Place record MDO45102 - Battle Of Aclea AD 851
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Summary
Alleged site of a battle recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Chronicle records a battle at "Aclea" in AD 851, in which the Danes, having crossed the Thames into Surrey, were defeated by Aethelwulf's West Saxons. Not surprisingly, the scene of the battle is usually identified with Ockley in Surrey rather than Oakley in Dorset (Oakley Down, in Sixpenny Handley and Wimborne St Giles parishes). The latter is referred to as "Aclee" in AD 956.
Map
Type and Period (1)
Full Description
Oakley (SU 0117) is referred to as "Aclee" in the Shaftesbury Cartulary of AD 956. <3>
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for AD 851 records a battle at "Aclea", in which the Danes who had crossed the Thames into Surrey, were defeated by an army of West Saxons led by Aethelwulf. The scene of the battle is usually identified with Ockley in Surrey, but W H Stevenson, followed by Crawford, believed that an entry "Be Sudan Wudigan Gaete aet Aclee on West saexum" in the Durham Ritual refers to Woodyates (SU 0219) and Oakley on the boundary of Handley and that it was here that the battle took place. <1-2, 4>
Sources/Archives (5)
- --- SDO19860 Monograph: Whitelock, Dorothy (Rev, Trans). 1961. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (revised translation). 42.
- <1> SDO12591 Monograph: Crawford, O G S and Keiller, A. 1928. Wessex from the Air. 175.
- <2> SDO17521 Monograph: Fagersten, A. 1933. Place-names of Dorset. 97-8.
- <3> SDO39 Serial: Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 1937. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1936. 58. 116, 118, (G B Grundy).
- <5>XY SDO14739 Digital archive: National Record of the Historic Environment. 213528. [Mapped feature: #634542 ]
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Location
| Grid reference | SU 0150 1750 (point) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | SU01NW |
| Civil Parish | Wimborne St Giles; Dorset |
| Unitary Authority | Dorset |
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Other Statuses/References
- Legacy UID: National Monuments Record: SU 01 NW 37
- Legacy UID: National Record of the Historic Environment: 213528
Record last edited
Jun 6 2023 2:36PM