This post is one of several providing information on places not necessarily covered in my book, King Alfred: A Man on the Move, available from Amazon and bookshops.
Langport is not far from Athelney, where King Alfred prepared for the reconquest of his kingdom in 878, and even closer to Aller, where King Alfred baptised the Viking Guthrum after he had been defeated at Ethandun later on in 878.
There is, however, no record of King Alfred having visited Langport, although it seems to me to be likely that he would have been there on occasions, particularly as it was also a burh listed in the Burghal Hidage, a list of fortified sites that in the version that has come down to us today seems to date to the reign of his son, King Edward the Elder, although many of these defended sites may date to King Alfred’s defended post-878 settlements programme. Other listed burhs in Somerset are Watchet, Axbridge and Lyng . Bath is also included, but this might not have been in Somerset in King Alfred’s time.
All Saints’ Church, Langport, Somerset. Was this the centre of the Saxon burh?
There is little to see in today’s Langport to remind us of its Saxon past, but we can look for clues in things like road layout, the river, the position of the church etc. Langport is not far from Somerton and one of its functions may have been to protect that place, with another function being to act as a port for Somerton, because it is on the Parrett (although note that “Port” can also mean trading place in addition to what we today think of as being a port). The River Yeo flows into the Parrett just south of Langport, which provided it with a connection to another important location – Ilchester. However, we must be careful in this area when describing water courses as the Somerset Levels would have not been drained at this time.
The Hanging Chapel, Langport, Somerset. As seen from the east
It is speculative, but it seems possible to infer a possible Saxon burh on the area around the hill on which All Saints’ Church is located, with the eastern boundary being in line with the Hanging Chapel, the western boundary being at the junction of The Hill and North Street, and perhaps the northern extent being at the end of the pedestrian route called Priest’s Lane.
Priest Lane (looking north), Langport, SomersetJunction of The Hill with North Street and Bow Street, Langport, Somerset. Taken from the south side of Bow Street. Is this the site of the West Gate of the former Saxon burh?
This area is, of course, well away from the river and it seems unlikely that there would not have been a settlement near the river as well (wherever that precisely was at that time). Indeed, it has been suggested that the name Langport literally means a long port (with port in this case meaning a trading place), and that this is because there could have been a long market along the long Bow Street. This seems plausible. I have also seen it suggested that the “lang” element is related to the Welsh word for boat (llong). This word may have been part of the Celtic vocabulary so cannot be ruled out, although it seems less likely to me than the perhaps more obvious “long port”.
King Alfred defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ethandun in 878. Alfred then oversaw the Viking leader Guthrum‘s baptism at Aller, on the Somerset Levels, and not far from Athelney, which had been the location of Alfred’s base after the Vikings appear to have taken control of Wessex after their raid on Chippenham in January 878.
We are told by both Asser and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles that after his baptism Guthrum spent twelve days with Alfred, and at least part of this time was spent at Wedmore, which Asser describes as a villa regia (royal estate). We are told that after this period the Vikings left Chippenham, where they had a base, and went to Cirencester and then re-located again to settle in East Anglia.
Before they left, we are told that they were honoured with a large amount of riches. It is impossible to know by how much, if at all, these were gifts voluntarily provided by Alfred or whether this was some sort of ransom demanded by the Vikings as part of a peace settlement.
A plaque inside St Mary’s church, Wedmore, Somerset Levels recognising Alfred’s making of peace with the Vikings. NB. The year of King Alfred’s death has been revised to 899
It has been suggested that the royal site at Wedmore was north-west of St Mary’s church at or near the location of a manor house and it seems to me that the wall visible from the churchyard could have been the perimeter of the manor’s grounds. It occurred to me that the location could have been elsewhere in or around Wedmore, so I decided to explore further. I had been intrigued by marks in the ground visible in an aerial photograph in a field north of Manor Lane, although I could see nothing relevant when I arrived there at ground level. I also explored the hill to the north-west by taking the footpath heading west off Lascot Hill. I eventually decided that I could not improve on the suggestion that the royal estate was at the location of the former manor house.
St Mary’s church, Wedmore, Somerset Levels
St Mary’s is a delightful place to visit (as is Wedmore itself).
Map of Wedmore, Somerset. Detail from map by Mudge 1817.
It was once thought that the Saxon royal residence was at Mudgley, just a short distance south of Wedmore. However, I could find no evidence that this was the case.
There is much more about the travels of King Alfred in my book, including maps and references. Tap or click the image of the front cover below.
This is a peaceful spot and I always like coming here. I never cease to be amazed at how this modest location that was so important in the history of England is so under-visited.
St Andrew’s church, Aller, Somerset Levels. Where King Alfred baptised Guthrum, the Viking leader, after he was defeated at the Battle of Ethandun
King Alfred defeated the Vikings at the crucial Battle of Ethandun (more likely in my opinion to have been at Edington in Wiltshire than any other single location) in 878. The Vikings fled to their fortress, which seems more likely to have been at Chippenham, where they then surrendered.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles tell us that three weeks after the Vikings surrendered, the Viking leader Guthrum came, accompanied by thirty of his men, to be baptised into Christianity at a place near Athelney called Aller. Asser tells us that Alfred himself raised Guthrum from the baptismal font and that Guthrum became Alfred’s adopted son.
The older of the two fonts at St Andrew’s church, Aller, Somerset Levels
St Andrew’s church at Aller, like Athelney, is on raised ground in the Somerset Levels, suggesting that the church probably would also have been on an island in Alfred’s time. The oldest parts of the current church are 12th century, so the events of 878 must have taken place at a preceding structure. It has been claimed that a font in the church (the more bowl-shaped of the two fonts), recovered from the rectory pond in the nineteenth century, was the one used to baptise Guthrum. The church can be tricky to find. Coming from Langport direction, it is necessary to take a left turn onto the road called Church Path and then turn left where there is a wooden sign for the church. The church also has a small but beautiful King Alfred Window, which is a memorial to the two reigns of King Alfred and Queen Victoria.
The King Alfred stained glass window at St Andrew’s church, Aller, Somerset Levels
It can be speculated as to why Aller, about fifty miles distant from Chippenham, was chosen as the location instead of somewhere closer to Chippenham. Perhaps Alfred did not trust Guthrum and this was deemed to be a safer location, or perhaps Aller was a more significant place then than it seems to us today. It might even be that Alfred knew Aller well if he came here to pray when he had his base at nearby Athelney. It seems likely to me that after obtaining the Viking surrender at (most likely) Chippenham, Alfred simply went back to the Somerset Levels where he may still have had a base, and Guthrum had to go there to “seal the deal”.
I think there is a major clue in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles where we are told that Guthrum came to Alfred at Aller after a period of three weeks. With this time-frame the distance between Chippenham and Aller becomes less of an issue – there was plenty of time to travel. It was a matter of Guthrum having to go to where Alfred was in order to take advantage of an amazingly beneficial deal on the table. In effect it was: “Confirm your permanent submission by becoming baptised and in return we won’t trouble you if you want to settle permanently in the east. Not only this, but you and your men will also receive large amounts of riches” (which were provided subsequently at Wedmore). There is a big difference between the first scenario of the Vikings having effectively seized East Anglia and the later post-878 scenario of the Vikings settling in East Anglia with the approval and blessing of the King of Wessex. In effect, the Viking presence in East Anglia had now become legitimate. East Anglia must have been unstable since 869 when its king (Edmund) had been murdered by the Vikings. Settling it with a converted Guthrum (now called Athelstan after his baptism) probably had benefits for Alfred.
Any hopes that Alfred might have had for peace in East Anglia do not seem to have been realised. In 896 Alfred sent ships to the mouth of the Stour in East Anglia (and therefore somewhere near Harwich) and there were two battles with Viking boats. Alfred’s forces won the first engagement, but the Vikings won the second engagement.
It is by no means certain in my mind that Guthrum was baptised in a church at Aller. In other words, he could have been baptised outside at Aller, because baptism outside in water may have still been taking place, especially for what was a hugely significant moment. If this was the case then there would have been water nearby (Aller is on the Levels). The font in the church that is claimed to be Saxon was re-discovered outside, although it is unknown whether this was used to baptise Guthrum, whether inside or outside of the church.
Aller is the location where Guthrum was baptised, but we must remind ourselves that in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles we are told that after the Vikings had attacked Chippenham in 878, King Alfred had retreated to morfæstenum, which is a plural. There was more than one stronghold in the marshes, and it is possible that Aller was one of them (and with possibly others on higher ground such as at Burrow Mump).
Aller is only a few miles north-west of Langport, which must have been a significant place in Alfred’s time as it is included in the Burghal Hidage (a list of defended locations), drawn up under his son, King Edward the Elder. Although there is nothing that I could find to specifically connect King Alfred with Langport, it seems likely that he would have been there at some point.
I made a short video at Aller:
There is much more about the travels of King Alfred in my book, including maps and references. To find out more about the book, click or tap the image below.
