Tempsford
Encyclopedia
Tempsford is a village and civil parish in the English
county of Bedfordshire
.
The village is split by the A1 Great North Road and is located just before the junction with the A428
at the Black Cat Roundabout
. To the east of the village is the site of the former RAF Tempsford
airfield.
It was served by Tempsford railway station
.
Tempsford was a fortified Danish burh
where, following an unsuccessful attack on Bedford
, the Battle of Tempsford
took place. The Danes were defeated by an English army led by King Edward the Elder
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.
The village is split by the A1 Great North Road and is located just before the junction with the A428
A428 road
The A428 road is a major road in central and eastern England. It connects the cities of Coventry and Cambridge by way of the county towns of Northampton and Bedford.-Coventry - Northampton:...
at the Black Cat Roundabout
Black Cat Roundabout
Black Cat Roundabout is the name of the roundabout on the junction between the A1 and A421 Bedford road just south of St Neots...
. To the east of the village is the site of the former RAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford in Bedfordshire, England was perhaps the most secret Royal Air Force airfield in World War II. It was home to the Special Duties Squadrons, No. 138, which dropped Special Operations Executive agents and their supplies into occupied Europe, and No...
airfield.
It was served by Tempsford railway station
Tempsford railway station
Tempsford railway station was built by the Great Northern Railway to serve the village of Tempsford in Bedfordshire, England.-History:The Great Northern Railway main line from London to had opened in 1850 including stations at and . A station between these, named Tempsford, was opened on 1...
.
History
In 917917
Year 917 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* The Great Yue Kingdom, later renamed Southern Han, is founded by Liu Yan in Guangdong and Guangxi.- Europe :...
Tempsford was a fortified Danish burh
Burh
A Burh is an Old English name for a fortified town or other defended site, sometimes centred upon a hill fort though always intended as a place of permanent settlement, its origin was in military defence; "it represented only a stage, though a vitally important one, in the evolution of the...
where, following an unsuccessful attack on Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, the Battle of Tempsford
Battle of Tempsford
In 917, the group of Danes who had hitherto been based in Huntingdon relocated to Tempsford, together with other Danes from East Anglia. They built and fortified a new burh there, to serve as a forward base for attacks on English territory...
took place. The Danes were defeated by an English army led by King Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder was an English king. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great. His court was at Winchester, previously the capital of Wessex...
.