Everything about Burh totally explained
A
Burh is an
Anglo-Saxon name for a fortified town or other defended site, such as a
hill fort. The boundaries of ancient burhs can often still be traced to modern urban borough limits. A 10th century document called the
Burghal Hidage cites 30 burhs in
Wessex, and 3 in Mercia (then under the domination of the West Saxon kings), built to defend the region against
Viking raids. Most of these were founded by
Alfred the Great, some based on pre-existing
Roman structures, some newly built, though some may have been built later.
Athelstan granted these burhs the right to mint coinage. The largest were at
Winchester,
Wallingford and
Warwick, and
Wallingford and
Wareham are the best preserved examples, with substantial ditches and banks still visible. It has been estimated that construction of Wallingford's 9,000 feet of bank would have taken more than 120,000 man hours, and have required 2,400 men to maintain. Burh towns also usually had regular street layouts, some of which are also preserved.
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