Tag Archives: Flaunden

DAS Chronicle

Oaths and Hostages, 876 A.D. (Flaunden, November 2016)

First, a quote from a surviving fragment of the Chronicle of St Albans (sadly lost at the dissolution of the monasteries…)

“AD 874. Here the Great Army came into Mercia and took winter quarters at Repton. And King Burhred lead his fyrd against them, and men from the Abbey lands with them. But Burhred thought himself accursed, and was driven from his kingdom to seek sanctuary in the bosom of our Lord in Rome. And the Danes gave the kingdom to Ceolwulf, who swore oaths to them and gave them hostages. Alas for the times that we live in!
AD 875. Here the Great Army left Repton. Some went with Healfdene to Northumbria and other with Guthrum, Oscytel and Anwend to Cambridge.
AD 876. Here after harvest Abbot Wulfnoth learned that King Ceolwulf sought to do harm to some of his sworn men, for they had been loyal to King Burhred, and so he thought them his enemies. But the Abbot sent word to them secretly, and they fled to seek safety among the West Saxons. And the Abbot sent with them a letter saying that he held their lands for them, for they held bookland from the Abbey, and so King Ceolwulf had no claim on it. Angry as he was, King Ceolwulf could not afford to make an enemy of Holy Mother Church, for fear that ot would make the folk rise against him. But Ceolwulf sent Danes to seek their death. Woe that Christian men should sink so low!”

Late in AD 876, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that “the army stole into Wareham, a fortress of the West Saxons. The king afterwards made peace with them; and they gave him as hostages those who were worthiest in the armt; and swore with oaths on the holy bracelet, which they would not before to any nation, that they would readily go out of his kingdom.”

Now, in most cases “made peace” seems to be an Anglo-Saxon euphemism for “paid them to go away”. But this seems to have been different.

My interpretation of events is that the Danes took control of the burh at Wareham before Alfred could bring up his fyrd, giving rise to a stand-off: the Anglo-Saxons could not get in without heavy losses, but the Danes could not get out- hence their offer to make peace. One of the things we wanted to explore was the giving of hostages and swearing of oaths.
To give us a reason to fight, I also assumed that some Viking stragglers would be harried by the locals before the main fyrd arrived.
The Sumorsaete wanted to drive out the Danes, and see how reliable their new neighbours, the Cilternsaete, would be: the Cilternsaete wanted to demonstrate their reliability to their hosts; the Westmen had been promised much silver by Ceolwulf to find and kill the Cilternsaete; the Holmbyggja envied those with Halfdan who were taking land to settle, and wanted to foil the Westmen to make them less trusted by the leaders of the Great Army: and the Oestvikingae wanted much the same, although their desire was to go on looting and raiding.

Despite the preceding fine autumn weather, the day when the Anglo-Saxons harried the Viking stragglers was miserably wet. Even so, there were many clashes between armed bands, and later in the day, when the confusion of battle had caused normal unit organisation to break down (or, the weedy did not go back out after lunch…) there was a series of ambushes by the Anglo-Saxon hunters and the Viking rearguard- including one spectacularly successful ambush when the Anglo-Saxons sprang from hiding, taking the Danes completely by surprise and slaughtering them all.

Eventually, the remaining Vikings gained the safety of the burh- not before time, for King Alfred shortly after arrived with his fyrd. The Anglo-Saxons did not wish to risk storming the fortress; the Vikings could not get out. So the leaders of the Great Army decided to seek peace, and offer hostages and oaths. They also decided that the Westmen, Holmbyggja, and Oestvikingae should offer hostages- one in three of their number- but could choose who they should be. They also advised them to look for cunning words so that they could swear an oath and keep to the letter of it, while breaking it in spirit.

The Holmbyggja nobly offered their kinfolk among the Oestvikimngae, Thorhelm and Fritha, as their hostages (which for some unfathomable reason they agreed to!). The Westmen offerd Hallgerd: Grimkell seemed very keen to marry her off (perhaps to save himself?) but none of the Cilternsaete were keen to marry a pagan. Wulfruna wisely suggested a marriage between hostages- Hallgerd and Thorkhelm- but neither Thorhelm nor his wife Fritha thought that a good idea! An alternative hostage was suggested, but eventually a copromise was reached- for Hallgerd to marry Wulfgar when he comes of age.
Dubious oaths were also sworn, giving the Danes enough wriggle-room to preserve some semblance of honour when they are broken (as the surely will be….). Of course, that will mean that the hostages will be hanged, so it looks as if Wulfgar is off the hook!
The astute will notice that 3 hostages from 18 Vikings is not one in three- clearly the Vikings are not very good at arithmetic….

So after glory in battle, glee in the hall. Food was eaten, mead drunk, songs sung, and riddles told. Men must revel when they may; for wyrd is wondrous fickle. Who can say what next year may bring?

– Herewulf Thegn

DAS Chronicle

Looting the Looters, 875 A.D. (Flaunden, November 2015)

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The Vikings, laden down by loot from Medhamstead Abbey and fleeing the forces of Wessex, pushed into East Anglia to meet up with King Guthrum’s forces who were busy putting down the uprisings there. However, they found themselves slowed by their riches, harried by Englisc and also by those Vikings without treasure. In the ensuing clashes much treasure changed hands, including the Oestvikingae loosing the holy sheep’s shoulder blade which they stole from Cadbury.

Confrontation

One particularly mighty piece of loot was the Chalice of St. Botolph (an East Anglian abbot and saint of great repute). This chalice was said to have worked many miracles in the hands of the Englisc, turning aside sword-blows to save its bearer. It changed hands many times this day. The Westmen lost it to the lone wandering scop Cynric of the Sumersaete. Shortly afterwards, the marauding Oestvikingae sprung upon him and wrestled it from his grasp, and they then took their axes to it and chopped it to a more manageable size. They then tried to hide the majority of it, but they kept being disturbed by the Cilternsaete and Holmbyggjar. The Holmbyggjar soon cut down Hauk, stole most of the Chalice, and fled far to the East pursued by Thorhelm, leaving everyone else looking for them in vain.

Grimkell

In the evening, the local Englisc hosted a feast for the Vikings, under the rules of King Ceolwulf of Mercia. Much eating and drinking followed, including toasts to numerous Gods and Saints. There was a lot of talk of current affairs: of King Ceolwulf’s rule, of King Harald Fairhair’s raids on the Islands, of how the gathered company would act if they were a King. There were also many songs, from rousing and bawdy sing-alongs to the scop Cynric performing hauntingly beautiful tunes.

There was also much talk of the Chalice of St. Botolph. There was speculation that it might be cursed, so many times had it changed hands that day: that any who held it would lose their fights, and not hold it for long. Thus the Holmbyggjar divided its pieces up, between the Oestvikingae and the Westmen. The Oestvikingae and the Westmen then challenged Cynric to an arm wrestle for control of it, and he confidently and consecutively defeated five men to gain control of the entire Chalice and restore it. However, then the curse of the Chalice struck, and he was defeated at the hands of Hallgerd, who in turn was rapidly defeated by Guthwald. After that demonstration and confirmation of the terrible curse, none challenged Guthwald, as none wished to bear such an unlucky relic…

Past Events

Events Diary 2013

The first event of 2013 will be a DAS weekend of fighting and feasting over the 5th – 7th April 2013, at Earleywood Scout Camp, near Sunningdale in Berkshire. We welcome all members old and new, who would like to fight in the woods, practice crafts, or just enjoy good fellowship, food and ale with the Dark Ages Society.

DAS members please email or phone the Deputy Secretary, Halla, with any updates or changes.
Any non-members interested in attending, please email the Deputy Secretary for further details, or Contact Us.

2013 Events

When What Contact Where
Sat 2nd February DAS Officers’ Meeting Guthwald, our Chair Ingibjorg’s
15th – 17th March The Original Re-enactors Market (TORM) www.reenactorsmarket.co.uk Ryton on Dunsmore, Nr. Coventry
5th – 7th April DAS fighting weekend Ingibjorg, Holmbyggja Earleywood Scout Camp, Berkshire
10th – 12th May DAS fighting weekend Wulf, Westmen Forest Green, Surrey
28th – 30th June DAS training and living history weekend Ingibjorg, Holmbyggja Chiltern Open Air Museum
23rd – 26th August (Bank Holiday) DAS living history weekend Ingibjorg, Holmbuggyja Murton Park, York
27th – 29th September DAS fighting weekend Hrolf & Morag, Holmbuggyja Cadbury, Somerset
Saturday, 19th October DAS Officers’ Meeting Guthwald, our Chair Guthwald’s, Godmanchester
25th -27th October DAS fighting weekend Herewulf, Cilternsaete Flaunden, Herts

 

Event Details for 2013

Earleywood Scout Camp: 5th – 7th April

A private society event with fighting and banquet. The event runs from Friday evening until Sunday lunchtime.
We’ll stay in a cozy scout camp. There aren’t any beds, but there are hot showers and several nice side rooms.
In the morning we’ll fight in local woodlands, then after lunch we’ll continue skirmishing in the scout camp, which is pleasantly wooded.
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Forest Green: 10th – 12th May

A classic DAS weekend of fighting and feasting, this will be a private society event at the village hall in Forest Green, Surrey. We’ll fight on historic Leith Hill, and later gather for a fine banquet.

Chiltern Open Air Museum: 28th – 30th June

A DAS training weekend, chillout at Chiltern. We’ll be using Arborfield Barn during the day and the roundhouse in the evenings. Anybody who wants to do iron age rather than dark age can use the roundhouse in the day. Cost to be confirmed.
Activities can include: living history and crafts all day, combat training and display practice, general chilling out and enjoying the site, fighting in the woods after hours, partying in the roundhouse. There will be camping space, or we can sleep in the buildings.
No vehicle movements are allowed on site from 9.45 to 5.30 (i.e. during opening hours) – if you want to leave early you need to have your car off site in advance.

Ingibjorg is the contact for now but will not be in charge of the event.

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Murton Park Museum of Farming: 23rd – 26th August

Join DAS for a three-day event at the Danelaw Viking village, set in the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, Murton Park, Murton, York. The site will be open to the public so we must maintain authenticity during the days but the weekend is for us to relax and enjoy ourselves.
Accomodation will be in wooden huts/halls. Bring crafts and games. Cost to be confirmed.

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Cadbury: 27th – 29th September

A private society weekend of fighting and feasting, at the village hall and hillfort in Cadbury, Somerset – possibly the site of Arthur’s Camelot.

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Flaunden: 25th – 27th October

A private society weekend of fighting and feasting, at the village hall of Flaunden in Hertfordshire. This is always a cracking event!

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DAS Chronicle

The Sack of London, Autumn 872 A.D. (Flaunden, October 2013)

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At which the Vikings harried refugees from the sack of London, as they fled up Watling Street towards the Abbey of St. Albans.

Autumn 872. The great Mercian town of London had been taken by the Great Army, causing many Christian folk to flee the city.

King Burhred of Mercia and King Alfred of Wessex each sent fyrdsmen to find and succour the fleeing Christians and escort them to safety. Besides that, each fyrd was tasked to try and find out what the Great army intended to do next – and, in the case of the West Saxons, also what the Mercians’ intentions were.

Having fought their way through bands of Viking plunderers, the Mercians and West Saxons found the fleeing Christians and escorted them north up Watling Street to seek sanctuary at the Abbey of St Albans. That was not without incident – the prospect of taking slaves and booty drew Viking raiders to the convoy, harrying it incessantly. The members of the refugee column were thus often scattered, but the Christians did eventually succeed in re-forming the convoy and continuing north. In a last attempt to stop them, the Vikings drew up across Watling Street to block the road.

The fyrdsmen charged them, and although there were many slain on both sides, the Christians fleeing London managed to reach the Abbey, and safety.

Some weeks later the Mercians made peace with the Great Army, and a banquet was held to celebrate that – and to try and find out what might happen next.

Because so many had fallen in battle, Abbot Wulfnoth of St Albans wished to make good his losses and bolster his local defences, and so Guthwald of the Cilternsaete was granted five hides of land at Sandridge and made a thegn, provided he fulfilled the three common dues of bridge work, fortress work, and fyrd service, and was presented on behalf of the Abbot with a mail byrnie. His wergeld was increased to 1200 shillings.

During the banquet, it emerged that the Vikings would next raid Northumbria – but what after that?

An excerpt from Hauk Ragnarsson’s Saga
The next year the Great Heathen Host descended upon London. As the Englisc fled their burning city, the Oestvikingae fell upon them, under the orders of the vǫlva Guðrún to gather living creatures for sacrifice at blót. The Englisc attempted to travel in a convoy, escorting refugees to St Albans, but the Oestvikingae harried them, chasing through the woodlands, howling like wolves and striking where they were weakest. The Englisc convoy collapsed, and Hauk unleashed Thorhelm the Cruel, who chased down the unarmed civilians and children like a fearsome beast. However, the Oestvikingae over-extended themselves, advancing ahead of the other Vikings, and were driven off by the re-grouped Englisc, who marched on to St. Albans. Guðrún was displeased not to have her offering, and the Oestvikingae swore to do better next time… Whilst the plunder from London was being divided, Fritha of the Oestvikingae, wife of Thorhelm, claimed for herself the Chalice of King Edwin of Northumbria, a precious vessel that once bore the sainted King’s head.

News

Flaunden event, 25-27 October 2013

The mighty Cilternsaete will be running an event in the village of Flaunden in Hertfordshire, over the weekend of 25th to 27th October. This will be a private society event with fighting and feasting. Any non-members who’d like to find out more and maybe give DAS a try, get in touch!

News

Winter event confirmed 23-25 November!

Our winter event has been confirmed for the 23rd – 25th November. It will be a full-on traditional DAS event in the village hall at Flaunden in the lovely county of Hertfordshire.

A day of fighting in the woods will be followed by a sumptuous banquet. We hope to see as many members as possible there to see the year out in style!

News

Cadbury over, Flaunden Approaches

The event at South Cadbury was made particularly glorious by the wonderful weather. Read all about it here: Cadbury 2011. Many thanks to the organisers Hrolf and Morag for all their work, both to plan the event and to make it such a success on the day.

The next DAS event is fast approaching, over the weekend of the 4th-6th November. This will be another traditional DAS fighting weekend at Flaunden in Hertfordshire, hosted by those mighty Saxons, the Cilternsaete.

At this event there will be a mini-officers meeting, so please get in touch with your unit officer or the Chair, Guthwald, if you want to raise any items. Note that anything requiring extensive discussion will have to be put off until the full meeting in February.