Border Country

Milton Keynes is now a peaceable part of a United Kingdom. But it has not always been that way (in a future post I will look at the motte and bailey castles put up in Shenley, Bradwell and Wolverton at the time of "the anarchy" during King Stephen's reign)

At school, I was taught that the Anglo-Saxon kingdom was divided from a Viking kingdom (known as the 'Danelaw') by Watling Street.

In fact this border ran across the country using the old Roman road - until it came to the crossing of the Great Ouse - where Watling Street ran through Old Stratford into Stony Stratford. At that point the boundary follows the Great Ouse to Bedford. It then went directly south to the source of the River Lea and followed that to the Thames.

A Treaty between King Alfred of Wessex (see http://jdmhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/alfred-great.html) and Guthrum, the leader of a Viking force that had invaded in 874 and brought Wessex to the point of extinction in 878, and then became the ruler of East Anglia - was agreed at some point between 878 and 890.

Watling Street

Watling Street was perhaps the most most important Roman road in England. It ran from the ports in Kent to Londinium (London) to Wroxeter on the border with Wales. Late it became the main route to Ireland – ending at Holyhead. Most of the route is now the A5 (except in the MK area). The Romans did not call it 'Watling Street', that name came later.

In the Borough of Milton Keynes (where I live) the main Roman settlement on Watling Street was Magiovinium, just to the south of Fenny Stratford – where the River Ouzel crosses Watling Street. (the garden centre Dobbies is on part of the site). The route (which of course, being a Roman road, was straight) goes in a north westerly direction until the crossing of the Great Ouse at Stony Stratford. This was itself to become an important centre in English history (Richard III – when he was Duke of Gloucester – intercepted and took into “protective custody” his 12 year old nephew, Edward V – at a inn in the town – the Rosé and Crown). However, the town is of Saxon origin. Roman remains discovered north of the river suggest that “Old Stratford” (in Northamptonshire) was an administrative post on the ford across the Great Ouse.

When England was split between an English Kingdom and Danelaw (Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum c 878) – the border was the Great Ouse from Bedford until Stony Stratford, whereupon Watling Street became the border (going northwards).