While Haesten was away on a raid, his fortified camp at Benfleet on the Thames estuary was stormed by English forces. The camp was taken, the Danish ships were destroyed or brought to London, and Haesten's wife and two sons were captured. Alfred subsequently released them as an act of magnanimity — the sons had been baptised and Alfred and Aethelred were godfather and godmother. This chivalric episode is recorded with evident admiration by the Chronicle.
Many Danes killed; camp and fleet destroyed
English: c. 3,000–4,000. Benfleet garrison: c. 500–800.
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.
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