Scandinavian-Britain

THE AGE OF ALFRED 93loss of one king and nine jarls. But at last Halfdanabandoned the struggle, and retired to London. Asthe Vikings in 879 had a camp at Fulham, perhapsthe earthworks which enclose the Bishop's palace andthe mound within the ramparts (described by Mr. G.M. Atkinson in a paper read to the Viking Club,1907) may have been Halfdan's camp. Alfred kepthis men in the field, but Burhred paid an enormousDanegeld and induced the Vikings to spare London.They marched to Torksey on the Trent, and thenwintered at Repton. Burhred left his kingdom indespair, and died at Rome. In his place the Danesset up Ceolwulf, an Englishman, another instance oftheir not unenlightened policy. One would expectthat there were many adventurers who would havebeen pleased to sit on the throne of Mercia, but inthat case an army of occupation would have beenneeded, and the forces at Halfdan's disposal wouldhave been weakened. As it was, the Danes hadnow to occupy East Anglia and Deira with numbersdiminished by a long and unsuccessful campaign.Early in 875 the army divided. One part underHalfdan took up winter quarters on the Tyne, andraided the shrines of Bernicia, marched throughCumberland, and attacked the Picts (of Galloway) ;under that date the Ulster Annals also mention " agreat slaughter of Picts by Dubhgalls." It is assumedby J. R. Green (Conquest of England, p. 107) thatHalfdan went further north, to attack King Constantine,who, according to a chronology which is hardlytenable (see pp. 225, 248), is represented as fighting