Old English Chronicles Part 14

[Footnote 89: Wembury.]

[Footnote 90: Minster.]

[Footnote 91: Canterbury.]

[Footnote 92: Ockley, in Surrey.]

[Footnote 93: This is one the few instances to be met with of the name Britannia applied to Wales.]

[Footnote 94: Thanet.]

[Footnote 95: Wilts.]

[Footnote 96: Offa's d.y.k.e, between Wales and England.]

[Footnote 97: Ingram supposes this to be Stonehenge. Staeningham, however, is the common reading, which Camden thinks is Steyning, in Suss.e.x. The Saxon Chronicle, A.D. 855, states, that Ethelwulf was buried at Winchester.]

[Footnote 98: We must understand this epithet as denoting his mother-in-law, Judith, rather than his own mother, who was dead in A.D.

856, when Alfred was not yet seven years old. When his father brought Judith from France Alfred was thirteen years old.]

[Footnote 99: This n.o.bleman occurs as a witness [Mucil, dux] to many Mercian charters, dated from A.D. 814 to 866.]

[Footnote 100: Inhabitants of Gainsborough.]

[Footnote 101: Englefield Green is about four miles from Windsor]

[Footnote 102: Aston, in Berks.h.i.+re.]

[Footnote 103: Stratclyde Britons.]

[Footnote 104: Cambridge.]

[Footnote 105: The Frome.]

[Footnote 106: They swore oaths to Alfred on the holy ring, says the Saxon Chronicle, p. 355. The most solemn manner of swearing among the Danes and other northern nations was by their arms. Olaus Magnus, lib.

viii. c. 2.]

[Footnote 107: Exeter.]

[Footnote 108: It is necessary to inform the reader that many pa.s.sages of this work are modern interpolations, made in the old MS. by a later hand. The "Annals" referred to in the text are supposed not to be a genuine work of a.s.ser.]

[Footnote 109: Swanwich, in Dorsets.h.i.+re.]

[Footnote 110: This clause is a mere repet.i.tion of the preceding. See a former note in this page.]

[Footnote 111: Athelney, a mora.s.s formed by the conflux of the Thone and the Parret. See Saxon Chron. p. 356, and Chronicle of Ethelwerd, p 31.]

[Footnote 112: The original here is in Latin verse, and may therefore be rendered into English verse, but such as every housewife in Somersets.h.i.+re would understand.]

[Footnote 113: Probably the sanguinary Hubba.]

[Footnote 114: Or South Wales.]

[Footnote 115: Kynwith castle stood on the river Taw. Camden, p. 35.]

[Footnote 116: Now called Brixton Deverill, in Wilts.]

[Footnote 117: Selwood Forest extended from Frome to Burham, and was probably much larger at one time.]

[Footnote 118: Or Iglea. Supposed to be Leigh, now Westbury, Wilts.]

[Footnote 119: Wedmore is four miles and three quarters from Axbridge, in Somersets.h.i.+re.]

[Footnote 120: In the Saxon Chronicle (A.D. 878) it is said, that Gothrun was baptized at Aller, and his _chrism-loosing_ was at Wedmore.

The _chrismal_ was a white linen cloth put on the head at the administration of baptism, which was taken off at the expiration of eight days.]

[Footnote 121: Inhabitants of Gloucester, Worcester, and part of Warwicks.h.i.+re.]

[Footnote 122: This expression paints in strong colours the unfortunate and divided state of England at this period, for it shows that the Danes had settled possession of parts of it. In fact, all traces of the heptarchy, or ancient division of the island into provinces, did not entirely disappear until some years after the Norman conquest.]

[Footnote 123: Not the river Stour, in Kent; but the Stour which divides Ess.e.x from Suffolk. Lambard fixes the battle at Harwich haven.]

[Footnote 124: Or, Old Saxons.]

[Footnote 125: St. Guerir's church was at Ham Stoke, in Cornwall.]

[Footnote 126: An interesting account of St. Neot will be found in Gorham's History And Antiquities of Eynesbury and St. Neot's.]

[Footnote 127: Grimbald was provost of St. Omer's.]

[Footnote 128: John had been connected with the monastery of Corbie.]

[Footnote 129: East Dene [or Dean] and West Dene are two villages near Chichester. There are also other villages of the same name near East Bourne.]

[Footnote 130: This expression alludes to the tonsure, which was undergone by those who became clerks. For a description of the ecclesiastical tonsure see Bede's Eccles. Hist. p. 160]

[Footnote 131: The original Latin continues, "Et illa adjuvaretur per rudimenta Sancti Degui in omni causa, tamen pro viribus," which I do not understand, and therefore cannot translate.]

[Footnote 132: A petty prince of South Wales.]

[Footnote 133: Or St. Dewi. Probably by the _parish_ of St. Deguus is meant the _diocese_ of St. David's. Hence it is said, that Alfred gave to a.s.ser the whole parish (omnis parochia) of Exeter.]

[Footnote 134: Archbishop of St. David's.]

[Footnote 135: Amesbury, in Wilts.]

[Footnote 136: In Somersets.h.i.+re.]