Battle of Ethandun

Battle of Ethandun History

The Battle of Ethandun, possibly one of the most important battles fought on English soil, took place in May 878 when King Alfred the Great’s West Saxon army defeated the Viking Army, led by Guthrum. It was a pivotal victory which preserved Wessex as an independent kingdom and marked a turning point in the Viking wars, laying the foundations for the eventual unification of England.

The location of the Battle of Ethandun is generally accepted by most present-day historians as being in the area of the village of Edington, near Westbury in Wiltshire. However, the location has been much debated over the centuries.

The reasoning to support Edington being the location of the battle derives largely from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles telling us that the battle took place at Eþandun (þ is pronounced “th”), hence Ethandun, and the Ethandun of Asser’s Life of King Alfred. Geographical descriptions of the battle, and Alfred’s route to the battle, also point to Edington being the general location.

Although the identification of Ethandun as Edington is helpful, it still does not allow us to determine the precise location of the battle in that area.

According to local folklore and legend, after Guthrum’s defeat, Alfred took Danish prisoners to the ’Blood Stone’ near Luccombe Bottom and beheaded them. Whether this is true is open to debate, but the Blood Stone itself is a reddish-brown stone (stained by iron oxide) that is located at w3w ///refills.shuttered.packages.

Battle of Ethandun Commemoration

In May 2026, Edington village formed a committee to plan a celebration of the 1150^th anniversary of the Battle of Ethandun in 2028. We hope to commemorate the battle in style with a programme of events perhaps including a re-enactment, talks, music, performances, craft displays and more. But these things don’t organise themselves, and so we are seeking volunteers to help.

Areas that will need volunteers to provide their help will include: Publicity & Social Media; Finance & Grants; Infrastructure & Facilities (loos, car parking, stalls etc), Event Programme; and Participant Liaison (re-enactment groups, blue-light services etc).

Two years to go might seem a long time but we need to start making firm plans in order to establish the event. Please contact us at parishcouncil.edington@outlook.com ~~contact@edingtonwiltsparishcouncil.gov.uk~~ if you would be willing to spare some time to help.