BRUNANBURH 937AD

In AD 937, a legendary clash changed the course of British history. King Æthelstan’s army crushed a coalition of Vikings, Scots and Britons at the Battle of Brunanburh, a day of carnage so fierce that chroniclers wrote “never was there more slaughter in this island”. This hard-won victory cemented Æthelstan’s rule over a unified England, elevating Brunanburh into legend as the battle that forged a nation.

Yet even as this epic battle passed into legend, its true location was lost to time. Brunanburh 937 AD: A Burnley Battlefield boldly challenges conventional wisdom by arguing that the long-misplaced battlefield lies not on the Wirral but amid the quiet hills of Burnley in East Lancashire. Blending gripping narrative with meticulous analysis, the book recreates the drama of 937 (from shield-wall clashes to cunning royal stratagems) while unearthing fresh evidence for a Burnley site. 

Readers march alongside kings and warriors through vivid battle reconstructions and saga-inspired scenes, even as they examine a trove of historical clues: medieval chronicles, Viking sagas, archaeological finds, and local lore. Ancient place-names, medieval maps inscribed with “Brunburh,” and farmers’ tales of unearthed bones at Saxifield, all these tantalising clues weave a compelling case for Burnley as the true Brunanburh. 

Accessible yet authoritative, this richly researched history will captivate casual readers, history buffs, and scholars alike, delivering both high drama and ground breaking insight as it reimagines a legendary battle on Lancashire soil.