BattlefieldsHarrying -- Yorkshire West Riding Burning 1069
Medieval

Harrying -- Yorkshire West Riding Burning 1069

1069
Yorkshire, West Riding, England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Yorkshire, West Riding, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Yorkshire West Riding communities
Forces
Yorkshire West Riding resistance
VS
Victor
William I (Normans)
Forces
William I with Norman army
Outcome
West Riding communities systematically burned; agricultural population dispersed or dead
The Battle

History & Significance

Norman forces systematically burned the West Riding of Yorkshire during the Harrying, destroying settlements from Leeds and Wakefield northward. Domesday Book entries for the West Riding record vast tracts of wasted land eighteen years later, with hundreds of manors listed as completely without value. The burning of the West Riding cut the main route between Yorkshire and Lancashire and eliminated the agricultural capacity of the most densely populated part of northern England.

Questions & Answers

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