burhs

Burhs are a term from Old English used to describe fortified places in late Anglo-Saxon England. In response to Viking raids, a planned network of defended settlements was developed to deter attacks and provide bases for royal authority. The burh system formed a ring of fortified sites at strategic locations along rivers, roads, and crossing points, enabling rapid mobilization of forces across the realm.

Construction typically combined earthwork ramparts, timber palisades, and defensive ditches, sometimes later reinforced with stone walls. Gates and watchtowers controlled access. Burhs were not merely military camps; they also served as local administrative and economic centers, hosting markets, mints, and royal buildings, and acting as hubs for musters and the collection of taxes or supplies.

Administration varied but often included a burh-reeve, a royal official, and a local council to coordinate defense, road maintenance, and law enforcement. The network allowed Alfred’s realm to project power quickly and to deter raids by presenting a rapid, organized response.

Many burhs were later absorbed into the growth of English towns and cities. The term survives in modern place names and in the word borough. Notable examples cited as part of the network include London, Winchester, Dorchester, Wallingford, Bath, Stamford, and Warwick, among others.

Archaeological remains—ditches, ramparts, and earthworks—reveal the scale and design of these defenses. While some sites were rebuilt in stone in later centuries, others remain visible as earthworks or influence town layouts.