*

and routed them at Edindon in the West of Wiltshire, and pursued them usque ad firmitatem suam, (i. e.) some fortified place of theirs, where when he had besieged them 14 dayes, they were constrayned, throug hunger and cold, to yeild themselves up to his mercy, give pledges, sweare they would depart the Kingdome, and promised 'that" their chiefest King Gudn, aliàs Guthrum3, should be baptized a Christian, who shortly after, with 30 of his noble men, came to King Alfred, at ALere (i. e.) Allez, near Athelney, and were all baptized accordingly, King Alfred himself being 3 Gurmund's Godfather, and named him Æthelstane, (i. e.) Royal or precious Stone, and Alfred having feasted him there 12 dayes, dismissed him with many rich presents. King Alfred having thus, by his Wisdome,, Valour and Mercy, recovered the greater part of the Kingdome, yet some of the Deanes, which were still left in the Kingdome, conspiring, with others, which still swarmeing (as out of an hive) out of Denmarke, made Invasions upon Invasions, sometimes in one place, sometimes in another, and parti culerly in 8 places of the maritime Coasts aforesaid.

The first invasion of the Deanes in these Coasts was Buttendune, *now Bitham on Seaverne, a little Eastward of Brentknoll, of which King Alfred having speedy intelligence, drew thither a seeming invincible Army, and beseighed by land, and also by Sea with his fleet, so long, till the Deanes had eaten up all their provision, and after that their horses, and then they endeavoured to

2

* Sic. MS. pro through. Bis occurrit in MS. H. Quem nostri Gurmundum vocant, Guil. Malm. lib. 2. cap. 4. 3 Gurmund signi. All-mouth, (i.) a Catealian or Glutton, whence a Glutton is called a Gurmundizer, 4 Matt. Westmon. p. 179, H. Hun. lib. 59. Hist. 5F. besieged it by. H.

escape

1

I

escape away through that part of the King's Army, which
lay on the East part of the River, where, in the sharp
conflict, Ordemus and many others of the King's Army
were slaine at the first encouuter, but the Christians pre-
vailing at length put the Pagans to flight, a great num-
ber of them being drowned and slain with the sword, and
a great number of those which escaped fled to Legere:
fter, Anglo-Saxonice Wirhale, now Woorle, five miles
Northeast of Bittham, where they associated themselves
to a strong partie of theirs, which had fortified themselves
so impregnable, that the King finding it so, although
he did not besiedge it, yet burnt up all things round about,
that might yeild sustenance, whereby they were con-
strained to forsake the Countrie of their own accord.
A second Invasion of the Danes on these two maritime
parts, was at the mouth of the River Pedred, which
runs by, and gives name to, North and South Pedred-
ton, vulgò Petherton, Peyiton, &c. but now eupho-
nied into Pezret, whose muth, (now mouth,) then, it
seems, lying open, without any party of the Army of the
King to defend it, received a fleete of 35 of the Danes
largest Ships, man'd with a great number of Sea-men
and Souldiers, but venerable Alestane Bishop of Sher-
bourne, Duke Ernulph with the forces of Sommersett,
and Duke Osred with" his Dorsetanians, gave them
battle, and there slew very many of them, and obtained
a very glorious victorie apud Pedredlthe. Whereas this
Victorie was obtained at the mouth of the River Pers
rat, I suppose the particuler place was Brent-Knoll,

95. H. Sic, pro

4

'L. Legecetter. Vide Chron. Sax. p.
impregnably. H. 3 H. Hun. lib. 2. Histor. Aiàs Alestan and
Algstan. 5 Bis occurrit in MS.
Q 4

within

2.

Anno
Domini

988.

C

I

within a mile or two thereof. For the tradition of that Place is, that the Danes invaded and burnt the three Parrishes of South and East Brent and Burneham, which, I suppose, took their Names from their burning or Brenning, as Brentford, now Brainford, near London did upon that account. And this may be yet farther confirmed by Brent Knoll it self, which is a very high and steep Burrow or Mount, the topp whereof fortified with dyke and Rampire, in which the Danes, probably, seated themselves, and by a Ground almost plain on the Southside of the said hill, by estimation two Acres, callcd Battlebury, where the Battle might be fought, and the Victorie obtained. The third Invasion on these Parts was apud Portlocan 3 slatino, Britt. Shipport, alitèr Pordoean (from Britt. Porth, a port, and Græc. 4 doxtov, a dock or receptacle for Shipping) but now Porlocke, where the Danes in the night, leaving their Shipps on the shore, plundered and burnt the said Towne, and other Places adjoyning, but were all slain by a partie of the King's Armie, which was desighned for the defence of that Coast, and the present Inhabitants of that Towne speke traditionallie thereof to this day, and if they were silent, the burnt Foundation Stones of some of the ant4. cient Houses would proclaim the truth thereof.

3.

The

4th. Inyasion was apud Wecheport, aliàs Wechport, (i. e.) Watchett. Thus the heathonish Danes having left Brittaine, for the space of 19 years, at length return hither, under the commaund of Ohterus and Rhoaldus

'Benning MS. H. Flo. Wig. Chro. ex Chron. H. Hunt. lib. 5. Histo. Ro. Hov. paria Wigg. cxc 3F. Latine, vel sermone Latino, H. 4 Taxio MS. H. R. Ho. p. 1. Wig. ex Cro. Hun. Hist. lib. 5o.

1

2

their Generalls, and having sailed round Cornwall, came into Seaverne, plundered and burnt upon the Sea Coast wheresoever they had opportunity, but the King had disposed his Armie into convenient places of defence from the River Avon, which runs through Bristoll, along the Sea Coasts to Cornwall, notwithstanding the Danes brake into Watchett by stealth in the night, plundered and burnt the same, and then they marched toward the other part thereof, which must be Williton, where a part of the King's Armie using out of their fortifications, there met them, as they were coming encountered them, and slow a great number on the place, pursued the rest to Watchett, and slew as many as could not swime to their Shipps. But the Anglo-Saxons Duke, or Generall, Godman (sometimes abbreviated into Goda) and their valiant Champion Streame Guld, and divers other of the King's Armie were slain also. upon which Victorie the Anglo-Saxons made two solemn triumphs, the first in loco funeris, the second in loco fluminis, according to the words of my Authors. And now let us returne, and enquire after some Remaines and Monuments of this Victorie. The Field, in which this battle was fought, must be the rich plaine or vale (now divided into meadowes and pasture) betwixt Watchett and Williton, where the Danes were encountred, as they were coming to Williton as aforesaid.

The locus funeris, or buring place, of the slaine, I suppose, was Gabburro, alias Grabburzowes, where, it seems, the greatest furie of the battle and slaughter was, and where the remainder of three huge moles or bur

1,

2.

1

They burnt Sea port Townes, that they might land agaiu without resistance. F. rushing sive issuing. H.

2

rowes,

rowes, each 120 yeards round the Basis, and so of a proportionall pyramidall height and forme, as first ap peared to be the burialls, aliàs buziehills, of the dead. For by the often diging, and carrying away of much earth from them, to dress the ground adjoyning, some times in one, and some times in another, have been found fragments of mens bones, and sometimes sepulchres composed each of three broad stones, like Tombe stones, two of them lying along on their edges, about two foot distance, and a third lying flatt on the topp, the both ends walled up closely, and the concavity containing peices of mens bones, and these latter I take to be monuments of such Anglo-Saxons, as were slain and there buried, as the others, lying confusedly, were remaines of the Danes, for which there was no such care taken. And as res ipsa, so vox ipsa Ezabborrowes, spekes the same Grave Burrowes, Gravebuzzoe being a Teutonick', (viz.) an old Germanick, word, common both to the Danish and Saxons, signifying both a Saxonick Danish monument, being compoundded of Grab and buro, and either of them signifies a grace: but Grab (from the Teutonick Graben, to digge) signifies properly the pit which is digged, buro, and so buzie, signifies the heap raised upon the pitt, sometimes long and small, as our ordinarie Church yeard Graves, 2 some round and high, as these Gabbougoes; but here Grabb and buro joyned together, to make a compleate discri ption of this compleate sepulchre of the slain Saxons and Deanes. The most ancient grave3, that I read of,

'All Germany spake the Teutonicke language, and so the Sa xons, Deans, &c. differed in language but dialectically. Verst. An. p, 116 & 123, F. Sometimes. H. 3 Gen. 23.

was