Place-Name and Archaeological Evidence for Anglo-Saxon and Viking Settlement in the East Midlands - page 1
Keywords: Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, East Midlands, Anglo-Saxon Settlement, History, Anglo-Saxons, Anglo Saxons, Vikings, Place-Names, Archaeology, Place Names, Nomenclature, Onomastics
By elliot5200 on 18/02/2007
Level: Bachelor Honours Degree (BA, BEng, BSc etc)
Page Number: 1 of 6 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
This essay will focus on place-name and archaeological evidence for Anglo-Saxon settlements in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. This covers the period from AD 410-1066, that is, from the end of Roman Britain, the establishment of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the later Scandinavian colonisation, up until Norman rule. Nottingham and Derby were particularly significant towns in the area of Danelaw as they were part of the Five Boroughs, which, in the tenth century, had their own local court, administration and legal identity, so there is likely to be much evidence of Anglo-Saxon settlement in these counties.
When the Domesday Book was published, Derby, which was originally named Northworthy by the Saxons, had six churches. The Domesday Book also records a rural population in Derbyshire of 2,836, however this is only representative of those responsible for the payment of royal dues, so the total population is more likely to be around 14,180. Meanwhile, in Nottinghamshire, the Domesday Book mentions a rural population of 5,608, which is more likely to be around 28,040.
Cox (1972) highlights the uncertainty about the connotations of the place-name suffix -ham meaning a village, as in the Middle English period, the spelling for this was fused together with the word hamm, meaning a land surrounded by water. For example, Dunham and Marnham in Nottinghamshire and Clunham (Clownholme) in Derbyshire are all near rivers, which indicates that they may in fact be derived from –hamm. This is supported by Unwin who found that, on average, the -ham place-names in both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire are no further than a mile from rivers.
Cox also believes that the place-names containing the Old English element -ham in the Midlands are linked to old Roman roads and settlements, which were established before the end of the pagan period. For example, Bingham, in Nottinghamshire, is only a mile from the Roman town, Margidunum. Excavations at Epperstone have also revealed a Roman villa and at Askham, a Roman burial and coins, demonstrating that this site was used before the Anglo-Saxons settled on it. Meanwhile, in Derbyshire, -ham names are far less common, although two examples which are close to Roman roads are Higham, which is situated beside Ryknild Street and also Needham, which lies near the Margary 71a and some late pagan burials.
However, Unwin calculated that whilst the mean distance between -ham place-names in Derbyshire and the nearest Roman settlements or roads was 0.72 miles, in Nottinghamshire, this
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