BattlefieldsHarrying -- Teesdale Burning 1069
Medieval

Harrying -- Teesdale Burning 1069

1069
England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Teesdale communities
Forces
Teesdale communities
VS
Victor
Norman forces under William I
Forces
Norman columns under William I
Outcome
Teesdale communities burned; survivors fled to Scotland or starved; valley depopulated for years
The Battle

History & Significance

The Tees valley and its upland communities were burned during the Harrying as Norman columns swept north of the River Tees to secure the county boundary. Teesdale's settlements, including the communities around what would later become Barnard Castle, were destroyed and the valley's agricultural capacity eliminated. Orderic Vitalis records that in Teesdale survivors were reduced to eating horses, dogs and even the bodies of the dead in the famine that followed.

Questions & Answers

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