All Topics  
Burh

 
Burh

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Burh
 
 
  Topics Burh Topic Home

A Burh is an Anglo-Saxon
Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century....
 name for a fortified town or other defended site, such as a hill fort
Hill fort

A hill fort is type of fortification refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age and Iron Ages....
. The boundaries of ancient burhs can often still be traced to modern urban borough limits. A 10th century document called the Burghal Hidage
Burghal Hidage

The Burghal Hidage is an Old English language 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 predations of Viking invaders....
 cites 30 burhs in Wessex
Wessex

West Saxon redirects here. For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex .Wessex , from the Old English Westseaxe , was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of the English state in the 9th century, under the Wessex dynasty....
, and 3 in Mercia
Mercia

Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands....
 (then under the domination of the West Saxon kings), built to defend the region against Viking
Viking

A Viking is one of the Norsemen explorers, warriors, merchants, and Piracy who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century....
 raids.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Burh'
Start a new discussion about 'Burh'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Uk Burh Wall
A Burh is an Anglo-Saxon
Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century....
 name for a fortified town or other defended site, such as a hill fort
Hill fort

A hill fort is type of fortification refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age and Iron Ages....
. The boundaries of ancient burhs can often still be traced to modern urban borough limits. A 10th century document called the Burghal Hidage
Burghal Hidage

The Burghal Hidage is an Old English language 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 predations of Viking invaders....
 cites 30 burhs in Wessex
Wessex

West Saxon redirects here. For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex .Wessex , from the Old English Westseaxe , was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of the English state in the 9th century, under the Wessex dynasty....
, and 3 in Mercia
Mercia

Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands....
 (then under the domination of the West Saxon kings), built to defend the region against Viking
Viking

A Viking is one of the Norsemen explorers, warriors, merchants, and Piracy who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century....
 raids. Most of these were founded by Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great , also spelled ?lfred, was king of the southern Anglo-Saxons kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred is noted for his defence of the kingdom against the Danish people Vikings, becoming the only English people king to be awarded the epithet "the Great"....
, some based on pre-existing Roman
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
 structures, some newly built, though some may have been built later. Athelstan granted these burhs the right to mint coinage. The largest were at Winchester
Winchester

Winchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen, Hampshire....
, Wallingford
Wallingford

Wallingford is a small market town and civil parish in the upper Thames Valley in Oxfordshire, England....
 and Warwick
Warwick

Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, Warwickshire, 18 km south of Coventry and 4 km west of Leamington Spa , with a population of 25,434 .....
, and Wallingford
Wallingford

Wallingford is a small market town and civil parish in the upper Thames Valley in Oxfordshire, England....
 and Wareham
Wareham, Dorset

Wareham is a historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the England county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome, Dorset eight miles south west of Poole....
 are the best preserved examples, with substantial ditches and banks still visible. It has been estimated that construction of Wallingford's 9,000 feet of bank would have taken more than 120,000 man hours. Burh towns also usually had regular street layouts, some of which are also preserved.

See also

  • Burgh
    Burgh

    A Burgh is an Wiktionary:Autonomy corporate entity in Scotland, usually a town. This type of administrative division has existed since the 12th century, when David I of Scotland created the first Royal burghs....
  • Borough
    Borough

    A borough is an administrative division of various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
  • History of the English borough