Battlefields›Battle of Farnham
Early Medieval

Battle of Farnham

892
England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Vikings
VS
Victor
Anglo-Saxons
Outcome
Anglo-Saxon victory.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Farnham was an armed conflict between the Anglo-Saxons, under the command of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder, and the Danish invaders. The raiding army had captured much loot from Hampshire and Berkshire before starting to return to Essex and their fleet. A Wessex army led by Edward, son of King Alfred, intercepted them at Farnham, defeated them and recaptured the plunder. The battle concluded with the Danes fleeing across the Thames towards Essex.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Farnham lies on Zechstein Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Permian. The rock here is dolomitised limestone and dolomite.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Farnham

This page covers Battle of Farnham. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Farnham

High Bridge
High Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~2.2 mi

High Bridge is a medieval bridge located in Yorkshire, England, which carries a roadway across a watercourse. The structure dates to the medieval period, likely constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries, though precise dating requires examination of its masonry and construction techniques.…

Simon Cobb / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons
Knaresborough Castle
Knaresborough Castle
Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Knaresborough Castle is a medieval fortress situated above the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England, with origins in the late 12th century. The castle was founded by Eustace de Vesci in the 1170s and developed as a significant stronghold during the medieval period, with its distinctive round ke…

Redvers / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
St Robert's Cave medieval hermitage, 90m north of Plumpton Mill Farm
St Robert's Cave medieval hermitage, 90m north of Plumpton Mill Farm
Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

St Robert's Cave is a medieval hermitage located near Plumpton Mill Farm in Yorkshire. The site comprises a natural cave that was modified and utilised during the medieval period as a dwelling for a hermit, reflecting the religious practices of withdrawal and solitary contemplation that were char…

Rosser1954 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Village cross with sundial and stocks
Village cross with sundial and stocks
Scheduled monument · ~4 mi

Village cross with sundial and stocks is a multi-functional community monument located in Yorkshire, England. The structure combines three distinct elements typical of English village centres: a market or parish cross, a sundial mounted upon it, and stocks for the punishment or restraint of offen…

SMJ / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cross base in All Saints' churchyard
Cross base in All Saints' churchyard
Scheduled monument · ~4.1 mi

Cross base in All Saints' churchyard is a medieval stone monument consisting of the base structure of a former cross, located in the churchyard of All Saints' Church in Yorkshire. The surviving base represents the lower portion of what was originally a complete churchyard cross, a common feature…

ronnie leask / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Stone alignment west of Boroughbridge known as the Devil's Arrows, including three standing stones and the setting for a fourth
Stone alignment west of Boroughbridge known as the Devil's Arrows, including three standing stones and the setting for a fourth
Scheduled monument · ~4.5 mi

The Devil's Arrows is a Neolithic stone alignment located west of Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, comprising three substantial standing stones with evidence of a fourth stone setting. The three extant stones are composed of millstone grit and stand approximately seven to eight metres in height,…

Helen Wilkinson / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Medieval cross base south west of St Mary the Virgin's Church
Scheduled monument · ~3.5 miles
Cistercian grange and medieval settlement at High Cayton
Scheduled monument · ~4.2 miles
More from this era

Other Early Medieval Battles

Battle of Wippedesfleot
466
England
Battle of Crayford (457)
457
Kent, England
Battle of Aylesford
455
England
Anglian Assault on Roman York (c.450-500 AD)
450
Yorkshire, England
In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Farnham

Reiver Raid on Knaresborough 1536
1536
~2.1 miles away
Siege of Knaresborough Castle 1644
1644
~2.2 miles away
Siege of Knaresborough 1644
1644
~2.8 miles away
Roman Rescue of Cartimandua (57 AD)
57
~4.1 miles away
Aubrey Research

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Sources
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