During his punitive expedition of 948, Eadred burned the ancient minster at Ripon — founded by Wilfrid in the 7th century. The destruction of such a venerable religious site was a deliberate act of punitive devastation designed to terrify the Northumbrians into submission. The Chronicle records the burning alongside the general ravaging. The act achieved its political purpose: the Northumbrians expelled Eirik Bloodaxe, though they readmitted him in 952.
West Saxon army under Eadred
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near North Yorkshire