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Description: | Saxon burh situated on the site of the Iron Age hillfort at Old Sarum (SU 13 SW 30). Documentary sources refer to the burgh being refortified during the 9th century but this has not yet been established in an archaeological context. There has been also no archaeological evidence of a settlement within the defences except the finds of coins of Athelstan and Edgar. There is also documentary references to a church established within the burgh by the end of the Saxon period. The burh was also used as an `emergency burh' (Haslem 1984) during the early 11th century because of conflicts with the Danes. This may have resulted in the reconstruction of the defences. Archaeological excavations have identified several post-Roman defensive phases, but these could not be identified with this event due to the lack of dating evidence. Conflicts with the Danes may have been the reason for the move of moneyers from Wilton to Old Sarum in 1003. A mint was also in operation by 1004. The continued presence of the moneyers at Old Sarum during the 11th century suggests some of the royal administration functions centred at Wilton had been tranferred here. Haslem states that any supporting settlement would have been small, situated within the defences. No traces have yet been identified. By Domesday the area of the hillfort and burh were under royal and ecclesicastical ownership leading to the building of the cathedral (SU 13 SW 150) and castle (SU 13 SW 149). Settlement dating from the late 11th century has been identified from excavations outside the east gate of the defences. This settlement developed as a direct result of construction of the castle and cathedral and subsequently declined from the early 13th century due to the development of New Sarum (SU 12 NW 217). | Subjects: | Mint Defence Industrial Religious Ritual And Funerary Civil Domestic Settlement Church Burh | Source: | English Heritage - Viewfinder | Creator: | National Monuments Record | Identifier: | http://pastscape.english-heritage.org.uk... | Language: | en | Go to resource |
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