40 
the Brun has its rise, fed by numerous tributary springs or 
streams. If we tale the word as it is sometimes given, Brunan- 
dune, signifying the hill by the Brun, here we have the exact 
conditions, for the Brun washes the base of the hill where the 
‘«Battle Stone” is placed. Again, if we take the name as is given 
again, Brunford, here we have the ford over the Brun. ‘The old 
chronicler, Simeon of Durham, says the battle took place near 
Wendune. As is pretty well known, the ‘ Battle Stone”’ at Mere- 
clough is only a short distance from Swinden, which is almost 
identical with the name Wendune. He had referred before to 
the scant courtesy with which Mr. Hardwick, the Preston 
antiquary, dismisses the claims of Burnley to be considered the 
site of the battle. The only reason he gives for refusing to con- 
sider the claims of our neighbourhood is that *‘ the site is too far 
from the sea shore.”’ This is a very poor argument, for the Saxon 
Chronicles tell us that Anlaf’s forces landed in the Humber with 
a fleet of 615 ships, and if this be so Cuerdale would be still further 
from the naval base than would Burnley. Some writers have 
conjectured that this was a fleet of Danish allies from Norway and 
the Baltic. In that case another army would land on our western 
shores, as near as possible simultaneously with this one, and they 
would be far more likely to meet each other in our neighbourhood 
than at Cuerdale, below Preston. 
The Lecturer then made a little digression to make an extract 
from a paper by the late Mr. T. T. Wilkinson in reference to the 
chain of camps which stretched across these hills in our neigh- 
bourhood from the great earthwork at Broadclough to Castercliffe 
at Colne. A portion of the Long Causeway is called *‘ Kildanes,”’ 
and the Roman road across the Fylde is called the ‘‘ Danes’ Pad” 
to this day, and he asked, is it not within the bounds of fair con- 
jecture that the plain across which the Saxons pursued the 
loathed nations throughout the day was across the Fylde? It 
must be borne in mind that these old sea rovers, the Danes, 
made it a point to have ships upon the coast to which to flee in 
case of defeat. Hence the probabilities are strong, although no 
mention is made of, the fact in the Chronicles, that when Anlaf 
sailed round our coast, and landed in the Humber, he would leave 
a number of ships at the other extremity of his frontier—namely 
the estuary of the Ribble—which would form a base to which to 
retreat should the fortunes of battle go against him. And as 
evidence that the battle was not fought near the sea, we have 
William of Malmesbury’s statement that the battle was fought ‘‘far 
into England.” He agreed with Mr. Charles Hardwick that the 
Cuerdale hoard was probably buried near ‘ the pass of the Ribble”’ 
at Cuerdale opposite Preston, during this troubled period—and 
probably on the retreat. There is no evidence that this treasure, 
if buried by the Danes, was hidden on the site of the battle. It 
