Warriors of the Storm

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 Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names for the years nearest or contained within Alfred’s reign, AD 871–899, 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 Norðhymbralond 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 HillAshdown, Berkshire AlencestreAlcester, Warwickshire BeamfleotBenfleet, Essex BebbanburgBamburgh Castle, Northumberland BrunanburhBromborough, Cheshire Cair LigualidCarlisle, Cumbria CeasterChester, Cheshire CentKent ContwaraburgCanterbury, Kent CumbralandCumbria DunholmDurham, County Durham DyflinDublin, Eire Eads ByrigEddisbury Hill, Cheshire EoferwicYork, Yorkshire GleawecestreGloucester, Gloucestershire HedeneRiver Eden, Cumbria HornHofn, Iceland Hrothwulf’s farmRocester, Staffordshire JorvikYork, Yorkshire LedecestreLeicester, Leicestershire LiccelfeldLichfield, Staffordshire LindcolneLincoln, Lincolnshire Loch CuanStrangford Lough, Northern Ireland LundeneLondon MærseRiver Mersey MannIsle of Man SæfernRiver Severn Strath ClotaStrathclyde, Scotland UseRiver Ouse WiltunscirWiltshire WintanceasterWinchester, Hampshire WirhealumThe Wirral, Cheshire