Thynghowe The Friends of Thynghowe Thynghowe is a assembly site hidden in The Friends of Thynghowe was formed in 2005 the woodlands on the western edge of Sherwood with members from the villages of Edwinstowe, Forest. Recent research has revealed features Clipstone and Warsop. We are interested in associated with sites found across northern discovering more about the history and ecology of Europe. Few of these sites have survived but the part of the Forest of Birklands centred on Thynghowe has been protected by its location Hanger Hill, formerly known as Thynghowe. within a royal hunting Forest that was later So far we have identified over fifty historical managed as part of the estates of the Dukeries. features within the woodlands through the use of According to Viking customs, a Thing was a old maps, documents, aerial photographs, local meeting of the local freemen where important knowledge and by poking around in the matters would be discussed, laws debated and undergrowth! Heritage Lottery funding has disputes settled. There was a hierarchy of Things allowed us to commission a LiDAR survey of ranging from local meetings to major regional Birklands which has revealed many features assemblies. A Thing site would include a hill or a concealed by the vegetation. 'law rock', a court circle and a field for an Every winter we venture into the Forest to survey audience. Representations would be made to the and record these features. Research using archive Law Council which consisted of influential thegns documents continues throughout the year. drawn from the area. They would sit in the court circle to debate matters relating to their farms and We believe that it is important to share the stories villages or wider issues. Their decisions would be covering over a thousand years of the past of announced to the assembled crowd from a high Sherwood from the era of the kingdoms of point or from the law rock by the Law Speaker. On and up to World War II. Thynghowe the law circle would have been on the Want to join us? Visit our website for details. slope to the north-east of the summit and pronouncements would have made from the top of the hill. The acoustics of the area allow a loud clear voice to be heard distinctly up to a hundred metres away.

The Thynghowe Trail You can follow in the footsteps of the folk attending the Viking age assemblies on Thynghowe by walking the Thynghowe Trail. You Produced by will also discover stories from over a thousand The Friends of Thynghowe years of the past of . Revealing the impact of the

More information and a guide to the trail can be Nottinghamshire Vikings downloaded from www.thynghowe.org.uk www.thynghowe.org.uk

The Viking Age in The Vikings in Sherwood Evidence for Thynghowe and Danish Occupation of Sherwood The first contact with Scandinavians would have 868 The Danish Great Army set up winter quarters in Nottingham been with traders visiting settlements on the coast Thynghowe was recorded as a point on a and rivers but everything changed with the Viking 872-3 Viking winter camp at Torksey on the River perambulation of Sherwood Forest in 1251. raids which began with the plunder of Lindisfarne trent, 16 miles from Thynghowe in 793. However, it was not until 850 that the References to Thynghowe appear on maps of Viking raiders overwintered in England. 877 A group from the Great Army split off from 1609. the campaign against King Alfred of In 865 the Great Army of Danish Vikings invaded Forest maps of 1791 refer to 'Gates', the Norse Wessex to colonise Nottinghamshire, England lead by Halfdan Ragnarsson and Ivarr the term for a road. Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Boneless. They met serious resistance when they Topographical and LiDAR surveys of Thynghowe Danes settle in Nottingham reached Wessex. This campaign continued into reveal features typical of Thing sites across the the 870s when the Danes were bought off by 917 King Edward the Elder reclaims Viking world. Alfred the Great of Wessex. By this time they had Nottinghamshire from the Danes colonised the other English kingdoms of There are many settlements in and around Northumbria, Anglia and Mercia, creating the 1013 Sveyn Forkbeard gained the English Sherwood Forest have names of Scandinavian . throne and organised his kingdom from origin indicating Danish occupation during the time Gainsborough on the River Trent, 20 miles of the Danelaw. During the 900s the English kings of Wessex from Thynghowe expanded the area they controlled northwards. By Budby, Walesby, Linby and Kirkby are names 920 the boundary of the Danelaw was at the ending with 'by' which derives from farmsteads Humber and by 927 all of the northern rulers had Names ending in 'thorpe' indicate small secondary submitted to King Athelstan who could then claim Lawmaking and Assemblies settlements. Gleadthorpe, Perlethorpe and to be the first king of all England. His successors Bilsthorpe are local examples. generally retained the upper hand over the Vikings by either military force or payments of Danegeld. When the Danish warrior farmers settled in Other place names with Scandinavian origins are Sherwood they would have found the poor sandy Eakring, Clipstone, Welbeck, Holbeck and The reign of King Ethelred saw renewed Viking soils similar to the conditions found in much of Langwith. attacks. In 1002 Ethelred ordered a massacre of Denmark. They governed the area according to all Danes living in England which prompted attacks Viking traditions with 'Thing' assemblies where by Sveyn Forkbeard, the Danish king. In 1013 matters would be discussed and disputes resolved. Sveyn was accepted as king of England. He died shortly afterwards but his son Cnut became the These wapentakes would establish a system of English king in 1016. government distinct from the rule of a king or a lord. Some of these traditions survived the By this time the royal families of England, Norman invasion through the customs of Denmark and Normandy were becoming closely inheritance in local manors. They may even have connected. This lead to the Norman invasion of contributed to the legends of outlaws in Sherwood 1066 which brought the Viking age in England to Forest! an end although some of their customs would continue in parts of the country.