110 The Battle of Ethandtme. 



his opinion chiefly on the circumstances that Edington, in Wilts 

 (generally accepted as the site of the battle), was much too near to 

 Brixton for Alfred to have stopped to pass the night at after a 

 march from early dawn,' and that -^glea or Inglea in all probability 

 gave its name to the hundred of Eglei, in Berkshire, which lies to 

 the north of Eddington, and is now united to the ancient hundred 

 of Cheneteberie, under the name of Kintbury-Eagle. The names, 

 too, of Baneford, (now Denford), and the hamlet of Englewood 

 (now Tnglewood), on the opposite side of the Keunet, he considers 

 to refer to some considerable engagement between the two forces. 



Local topography further bears out the theory advanced by Pro- 

 fessor Beke in the name of Dane's Field, in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of the supposed locality of this battle. 



The Berkshire Eddington has also another argument in its favour 

 as the site of the battle, on account of its proximity to so many 

 ancient camps, barrows, and other relics of the wars, which a 

 thousand years ago were waged with such persevering fury between 

 the Saxons and the Danes. On the plateau of the summit of the 

 Berkshire Downs above Kintbury, and about five miles from 

 Eddington, we have an extensive and strongly fortified encamp- 

 ment, known as Walbury Fort, forming a most formidable military 

 position, being about lUOO (eet above sea-level; and it might with 

 good reason be suggested that Walbury was " the fortification to 

 which the Danes fled, and held out a siege of fourteen days." Or, 

 again, Chisbury Camp, on the Wansdyke, a few miles from Hunger- 

 ford, enclosing within ramj)arts, 45 feet in height, partly double, 

 partly treble, an area of 15 acres; or Membury Fort, also a strongly 



' Upon the point as to the probable distance of Ethandune from Brixton- 

 Deverill, some light may be gathered from the Metrical Version of Geoffrey 

 Gaimar, who says that on quitting Brixton, the Saxon army " rode through the 

 whole night and the next day as far as they could, until they came to iEglea, 

 that they went on that night, and the next day at nine o'clock they had reached 

 Edensdone." Now in no way is it intelligible that a march (in the whole) of 

 twelve miles, from Brixton to Edington, in Wilts, should be thus described as 

 occupying two entire nights and one day. It is, moreover, doubtful whether the 

 battle did not take place on the third, instead of the second, day ; for this is 

 expressly stated by Simeon of Durham, and is not inconsistent with Asser's 

 narrative. 



