Battlefields›Battle of Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle)
Early Medieval

Battle of Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle)

516
Wiltshire, England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Wiltshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Anglo-Saxons
VS
Victor
Britons
Outcome
A decisive Brittonic victory (Battle of Badon) is recorded by Gildas and later sources as halting Anglo-Saxon westward expansion for a generation, though the exact site of the battle is unresolved; Liddington Castle is one of several proposed but unconfirmed candidate locations.
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle) was an early medieval pitched battle between opposing field armies, fought in the area of Wiltshire, England in 516. Britons prevailed over Anglo-Saxons. A decisive Brittonic victory (Battle of Badon) is recorded by Gildas and later sources as halting Anglo-Saxon westward expansion for a generation, though the exact site of the battle is unresolved; Liddington Castle is one of several proposed but unconfirmed candidate locations.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle) lies on Grey Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Cenomanian. The rock here is chalk.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle)

This page covers Battle of Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle). 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 Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle)

Liddington Castle
Liddington Castle
Scheduled monument · ~1.9 mi

Liddington Castle is a univallate hillfort situated on the Wiltshire Downs near the village of Liddington. The site dates to the Iron Age, likely from the middle to late Iron Age period, and comprises a roughly circular enclosure defined by a single substantial bank and ditch. The fort commands v…

Philipjelley / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bourton village cross
Bourton village cross
Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

Bourton village cross is a medieval monument located in Berkshire, England. The structure dates to the medieval period and serves as a focal point within the village settlement, reflecting the typical arrangement of market and administrative centres common to English villages of this era. Village…

Motacilla / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Alfred's Castle univallate hillfort
Alfred's Castle univallate hillfort
Scheduled monument · ~3.4 mi

Alfred's Castle is a univallate Iron Age hillfort situated near Ashbury in Berkshire, England. The monument comprises a single defensive bank and ditch enclosing an approximately circular area, typical of univallate hillfort design from the Iron Age period. The site has traditionally been associa…

Garyrobertlock / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Medieval settlement and prehistoric field system 520m north east and 760m east of Snap Farm
Medieval settlement and prehistoric field system 520m north east and 760m east of Snap Farm
Scheduled monument · ~3.8 mi

Medieval settlement and prehistoric field system 520m north east and 760m east of Snap Farm is a complex archaeological site in Wiltshire comprising evidence of human activity spanning multiple periods. The prehistoric component consists of field systems whose earthworks and cropmark evidence tes…

Vieve Forward / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Remains of Holy Rood Church, The Lawn, Old Town
Remains of Holy Rood Church, The Lawn, Old Town
Scheduled monument · ~3.9 mi

Remains of Holy Rood Church, The Lawn, Old Town is a ruined medieval parish church situated in Wiltshire. The structure dates primarily from the medieval period, though the exact chronology of its construction and phases of development remain incompletely documented in the available scholarly rec…

Chris Randall / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Wayland's Smithy chambered long barrow, including an earlier barrow and Iron Age and Roman boundary ditches
Wayland's Smithy chambered long barrow, including an earlier barrow and Iron Age and Roman boundary ditches
Scheduled monument · ~4 mi

Wayland's Smithy is a chambered long barrow located on the Berkshire Downs near the Uffington White Horse, dating to the Neolithic period, approximately 3500 BCE. The monument comprises two distinct phases of construction: an earlier barrow of Neolithic date lies beneath a later, more substantial…

Msemmett / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Hall Place
Scheduled monument · ~0.8 miles
Lynchets 850m west of Ridgeway Farm
Scheduled monument · ~1.3 miles
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Other Early Medieval Battles

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Battle of Crayford (457)
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Battle of Aylesford
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Anglian Assault on Roman York (c.450-500 AD)
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Badon (possible site: Liddington Castle)

Battle of Aldbourne Chase
1643
~4.4 miles away
Battle of Ellandun
825
~4.9 miles away
Battle of Beran Byrig
556
~5.9 miles away
Battle of Beranburh 556
556
~5.9 miles away
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