Escaping from Brunanburh and John of Worcester

• Published in: English studies 2022-08, Vol.103 (6), p.899-919
• Main Author: Cavill, Paul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: British history; Dingesmere; formulaic writing; John of Worcester; John, of Worcester (12th cent); Military engagements; The battle of Brunanburh 937; The Humber and other estuaries; The Wirral; Writers
• ISSN: 0013-838X; 1744-4217
• DOI: 10.1080/0013838X.2022.2067708

The battle around Brunanburh in 937 has aroused debate particularly about where it was fought. Many locations have been suggested and a serious contender, Bromborough on the Wirral, has often been too easily dismissed. The article examines some of the assumptions underlying current theories about where the battle took place and particularly how the defeated armies fled, with a view to assessing their accuracy in terms of the evidence available in the sources. It is demonstrated that some theories are based on mistaken assumptions about what the sources say and about the proposals advanced for the Wirral location. The paper then analyses the evidence from John of Worcester in some detail to show that the formulaic character of his writing casts doubt on the reliability of his Humber entry story and highlights the fact that he, and other writers, do not assert that the Humber was the site of the flight of the fugitives.