sailing round the northern coasts of Scotland? And also, whether this conjecture is not more in accordance with the whole of the extract than the supposition that the battle took place at the "confluence of the rivers Beaumont and Till?" the Welsh and Irish would much more easily join their forces to the discontented Northumbrians near to the west coast than the east, and hence I flatter myself that Mr. Hardwick will have a balance of probabilities in his favour, should he decide upon fixing the battle-field of Brunanburh somewhere near the west coast of the country. I remain, Sir, yours respectfully. F.R.A.S. Burnley, July 7th, 1856.
_________________ Mel
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