The Anglo-Saxon town
The Anglo-Saxon town
The whole range of the sites which form the Anglo-Saxon Town or its pre-cursor has been surveyed with a heavy reliance on the documentary evidence and-on the topography of the towns themselves. The plans, are, therefore, an integral part of the work and not merely illustra- ticns. The survey starts at the close of the Roman period and summarises the scanty evidence up to the time of Bede pointing out that there are a few central places of importance as administrative and trade centres and that the flow of merchandise in the seventh and eighth centuries was of a noticeable volume. It is-noted that the role of Mercia is probably under-estimated in the origin of burh foundation in this country. The beginnings of burps and central places of administration in pre-Alfredian Wessex is examined and the mainly documentary evidence for the great expansion of town and fort foundation, with the part that'it played in combating the Danish raids and settlement, is discussed. An extended discussion of the Burghal Hidage follows. These first five chapters are mainly based on the documents and-there follows a chapter on the siting of the burhs and a chapter on their typology, mainly with respect to the plan and area of the site, stressing the element of choice and planning in their placing. The internal layout of a group of ninth and tenth century planned towns Of the West Saxon kings follows, the first half of this chapter resting heavily on joint work with Idartin Biddle. The evidence for a major'ref orm in the early part of the tenth century is examined and the Burghai District is discussed. The economic motives of the large group of foundations in the. last century of the Anglo- Saxon state is stressed and it is demonstrated that the burhs of Ethelred, II are, in the main, large refuge forts irrelevant to the mainstream of town development. The physical aspects of the major towns, and their claim to be regarded 'as towns, are considered in the last chapter.
University of Southampton
Hill, David Henry
87434676-b1e4-4dfa-bfa2-af98ced7a1a9
1975
Hill, David Henry
87434676-b1e4-4dfa-bfa2-af98ced7a1a9
Hill, David Henry
(1975)
The Anglo-Saxon town.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
The whole range of the sites which form the Anglo-Saxon Town or its pre-cursor has been surveyed with a heavy reliance on the documentary evidence and-on the topography of the towns themselves. The plans, are, therefore, an integral part of the work and not merely illustra- ticns. The survey starts at the close of the Roman period and summarises the scanty evidence up to the time of Bede pointing out that there are a few central places of importance as administrative and trade centres and that the flow of merchandise in the seventh and eighth centuries was of a noticeable volume. It is-noted that the role of Mercia is probably under-estimated in the origin of burh foundation in this country. The beginnings of burps and central places of administration in pre-Alfredian Wessex is examined and the mainly documentary evidence for the great expansion of town and fort foundation, with the part that'it played in combating the Danish raids and settlement, is discussed. An extended discussion of the Burghal Hidage follows. These first five chapters are mainly based on the documents and-there follows a chapter on the siting of the burhs and a chapter on their typology, mainly with respect to the plan and area of the site, stressing the element of choice and planning in their placing. The internal layout of a group of ninth and tenth century planned towns Of the West Saxon kings follows, the first half of this chapter resting heavily on joint work with Idartin Biddle. The evidence for a major'ref orm in the early part of the tenth century is examined and the Burghai District is discussed. The economic motives of the large group of foundations in the. last century of the Anglo- Saxon state is stressed and it is demonstrated that the burhs of Ethelred, II are, in the main, large refuge forts irrelevant to the mainstream of town development. The physical aspects of the major towns, and their claim to be regarded 'as towns, are considered in the last chapter.
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Published date: 1975
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Local EPrints ID: 462288
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/462288
PURE UUID: 09d84820-b45f-4d27-a24c-1fd2c8709fc9
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 19:05
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 18:54
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Author:
David Henry Hill
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