The Burning Land

PLACE-NAMES

The spelling of place names in Anglo Saxon England was an uncertain business, with no consistency and no agreement even about the name itself. Thus London was variously rendered as Lundonia, Lundenberg, Lundenne, Lundene, Lundenwic, Lundenceaster and Lundres. Doubtless some readers will prefer other versions of the names listed below, but I have usually employed whichever spelling is cited in either the Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names or the newer Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names for the years nearest or contained within Alfred’s reign, 871–899 AD, but even that solution is not foolproof. Hayling Island, in 956, was written as both Heilincigae and Hæglingaiggæ. Nor have I been consistent myself; I have preferred the modern form Northumbria to Nor hymbralond to avoid the suggestion that the boundaries of the ancient kingdom coincide with those of the modern county. So this list, like the spellings themselves, is capricious.

Æsc’s Hill: Ashdown, Berkshire

Æscengum: Eashing, Surrey

Æthelingæg: Athelney, Somerset

Beamfleot: Benfleet, Essex

Bebbanburg: Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland

Caninga: Canvey Island, Essex

Cent: Kent

Defnascir: Devonshire

Dumnoc: Dunwich, Suffolk (now mostly vanished beneath the sea)

Dunholm: Durham, County Durham

East Sexe: Essex

Eoferwic: York

Ethandun: Edington, Wiltshire

Exanceaster: Exeter, Devon

Farnea Islands: Farne Islands, Northumberland

Fearnhamme: Farnham, Surrey

Fughelness: Foulness Island, Essex

Grantaceaster: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Gleawecestre: Gloucester, Gloucestershire

Godelmingum: Godalming, Surrey

Hæthlegh: Hadleigh, Essex

Haithabu: Hedeby, southern Denmark

Hocheleia: Hockley, Essex

Hothlege: Hadleigh Ray, Essex

Humbre: River Humber

Hwealf: River Crouch, Essex

Lecelad: Lechlade, Gloucestershire

Liccelfeld: Lichfield, Staffordshire

Lindisfarena: Lindisfarne (Holy Island), Northumberland

Lundene: London

Sæfern: River Severn

Scaepege: Isle of Sheppey, Kent

Silcestre: Silchester, Hampshire

Sumorsæte: Somerset

Suthriganaweorc: Southwark, Greater London

Temes: River Thames

Thunresleam: Thundersley, Essex

Tinan: River Tyne

Torneie: Thorney Island, an island that has disappeared—it lay close to the West Drayton tube station near Heathrow Airport

Tuede: River Tweed

Uisc: River Exe, Devonshire

Wiltunscir: Wiltshire

Wintanceaster: Winchester, Hampshire

Yppe: Epping, Essex

Zegge: Fictional Frisian island