Battlefields›Edward Builds Wigingamere Burh and Repels Danish Siege, 917
Early Medieval

Edward Builds Wigingamere Burh and Repels Danish Siege, 917

917
Essex, England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Essex, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Danish besieging army (East Anglia and Mercia)
VS
Victor
Edward the Elder (English garrison)
Outcome
Burh built at Wigingamere in 917; a Danish army from East Anglia and Mercia besieged it, fought against it far into the day and took cattle from around it, but the garrison defended the burh and the Danes withdrew without taking it.
The Battle

History & Significance

Edward Builds Wigingamere Burh and Repels Danish Siege, 917 was an early medieval siege, the investment of a fortified position, fought in the area of Essex, England in 917. Edward the Elder (English garrison) prevailed over Danish besieging army (East Anglia and Mercia). Burh built at Wigingamere in 917; a Danish army from East Anglia and Mercia besieged it, fought against it far into the day and took cattle from around it, but the garrison defended the burh and the Danes withdrew without taking it.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Edward Builds Wigingamere Burh and Repels Danish Siege, 917 lies on Thames Group, bedrock that formed in the Eocene. The rock here is clay, silt, sand and gravel.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Edward Builds Wigingamere Burh and Repels Danish Siege, 917

This page covers Edward Builds Wigingamere Burh and Repels Danish Siege, 917. 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 Edward Builds Wigingamere Burh and Repels Danish Siege, 917

Pleshey Castle and town enclosure
Pleshey Castle and town enclosure
Scheduled monument · ~2.5 mi

Pleshey Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortification situated in Essex, England, which was established in the Norman period following the Conquest of 1066. The castle comprises a substantial earthen motte surrounded by a bailey, with evidence of timber and later stone construction typical of elite…

Richard Nevell from London, United Kingdom / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Canfield Castle and associated moated enclosure
Canfield Castle and associated moated enclosure
Scheduled monument · ~5.8 mi

Canfield Castle is a Norman motte and bailey castle situated in Essex, dating to the 11th or 12th century. The site comprises an earthwork mound with an associated moated enclosure that reflects the defensive strategy typical of early post-Conquest fortifications in the region. The castle represe…

Acabashi / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cressing Temple
Cressing Temple
Scheduled monument · ~6.8 mi

Cressing Temple is a medieval commandery of the Knights Templar located in Essex, established in the twelfth century and remaining a significant landholding throughout the medieval period. The site preserves two substantial timber-framed barns of exceptional architectural importance, notably the…

Moulsham Bridge
Moulsham Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~6.9 mi

Moulsham Bridge is a medieval bridge crossing the River Chelmer at Chelmsford in Essex. The structure dates from the 13th century and represents an important example of medieval bridge engineering in the region. The bridge features characteristic medieval stonework and has survived as a key cross…

Stephen Richards / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bocking windmill
Bocking windmill
Scheduled monument · ~7 mi

Bocking windmill is a post mill located in Bocking, Essex, which dates from the early eighteenth century. The structure represents a significant example of Essex's considerable milling heritage during the period when windmills served as essential processing facilities for the region's agricultura…

Brenda Howard / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Hatfield Priory
Hatfield Priory
Scheduled monument · ~7.8 mi

Hatfield Priory is a Benedictine priory founded in the twelfth century in Essex, England. The priory was established as a daughter house and served as a religious community throughout the medieval period until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century. Today, the site retains fr…

JohnArmagh / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Leez Augustinian Priory, fishponds and Tudor mansion, Leez
Scheduled monument · ~1 miles
Moated site immediately east of Absolpark
Scheduled monument · ~2 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Edward Builds Wigingamere Burh and Repels Danish Siege, 917

Battle of Maldon 991
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