Visiting Viking Sights In England
King Alfred’s ships fighting Vikings: Battle of Ashdown 8th January 8: Picture by Harry Payne
“The Vikings” is the generic term for invaders originating in the countries of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. “Viking” comes from the language Old Norse and means “a pirate raid.” The Viking influence in England was substantial and widespread, impacting language, culture, and even political structures. From the 8th to 11th centuries, Vikings engaged in raiding, settlement, and trade, leaving a lasting legacy. This influence is evident in place names, words, and even the development of some towns. [The Vikings in Britain: A Brief History] Let’s do some traveling to cities and towns in East England where we can visit sites related to the Vikings.
In the ninth century, Viking ship design and construction evolved significantly, leading to the creation of more efficient and adaptable vessels. Key improvements included the development of clinker construction, the use of sails alongside oars, and the creation of specialized ship types. This resulted in ships that were stronger, faster, more maneuverable, and able to navigate both shallow waters and open oceans.
As the their ships improved, the Vikings traveled further and further south and west along the coasts of England. Following raids on the Isle of Sheppey in 832, Thanet became a regular target for Viking attacks, particularly its coastal monasteries.
In the mid ninth century, some Vikings decided to stay in England for longer periods of time. They overwintered in Thanet in 851 and 854, using it as a base to launch raids in the surrounding area. In 865, a larger Viking force, referred to as ‘The Great Heathen Army,’ landed on Thanet with the aim of conquering England. Based in Thanet, they then marched through four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms: East Anglia, Mercia, Northumbria, and Wessex. In 871, they were driven from Wessex at the Battle of Ashdown but returned and were victorious. In 878, they were defeated by Alfred the Great once again at the Battle of Edington. The Vikings then made a deal with Alfred, establishing the Danelaw, a region in the north and east of England under Viking control.
Let’s travel to Thanet and visit Pegwell Bay where there is a replica of a Viking longship (The Hugin) on display.
Kent: Garden of England The Viking Longship named The Hugin On display in Pegwell Bay, Thanet.
A general map showing late Roman Kent including The Isle of Thanet
After the Vikings raided the Isle of Sheppey in 832, Thanet quickly became a frequent target. Its exposed coastal monasteries made easy pickings for the invaders. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records a major shift in Viking activity from sporadic plundering into more systematic and long-term activities starting in the 850s. This shift included establishing winter encampments, engaging in more organized military campaigns, and even beginning to establish settlements in raided territories. When the Vikings returned to the Isle of Thanet in 864, they struck a deal with the locals demanding tribute in exchange for peace, a tactic that would become all too common in the years to come.
Now let’s travel a bit west to another location in East England that came under Viking attack.
Using Thanet as their base, the Vikings traveled inland to attack cities such as Canterbury (851) and Sandwich (851) in Kent. Canterbury was a target for Vikings because of its wealth, particularly its monasteries, and its vulnerability due to being poorly defended. The Vikings were drawn to Canterbury by the promise of easily obtainable riches, including precious metals, jewels, and other valuable goods held within the city and its monasteries.
Source: Pinterest
Canterbury was an important town in pre-Roman times and became a local capital under Roman rule. It was the first city to pass to the Saxons by treaty rather than conquest. Its later importance was due to the fact that it was here that St Augustine established his mission to convert the pagan English in 598. Saint Augustine built Christ Church, predecessor of the present cathedral at Canterbury, and consecrated it on June 9, 603 (according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).
Source: Kent Online
The Vikings first attacked Canterbury in 851 and, in 1012, captured it after a long siege, taking Alphege, the Archbishop of Canterbury, hostage. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Vikings submitted the archbishop to a gruesome death after the hefty ransom they demanded never came. When the Vikings attacked, local men manned the city walls and sent hurried messages off to London to summon the royal army to their aid. The problem was that the Vikings used their ships to flee any unfavorable situation. For instance, if they found themselves facing a larger force, they would simply run off, get aboard their ships, and go search for easier victims.
Source: Canterbury Cathedral
Today, the medieval Canterbury Cathedral where the Archbishop Alphege was captured is well worth a visit. The beautiful building has magnificently stood the test of time–even at the hands of the violence inflicted by the Vikings.
Now let’s head about one hundred miles west to the city of Reading where the Viking army based in 870-71. Reading, situated on an island where the Thames and Kennet rivers meet, offered natural defenses (moats) and good communication routes to the sea.
“The Viking Age had begun in 793 with the sacking of the monastery at Lindisfarne, but by the second half of the ninth century, raiders were becoming conquerors. The Great Heathen Army landed in East Anglia in 865 and, led by the three sons of the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok, it set about its task. Northumbria fell in 866 and East Anglia in 869; Mercia had been neutered as a fighting force in 867. In less than five years, three of the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms had fallen–only Wessex remained.
The Vikings were masters of intelligence gathering. Their traders penetrated deep into Early Medieval societies, bringing back reports of the shifting political allegiances of the kingdoms of Europe. By 870, the leaders of the Great Army were well acquainted with the fact that Wessex was led by a young, untried king, Æthelred, who had only a younger and even less tried brother to succeed him.
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were held together by oaths and personal obligations–kill the king, and the Vikings could reset these obligations in their own favor, either by installing a puppet or taking direct rule. For the magnates of Wessex, having witnessed the fates of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, it must have seemed as if the Viking tide was inexorable. The more wily among them may have already been sending out feelers to the Great Army, inquiring as to the reward attendant upon a change of allegiance.
But first the leaders of the Great Army expedition, Halfdan and Bagsecg, had to show that they were serious–just how serious they were was demonstrated when they launched their attack in December 870. Winter was when men huddled by their fires; it was no time for war. But with the Wessex fyrd–the levy of free men and royal retainers that made up the kingdom’s army–having returned to their fields, winter allowed the Great Army complete freedom of action.
The Vikings made the most of it, sailing up the Thames to the royal estate at Reading. This estate held the food renders due to the king, thus providing ample stores for the Viking force. As was their normal practice, the Danes set about fortifying their base, constructing a rampart to defend the tongue of land they’d occupied at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, while having their boats dragged upon the strand ready to retreat, should that prove necessary.” [History Of War]
An Artist’s Impression of the Viking Camp at Reading in 870-871
The Life of King Alfred tells us that in autumn 870 AD, the Vikings left East Anglia and entered Wessex, where they came to the royal ‘vill’ called Reading on the south bank of the Thames in the district of Berkshire.
Throughout the eighth and ninth centuries the River Thames was the heart of a frontier zone between Mercia and Wessex. Controlling the Thames border zone gave control of the most important trade and communication artery in southeast England, a significant political and economic gateway to London, Kent, and the wider world.
Reading was the centre of a royal estate in Wessex, and the Thames formed the border between Wessex to the south and Mercia to the north. The Vikings set up a winter base at Reading, strategically located at the royal estate centre and exploiting the many winter supplies gathered by local people.
In 871 AD, an Anglo-Saxon army led by the future King Alfred the Great drove the Vikings from Wessex. Alfred successfully secured his kingdom and went on tointegrate Wessex and Mercia into what was later to become the kingdom of England [Source: Viking Reading]
Vikings landing in Britain: Battle of Ashdown 8th January 871 AD in the Danish Wars
Alfred at the Battle of Ashdown, from Thomas Hughes’ Alfred the Great (871)
Source: History of War
Source: Great Viking Army in England, 865-878
While in Reading, let’s visit the Viking-related exhibits and artifacts at the Reading Museum. We can explore the Viking connections to the Thames and Kennet rivers through their Story of Reading Gallery and Bayeux Tapestry Gallery, which also features Norman weapons. Then, we can head north to Repton, to visit St. Wystan’s church and its crypt.
In 873-874, the Great Heathen Army, a coalition of Viking forces, arrived at Repton in Mercia. Led by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, including Ivar the Boneless, Ubbe and Halfdan, this army had been campaigning in England since 865. Their arrival at Repton marked a significant moment in their strategy to conquer and control Mercia. After several years of conflict, they succeeded in subduing Mercia, further expanding their control over English territories.
The Vikings’ use of St. Wystan’s crypt in Repton represents a dramatic repurposing of sacred space. Archaeological evidence suggests that the crypt was used as a burial chamber for high-ranking members of the Great Heathen Army. This appropriation of a Christian holy site for pagan burials underscores the cultural and religious upheaval brought about by the Viking invasion.
The Viking presence at St. Wystan’s Church in Repton, particularly their use of the crypt, represents a pivotal moment in English history. It exemplifies the complex interplay between invaders and locals, paganism and Christianity, and military strategy and sacred spaces. The archaeological evidence from Repton has significantly enhanced our understanding of the Viking invasions and their impact on Anglo-Saxon England.
Source: Viking Warriors Repurpose Anglo-Saxon Holy Site at Repton
The jumbled remains of at least 264 people were found beneath a mound in Repton’s vicarage garden in the 1980s. This charnel deposit is thought to represent the 9th-century battle dead of the Viking Great Army.
[Image: © Martin Biddle] Source: Current Archeology
Above is a picture of a Viking Age sword (Scandinavian of origin) discovered in Repton, Mercia (Photo: Roger from Derby CC BY 3.0). Source: The Viking Age: A Saga of Raids, Exploration, and Cultural Impact
Extensive archaeological excavations conducted at Repton, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s by Martin Biddle and Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle, have provided substantial evidence of the Viking presence. These excavations uncovered a massive D-shaped earthwork enclosure, typical of Viking defensive structures, incorporating the church at its highest point. Heading further north, we come to Torksey on the Trent in Lincolnshire where archaeological evidence of Viking presence has been found. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Vikings chose Torksey’s location on the riverbank for its strategic and defensive advantages. Artefacts gathered over the last 20 years indicate that the location of their winter camp is now a group of six fields lying to the north of modern Torksey village. Source: Viking Torksey: Inside the Great Army’s Winter Camp
Evidence of tremendous wealth has been uncovered, including (clockwise from above right) pieces of hackgold, hacksilver, a gold Carolingian coin, and a silver Arabic dirham.
© The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Source: Archaeology Magazine: The Great Viking Army
Evidence of the camp at Torksey has been unearthed, for the most part, by avocational metal detectorists. Long active in the United Kingdom, they are strongly encouraged to notify scholars of their finds. When researchers Hadley and Richards learned that a group of detectorists in the Torksey area had discovered ingots, weights, and a concentration of ninth-century coins, including a number of Arabic silver dirhams, all of which appeared to be associated with the Viking Great Army camp, they set out to carefully document the evidence. “We got the detectorists to record their finds more systematically,” says Richards. “We gave them portable global positioning devices to log the coordinates of each discovery so we could plot maps of where everything was coming from.” Source: The Viking Great Army.
Thanet, Canterbury, Reading, Repton, and Torksey illustrate different aspects of the Viking presence in England, including winter camps, burial sites, and the establishment of settlements. These locations demonstrate the Vikings’ strategy of raiding and settling, their impact on pre-existing communities, and the development of new urban centers. Thanet is a key location as it was a major landing point for Viking raiders and a strategic base for their operations. Canterbury was a prominent Anglo-Saxon city that experienced Viking raids, particularly in the 9th century, though its history is not directly linked to the Viking wintering camps in the same way as other sites. Reading was also a location where Vikings wintered and planned raids. Repton is notable for a mass grave discovered in St. Wystan’s Church, believed to be associated with the Great Danish Army. This suggests that Repton was a site where Vikings not only wintered but also established a presence with long-term implications. Torksey is particularly significant as a site of a Viking winter camp, and the discovery of the camp’s extent in recent years provides valuable insights into the scale and organization of the Viking army. The site was strategically located on elevated land, providing natural defenses. In essence, these locations offer a glimpse into the diverse ways the Vikings interacted with and influenced the landscape and communities of England, from their raiding and settling strategies to their cultural practices and burial customs.
