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Fulford Battlefield Research Website
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Symeon of Durham
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Symeon of DurhamSymeon, writing at
the end of the 11th century, mentions the name Fulford. He is one of
only two among the ancient chroniclers to name the battlesite as Fulford. For
those unfamiliar with the geography of the region, Durham is the nearest
Episcopal See north of York. So Symeon could be said to be a ‘local boy’.
This could explain why he was able to add some details to the earlier accounts.
This also supports the earlier suggestion that the chroniclers, and the
subsequent historians of the 11th century events, have left us
accounts which have a parochial bias. There is nothing to link him with the work
in the southern monasteries. “Earl Tosti with
his fleet ….and with a quick voyage they entered the mouth of the river Humber
and so sailing up the Ouse they landed at a place called Richale, and took York
after a hard struggle. The Brother earls Edwin and Morkar with a large army,
joined battle with the Norwegians at Fulford, near York, on the northern bank of
the river Ouse and at the first onset of the fight they overthrew many; but
after a long continuance of the contest, the Angles, unable to resist the force
of the Norwegians, turned their backs not without some loss of their men and
many more of them were drowned in the river than fell in the field. The
Norwegians were masters of the field of slaughter…” [i]
[ii] The Latin the words
‘joined battle with the Norwegians at Fulford, near York, on the northern bank
of the river Ouse’ is expressed like this: ‘in boreali
ripa usae fluminis juxta Eboracum apud Fuleford cum Norreganis praelium…’ The word apud
is translated as meaning ‘with, at or near’. However, it might be safer to
say that apud expresses the idea of ‘nearness’ to Fulford. Juxta
translates easily as ‘close to’ so Symeon was relating that the battle with
the Norwegian took place close to York and near Fulford and on the north bank of
the river Ouse.[iii] |
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