12 A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



Kinnerston (anciently Rodbaston), are inclosed with double 

 trenches. Indeed, the number of moated houses now remaining 1 

 (often five or six in one parish,) sufficiently prove the necessity that 

 existed, during- the Barons' Wars, and other troublesome times in 

 England, for country families residing in castellated mansions. 



Of Battles fought in ancient times in this county, the old writers 

 assert that the Danes were totally overthrown at Testenhall or 

 Th eaten hall, now Tettenhall, by the Mercians: the site of 'this 

 battle is unknown, but it is said to have been "so very terrible, 

 that it could not be fully described by the most exquisite pen." 



Another bloody battle was fought at Wednesh'eld, noticed in the 

 account of that place. 



A stone is set up on Blore-heaih, near Drayton, but in Stafford- 

 shire, in memory of a g'reat battle in 1549, when the Earl of Salis- 

 bury defeated the King's troops (Henry vi.) commanded by Lord 

 Audley, and killed 2400 men, together with their gallant leader, 

 and all his principal officers. Queen Margaret (as the tradition 

 goes) viewed the battle from the tower of Mucclestone Church; 

 whence she fled (says Leland) upon the defeat, by the advice 

 of John Hales, Bishop of Lichfield, to Eccleshall Church, and he 

 protected her there. The Earl of Salisbury enjoyed his victory 

 but a short time : he was taken prisoner by the Lancastrians at 

 Wakefield, in 1640, and beheaded there, after the battle. 



The inhabitants of Checkley have a tradition of a battle that 

 was fought a quarter of a mile east-north-east of their church, in a 

 place called Naked Fields, from the bodies of three bishops slain 

 in the battle lying there naked for some time after the fight .* 

 three tall pyramidal stones stand close together in the church- 

 yard, as a monument to these bishops. There are similar monu- 

 mental stones in the church-yards of Leek, Draycott, and Chebsey, 

 which are supposed to be of Danish origin. 



In the year 895 (says Dr. Wilkes) the Danes came up the 

 Severn as far as Bridgnorth, and committed great ravages. We 

 hear no more of them for thirteen years, when they raised a great 

 army, and fought two bloody battles with King Edward, who. 

 totally defeated them with the loss of many thousand men : these 

 were the battles of Tettenhall and Wednesfield.* 



* It was customary with the Danish kings to address their anriies from ele- 

 vated spots of ground, and it is \vry probable that the litlle hill called King's 

 Standing, upon Ikenild street, Button Coldfield, was thrown up about this 

 liuie: although upon a Roman load, it is evidently not Roman. 



