1000th Anniversary of the Battle of Ashingdon

How the Danes might have looked advancing on the morning.

This year on the 18th October, it happens to be the 1000th anniversary of a relatively obscure battle that occurred in Essex during the twilight years of the Anglo-Saxon period. Almost everybody has heard of the disastrous consequences the Norman invasion had in 1066 for the Anglo-Saxons, but it is probably safe to say that the implications or existence of the lesser known battles at both Maldon in 991 and Ashingdon are unheard of. The invasion of England by the Normans in 1066 was not some random event, it was the culmination of decades of political upheaval caused by the fact that nobody could quite agree on who was the rightful King of England. The main reason for this was the multiple political arrangements between the English on the one side and the Danes on the other.

Lead up to the Battle of Ashingdon 

In real terms it could be said that the lead up to the battle of Ashingdon really began with the strife that emerged from the original Danelaw. The first invasion in the mid ninth century established a huge territory of Danelaw in England until King Aethelstan successfully re-captured the territory from the years 924 to 939. Peace existed for a short while within the rule of English King Edgar from 959 to 978 before once again relations between the Saxons and the Northmen soured during a period of great Viking expansionism which saw colonies set up as far away as Iceland and Greenland.

From 978 to 1016, King Ethelred the 'Unready', left a lot to be desired in terms of leadership. Taking the throne aged ten, he never seemed to possess the qualities necessary to lead a country, especially during such a tumultuous time. There was no national army or contingency force in the event of Viking raids or invasions, and all defence measures were organised on a local basis being under control of the counties Alderman. Each Alderman had his own force of personal body guards, Thanes and local 'Fyrd' militias. Whilst these local groups might have proven adequate for defending against small raiding parties, it proved totally inadequate against huge fleets of up to ninety or so longboats, each carrying up to perhaps a hundred fighting men each. 

It was exactly this situation that occurred in the battle of Maldon, on the 10th of August 991. Forces led by the Alderman Britnoth arrived in Maldon, a coastal Essex area surrounded by tidal marshes to find that a Viking force of some forty longships had been repelled back to a island in the bay by the courageous actions of some townsmen in a local burgh. With the tide in and covering the only way on and off of the island onto the mainland, the two sides shouted demands at one another for hours whilst they awaiting the waters to finally subside. The invading party demanded a large tribute in order to have them leave, a demand that Britnoth reportedly refused by replying "the only tribute you will get will be of spears and arrows!"

When the tides did finally recede, the Viking forces led by Olaf Tryggvason began their advance across what would presumably be very difficult wet clay. Accounts tell of three Saxon heroes Wulfstan, Aldere and Caccus who held them back until the Vikings demanded that the Saxons withdraw and allow them to cross the treacherous mud unimpeded so that they could fight fairly on dry land. In that true self-destructive "fair play" nature that is in most Englishmen, the Saxons agreed at the detriment to their own tactical situation, to allow them safe passage so that the massacre would be on equal terms. After a few volleys of arrows, the two sides closed leading to what was effectively a stalemate. The Viking forces were too depleted and too worn out to continue fighting and sailed off, returning to a camp on the Isle of Sheppey, an area of marshland on the southern bank of the Thames estuary. Ironically, after the battle King Ethelred paid them off with a huge amount of silver and gold anyway meaning the men on both sides died for no real reason. 

With the English showing weakness and a willingness to pay the ransoms, Maldon marked the beginning of a twenty-five year period of successful Danish raids on the English that got so bad that the English populace were forced to endure a specific tax known at the Danegeld, which was to used to pay off the raiders. As the years went by, the raids penetrated England further inland with resistance floundering and totally weak. Presumably frustrated and desperate, the execution of peaceful Danes who were staying in London and Oxford by the Saxons led to the justification for a full scale invasion of England which culminated with Swegn Forkbeard being Crowned King of England by 1013. Ethelred and his family fled to Normandy with their lives. When Swegn died in 1014 however, his heir King Canute returned home to deal with the courts in Denmark, giving Ethelred the opportunity to return from Normandy to London where he was once again pronounced King of England.

Soon after retaking the throne, King Ethelred also died leaving his Son Edmund Ironside as heir. It's quite clear that Ironside learned a lot from his Father's shortcomings however. With just seven months on the throne his charismatic leadership had led to a well trained national army which, with perhaps more time or more support, could have eventually have led to a successful campaign. Unfortunately it was not to be as the events of the Battle of Ashingdon show.

The Battle Itself 

There is a dispute over the site of the battle which despite years of research and archaeological surveys has still not been brought to a close. The most likely candidate for the battle site is Ashingdon near Southend, however there is some evidence for the site being located in Ashdon, also in Essex but in the district of Uttlesford some 40 miles to the north west. Whilst some Roman and Saxon coins were found in Ashdon, it is most likely that Ashingdon was the location for a few reasons.

One of the reasons is the association with King Canute with the immediate area. It is somewhat of a local urban legend that the village of Canewdon, which lies two miles to the east of Ashingdon along the River Crouch, got it's name from King Canute who reportedly camped up on the hill on the evening before the battle of Ashingdon. Modern historians argue that the name came before the invasion, and that it means "hill of the Canas people". It would however seem rather coincidental, but there you go. Personally I'm of the opinion that these sorts of things in history are never really forgotten in an area, and that there are no such things as coincidences! 

Secondly, the site makes sense tactically. The numerous channels through the mudflats around the river Crouch, just like Maldon had, would most likely have been the perfect strategy for the Danes who were expert mariners. If they had to, they could jump back in their ships and (tides allowing) outflank the defending forces either by going north back up towards Maldon, or south round to the Thames estuary.

Upon arriving at Ashingdon on the 17th, Edmund Ironside must have been feeling pretty confident. Just two miles to the east, Canute's forces were pinned up on a hill, in a relatively narrow stretch of land which was caught between the river Crouch and the river Roach. The Danes also had a considerably smaller contingent. The Danes would either have to face a difficult battle or return home empty handed for once.
The events of the battle however seemed to play out more like an episode of the Vikings or Game of Thrones though. Those Danes were always known for being a tricky bunch.

Before dawn, Canute's forces formed up and began pushing forward out from a point where Ashingdon hill was visible from a small woodland. Or would have been had the weather not made for such low visibility. In the distance, the English forces were split into two groups. One led by Edmund Ironside, the other group led by a man named Eadric Stroena. As the Danes neared the bottom of the hill in what we might expect would have been a wedge formation, Ironside led a charge down a relatively small incline towards the advancing Danish shieldwall. In the foggy conditions, King Edmund and his men failed to realise that the other division led by Stroena hadn't moved. In fact, his forces were turning their backs. Stroena is mentioned in Saxon literature as being a traitor, and the sort of weasel character you wouldn't find out of place in literature or a TV programme. The sort of man who would deliberately give bad advice to a King because he were taking bribes from the other side perhaps?

With half the men Ironside thought he had, the Saxon forces were decimated by the Danes. A fighting rear-guard managed to get Edmund out of the fight, and were initially pursued down the road to a hamlet on a river crossing known as Battlesbridge (perhaps from where the name comes from) where some English warriors gave enough time to make good the King's escape. Edmund's goal no doubt was to at least attempt to return to Wessex to raise another army. Despite winning a clear victory, Canute was still wary of thinning his ranks further. The English who were once again feeling under immense pressure also sought to end hostilities as soon as possible and so with both sides favouring at least temporary peace, Ironside and Canute met on Olney Island in the river Severn, and came to terms which effectively split England in two between the Danish east and Saxon west. 

Unfortunately in what might have been either a case of poisoning or from understandable exhaustion, Ironside died only a few weeks later leaving Canute the sole leader of the English nation.

The Aftermath

The defeat of the Saxons at Ashingdon began decades of political instability which inevitably led to the invasion of England in 1066 by not only William the Conqueror in October but the Norwegian King Hardrada in Stamford a month earlier. The various treaties, marriages and agreements between the various houses of nobility had led to a situation where various factions felt they had a legitimate claim to the throne of England.

Whilst we will never know what might have happened in history had Ironside won at Ashingdon, there is a distinct possibility that the entire character of England would be totally different today. Had the Saxon's not endured decades of instability, the entire Norman/French influence on England (and the British Empire) might not have existed. Had England kept it's more Scandinavian/Germanic cultural attributes, perhaps the entire World would be a different place today.

Ashingdon Today

At the battle site today there stands no statue or monument, in fact not even local maps have the usual crossed swords symbol marking a battle site. It is a bit of a shame that so little attention is played to our countries history. I am hoping that this year, with it being the 1000th anniversary, the local council will do something to mark the event.

2014 I placed some AngloSaxon White Wyrm flags at the site and an information board.

Back in 2014 I began trying to mark the occasion. I wrote to and called the vicar of the church and got no reply. Equally I called the local paper who sent a photographer on the 998th anniversary, except the paper never bothered to publish it. I do feel like I'm losing a battle (pun not intended) here to actually try and get such a big historical event recognised.

The fact that there is a looming question of whether or not the battle really did take place at Ashingdon may be the reason as to why nobody has taken a stand at really getting it recognised, at least locally. Personally I don't think it matters. Yes of course it would be better if we knew categorically where the site was, but I think the prospect of marking the incorrect site is far less of a crime than simply not marking such a major historical event at all. In any case, I'll be trying to lobby the local council about this over the coming weeks and months, and hopefully an event will get a green light. Until then, any correspondence will no doubt be posted up here on this blog.