num_pages: 256
description: After defeating Guthrum's Vikings at Edington, King Alfred initiated a great programme of building to defend southern England against Viking attack. This book is a comprehensive analysis of the Burghal Hidage, the early 10th century vernacular document which gives details of this extraordinary web of fortifications, many of which developed into familiar English towns.
language: English
title: The Defence of Wessex: The Burghal Hidage and Anglo-Saxon Fortifications
publisher: Manchester Univ Pr