{"id":850,"date":"2019-11-21T12:05:30","date_gmt":"2019-11-21T12:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/king-alfred.com\/wp\/?p=850"},"modified":"2022-02-06T18:09:32","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T18:09:32","slug":"hertford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/king-alfred.com\/wp\/2019\/11\/21\/hertford\/","title":{"rendered":"Saxon Hertford, Hertfordshire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post on King Alfred and Saxon Hertford is adapted and condensed from my book,\u00a0King Alfred: A Man on the Move, available through Amazon<\/a>\u00a0and bookshops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Those of you who have read the previous post <\/a>will know that in 895 the Vikings built a fortress on the River Lea<\/a> about 20 miles north of London and that King Alfred arrived and set up camp nearby. King Alfred then rode up the River Lea to see where the river could be obstructed in order to block the Viking ships in. The river was indeed obstructed and King Alfred started to build a fortification on either side of the river. The Vikings then fled. Hertford and Ware are possible locations for these events and here I shall look a little closer at Hertford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is worth pointing out at the start that there is a risk of confusion with the two fortifications that were built in Saxon Hertford in 912-913 by King Alfred’s son, King Edward the Elder.<\/a> These two fortifications were north and south of the River Lea. However, the first one to be built by Edward the Elder was the northern one and it strikes me as intriguing that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles<\/a> describe it as \u00fea nor\u00f0ran burg, <\/em>which seems to me to translate as the more northerly burg. This in turn suggests that there was already a burg to the south when King Edward the Elder built his first fortification. It is possible that this could have been one of the fortifications that Alfred had built. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As is also the case with Ware, it is uncertain why the Vikings would have gone to Hertford. However, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles tell us that in 673 a synod<\/a> took place at Hertford (Heorotford, <\/em>or Herutford <\/em>in Bede\u2019s Latin). Indeed, there is a memorial stone associated with this event in Hertford Castle<\/a> Gardens. There was also a royal mint here as early as the 920s. Although the mint dates to slightly after the time of Alfred, the record of both a synod and a mint suggests that Hertford was an important place in Anglo-Saxon times, perhaps more important than Ware, and it also indicates that Hertford might have been attractive to the Vikings because of its possessions. However, it is possible that the synod took place at the similarly named Hartford in Cambridgeshire<\/a> instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Stone
Stone in the grounds of Hertford Castle commemorating the synod that may have taken place there<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The River Lea divides just north-east of Mill Bridge to form Hertford\u2019s Folly Island. However, the route of the river through Hertford may not have been the same in 895 and this bifurcation may not have been (as has been suggested) where King Alfred divided the river in order to trap the Viking boats. Nonetheless, the bifurcation can be easily observed near the road called Bull Plain. I have seen reference to the course of the river in Roman times lying to the north -west of its current course, although it may have been in its approximate current location in Alfred\u2019s time because a Viking sword was found in modern times when the River Lea was dredged in the centre of Hertford. Although many Viking weapons are found submerged, it is also possible that the sword found its way into water as the river changed its course. I also saw a reference to remains of Viking ships being found near Hertford and Stanstead Abbots, although I have been unable to corroborate this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The River Lea dividing near Bull Plain, Hertford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was interesting to find on the 1881 Ordnance Survey map an area in Hertford called \u201cEnglefield\u201d lying to the east of Bengeo Street and to the north of Warren Park Road. Readers of my book may recall that there was a battle of Englefield near Reading<\/a> in Berkshire in 871, with the name Englefield probably meaning the land of the Angles. The same map also shows an area called \u201cDaneshill\u201d lying to the south of Warren Park Road, with some nearby land to the north-east being called \u201cDanesbury.\u201d There has also been speculation that the former location of the cricket ground, which used to lie to the east of the pronounced curve of Warren Park Road, could have been a Viking camp. Was there a Viking fortification in this area and did Alfred set up his camp at Englefield? Although we must be cautious of the possibility that antiquarian speculation influenced the place names on the 1881 map, I find the juxtaposition of names potentially referring to Vikings and Anglo-Saxons intriguing. In the absence of definitely-established locations for any Saxon or Viking camps I feel this area must be worth considering. Just a short distance east of these locations lies the 12th century St Leonard\u2019s church<\/a>. I was told that the current building may have been built on an even older structure that might relate in some way to the Vikings or King Alfred, although I was unable to find any supporting evidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"St
St Leonard’s church, Hertford<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles tell us that the northerly fortress built by King Edward the Elder in Saxon Hertford was on the other side of the River Beane to the aforementioned Hertford locations of Englefield, Daneshill and Danesbury. The fortress is described as being between the Mimram<\/a>, the Beane<\/a> and the Lea (which doesn’t entirely make sense based on current names and geography). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would like to extend my thanks to the Salisbury Arms<\/a> in Hertford for their hospitality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post on King Alfred and Saxon Hertford is adapted and condensed from my book,\u00a0King Alfred: A Man on the Move, available through Amazon\u00a0and bookshops. Those of you who have read the previous post will know that in 895 the Vikings built a fortress on the River Lea about 20 miles north of London and … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Saxon Hertford, Hertfordshire”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[409,1],"tags":[241,335,205,416,414,330,4,417,412,413,334,247],"class_list":["post-850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hertfordshire","category-uncategorized","tag-alfred-the-great","tag-anglo-saxons","tag-edward-the-elder","tag-hertford","tag-hertfordshire","tag-history","tag-king-alfred","tag-king-edward-the-elder","tag-river-lea","tag-river-lee","tag-saxons","tag-vikings"],"yoast_head":"\nSaxon Hertford, Hertfordshire - The King Alfred Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 895AD Vikings were at or near Saxon Hertford, followed by King Alfred. 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