Viking Names
Osgathorpe
Osgathorpe, in the West Goscote Hundred of Leicestershire, comes from the Old Danish male personal name Asgot (Old Norse Ásgautr) and the Old Norse element þorp ‘outlying farm, settlement’. Some later forms of the name show replacement by the Norman male personal name Angod. In the neighbouring Thringstone in Coalville parish, the field-names Ossegodishaug and Hosgothawe (with Old English haga or Old Norse hagi ‘enclosure’) presumably record the same owner of land.
Read More
Viking Names
Snibston
Snibston, in the West Goscote Hundred of Leicestershire, is a hybrid place-name formed from the Old Norse male personal name Snípr, a byname related to Norwegian snipa ‘a miser, an unsociable person’ and Old English tun ‘farm, settlement’. Snibston became a joint parish with Ravenstone in 1884 when Ravenstone moved from Derbyshire to Leicestershire.
Read More
Viking Names
Frisby on the Wreake
Frisby on the Wreake, in the East Goscote Hundred of Leicestershire, takes its name from a Scandinavian form of an ethnonym Frisa (gen. pl.) ‘Frisians’ and the Old Norse element by ‘farmstead, village’. The affix ‘on the Wreake’ was added at a later date to distinguish this Frisby from another in the Gartree Hundred of Leicestershire and refers to the site’s location on the river, adjacent to Kirby Bellars. Traditionally, the place-name has been interpreted as referring to Frisians who took part in the Viking invasions. However, the exact implications of such a name are not yet fully understood and are the subject of ongoing work by Dr Jayne Carroll of the Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham.
Read More
Viking Objects
Danish Silver Sceat (LEIC-5608D1)
This silver sceat is classified as part of the Danish Series X Type 31. The obverse depicts the head of Woden with crosses to either side of a rounded beard and pellet above. The reverse depicts a monster facing left. These coins are considered to be associated with the early trading center at Ribe in Denmark. It is very likely that they made their way to England by means of Vikings.
Read More
Viking Objects
Frankish Zoomorphic Brooch (LEIC-06202B)
The design of this brooch suggests that it was of Frankish manufacture and dates to roughly 600-700 AD. It is possible that it made its way to England prior to Viking incursions but it is equally likely that the Vikings brought this brooch with them as plunder after raiding in Frankia. For more information on Scandinavian jewellery in England check out our blog: Brooches, Pendants and Pins: Scandinavian Dress Accessories in England.
Read More
Viking Names
Welby
Welby, in the Framland Hundred of Leicestershire, is a Scandinavian compound from the Old Norse male personal name Āli and the Old Norse element by ‘a farmstead, a village’.
Read More
Viking Objects
Sihtric Caoch Silver Penny (CM.863-2002)
A sword and cross type silver penny of Sihtric Caoch (Sihtric Cáech) minted for the Viking kingdom of Northumbria. Sihtric Caoch was the Scandinavian ruler of Dublin from 917-920 CE and subsequently the ruler of Northumbria from 921-927 CE. It is not certain why he left Ireland. The Irish annals state that it was ‘through the grace of God’ and do not elaborate on the politics behind his departure. After the establishment of the Danelaw, some Viking leaders decided to mint their own coins to solidify their legitimacy in the eyes of the local populace. This created a hybrid economy where some members of the Danelaw used bullion and others used coins. This coin was part of a hoard of twelve coins found at Thurcaston between 1992 and 2000. The coins are Anglo-Saxon, Arabic and Viking issues, and show the diverse and wide-ranging contacts between societies at this time. The hoard was probably deposited c.923-925 CE, approximately five years after Leicester had been retaken by Mercia (c.918 CE). They indicate that a bullion economy was still operating in the Danelaw as late as the 920s. This suggests that the reconquest did not manage to institute Anglo-Saxon practices such as a monetary economy immediately.
Read More
Viking Names
Ashby Folville
Ashby Folville, in the East Goscote Hundred of Leicestershire, is likely an Anglo-Scandinavian name coming from Old English æsc ‘ash-tree’ and Old Norse by ‘a farmstead, a village’. Some spellings may show influence of Old Norse eski ‘a place growing with ash-trees’ or even Old English esce ‘a stand of ash-trees’ on the first element. The suffix Folville comes from the de Folevill family who held the manor from the mid twelfth century until at least 1368.
Read More
Viking Names
Beeby
Beeby, in the East Goscote Hundred of Leicestershire, is an Anglo-Scandinavian hybrid from Old English beo ‘a bee’ and Old Norse by ‘a farmstead, a village’. The high valuation of Beeby in the Domesday Book has led scholars to believe that it was originally an Anglian settlement taken over and renamed by Scandinavians.
Read More
Viking Names
Oadby
Oadby, in the Guthlaxton Hundred of Leicestershire, likely comes from the Old Norse male personal name Auði (Old Danish Øthi) which appears as Owði in the Liber Vitate of Thorney Abbey. A potential alternative for the first element is Old Norse auðr ‘wealth, riches’, which might refer to the easily worked and fertile glacial sand and gravel on which Oadby lies. The second element of the place-name is Old Norse by ‘farm, settlement’. It is now a joint village with Wigston Magna.