ll centred in London seems to have been mainly carried on in
Frisian bottoms; for the Low Dutch of the continent still retained the
seafaring habits which those of England had forgotten. But a new enemy
was now beginning to appear in northern Europe--the Scandinavians. The
history of the great wicking movement forms the subject of a separate
volume in this series: but the manner in which the English met it will
demand a brief treatment here. Some outline of the bare facts, however,
must first be premised.

As early as 789, during the reign of Offa in Mercia, "three ships of
Northmen from Haeretha land" came on shore in Wessex. "Then the reeve
rode against them, and would have driven them to the king's town, for he
wist not what they were: and there men slew him. Those were the first
ships of Danish men that ever sought English kin's land." In 795, "the
harrying of heathen men wretchedly destroyed God's church at Lindisfarne
isle, through rapine and manslaughter." In the succeeding year, "the
heathen harried among the Northumbrians, and plundered Ecgberht's
monastery at Wearmouth." In 832, "heathen men ravaged Sheppey"; and a
year later, "King Ecgberht fought against the crews of thirty-five ships
at Charmouth, and there was muckle slaughter made, and the Danes held
the battle-field."[1] In 835, another host came to the West Welsh (now
almost reduced to the peninsula of Cornwall): and the Welsh readily
joined them against their West Saxon over-lord. Ecgberht met the united
hosts at Hengestesdun and put them both to flight. It was his last
success. In the succeeding year he died, and the kingdom descended to
his weak son, AEthelwulf. His second son, AEthelstan, was placed over
Kent, Essex, Surrey, and Sussex, as under-king.

[1] This entry in the Chronicle, however, is probably
erroneous, as an exactly similar one occurs under AEthelwulf,
seven years later.

Next spring, the flood of wickings began to pour in earnest over
England. Thirty-three piratical ships sailed up Southampton Water to
pillage Southampton, perhaps with an ultimate eye to the treasures of
royal Winchester, the capital and minster-town of the West Saxon
over-lord himself. This was a bold attempt, but the West Saxons met it
in full force. The ealdorman Wulfheard gathered together the levy of
fighting men, attacked the host, and put it to flight with great
slaughter. Shortly after a second Danish host landed near Portland,
doubtless to plund