Battlefields›Anglian-British Conflict in Elmet — Ceretic of Elmet Expelled c.616
Early Medieval

Anglian-British Conflict in Elmet — Ceretic of Elmet Expelled c.616

616
West Riding, England
Also known as: Expulsion of Ceretic from Elmet · Aethelfrith conquest of Elmet
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
West Riding, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
British kingdom of Elmet (Ceretic)
Forces
c. 400–800 Elmet British; conquest of small kingdom.
VS
Victor
Northumbrians (Edwin)
Forces
c. 800–1,500 Northumbrians
Outcome
Edwin of Northumbria expelled Ceretic, last king of Elmet; British enclave in West Yorkshire absorbed into Northumbria
The Battle

History & Significance

The kingdom of Elmet — the last surviving British kingdom in Yorkshire — occupied the territory around Leeds and the Wharfe valley. It had survived as a British enclave surrounded by Anglian settlement. Edwin of Northumbria expelled its king Ceretic around 616, completing the Anglian conquest of Yorkshire. Place names such as Sherburn-in-Elmet, Barwick-in-Elmet, and Scholes preserve the memory of this last British kingdom in the north. The expulsion ended organised British resistance in Yorkshire.

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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Anglian-British Conflict in Elmet — Ceretic of Elmet Expelled c.616

Castle Hills prehistoric settlement, field system and medieval wood banks
Scheduled monument · ~1.2 miles
Site of 'King Athelstan's Palace', immediately north of the church
Scheduled monument · ~1.7 miles
Medieval manorial complex, garden and water management features, St Mary's chapel, and a linear earthwork forming part of the Aberford Dyke system
Scheduled monument · ~1.8 miles
Saxton Castle: a motte and bailey castle with a later medieval manor house and field system including a trackway and fishpond
Scheduled monument · ~1.9 miles
Steeton Hall medieval magnate's residence and manorial centre
Scheduled monument · ~2 miles
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