Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral History Battle of Brunanburh

I had never heard of this battle until Neil Oliver brought it up on the History of Scotland programme currently being shown on BBC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Brunanburh

Great reading the info on the link you provided Thank you.I'm sure there will be people on here who will have heard of this and maybe able to give more information, maybe Derek has heard of this.

Derek was in it.

https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/279893

Yes apparently it was the bloodiest battle ever took place and the site in which it took place is under the Brackenwood golf course . And the ones who survived the slaughter fled by small boats ...

MIGHT be: this is one of several suggested sites but the actual site has never been positively identified.

The programme was pretty sure about it as they had found some ancient writings in Paris. Some ancient cleric of yore had half-hinched it from somewhere in London. The French will not be giving it back.

Rip up the golf course that's what I say ha

you would have to get tiger woods to do that.

I may be slightly wrong but I have seen this place listed in other document as BRUNANBURGH and this was the ancient name
for the Village of Bromborough when entered in the Doomsday Book

It is also recognised in some quarters as the site of a major battle that sent the Viking hoards back to Ireland

All the tales originate from this poem, it's thought to be true but will we ever know?

The Battle of Brunanburh

Sorry, missed this genlock. Fascinating read but as you say, we'll never know.

The following extract from the poem gives a really authentic, if not sinister, picture. Thanks for posting it.
........

They left behind them, to enjoy the corpses,
the dark coated one, the dark horny-beaked raven
and the dusky-coated one,
the eagle white from behind, to partake of carrion,
greedy war-hawk, and that gray animal
the wolf in the forest