29 



Brit- Welsh of Strathclyde, after such a defeat as that at 

 Chester, could have maintained any position in the plains 

 of Lancashire. The hilly districts, however, of the middle 

 and northern portions of the county, would offer positions 

 from which a defence might be successfully maintained. 

 We may therefore infer that the boundary of the English 

 dominion in Lancashire, after the fall of Chester, was marked 

 by the line of hills extending from Bury and sweeping- 

 round to join those in the neighbourhood of Oldham and the 

 axis of the Pennine chain. 



This western advance of the Northumbrians was com- 

 pleted by the conquest of Elmet in 616,* by Eg^dwine, the 

 successor of ^thelfrith, and in all probability then, or about 

 that time, not merely the valley of the Aire, but also Ribbles- 

 dale and the hills of Derbyshire and the district extending 

 between Elmet and Chester became subject to Northumbria. 



The remaining fragment of Strathclyde in the north 

 still unconquered, embracing Cumberland and Westmore- 

 land, was finally subdued by Ecfrith, about the years 

 670 — 685,-|- and with its fall the whole of this county 

 was absorbed into the Northumbrian kingdom. A passage 

 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle under the year 923 proves 

 that the south Lancashire was called Northumbria. "In 

 this year after harvest King Eadward went with his forces 

 to Thelwal and commanded the 'burh' to be built and 

 occupied and manned, and commanded another force also of 

 Mercians, the while he sate there to take possession of Man- 

 chester (Mameceaster) in North-Humbria, and repair and 

 man it." This passage is of particular interest, because it 

 presents us with the first notice of Manchester that is to be 

 found in any English record. At that time it was clearly 

 not so important as the town of Thelwal near Warrington. 



From these notices it may fairly be concluded that south 



* Nennius, c. 66, circa 616, 633 a.d. Annales CambrifB, a.d. 616. 

 t Bseda, Vita St. Cuthbert, c. 37. For this notice I have to thank the Key. 

 J. R, dreen. 



