Hingston Down
Encyclopedia
Hingston Down is a hill not far from Gunnislake
in Cornwall
in the United Kingdom
.
which says that in 835 (corrected by scholars to 838) Egbert
king of the West Saxons defeated an army of Viking
s and Cornish
at Hengestdun = "Stallion
Hill
". A more likely site for this battle is now thought to be at Hingston Down
near Moretonhampstead
in Devon
as mentioned in Cornish World Magazine
in Oct 2007. This is thought to be the more probable location as it was nearly a full century later in 936 when King Athelstan fixed the east bank of the River Tamar
as the boundary between Anglo-Saxon Wessex and Celtic Cornwall
. Up until 927 the two peoples had lived together in Devon and Exeter "aequo jure" = "by equal law".
for the mineral Arthurite
, which was discovered here. The quarry forms the Hingston Down Quarry & Consols SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest
), noted for its mineralisation
.
Gunnislake
Gunnislake is a large village in east Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated in the Tamar Valley approximately ten miles north of Plymouth...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
History
This is possibly the Hingston Down mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon ChronicleAnglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
which says that in 835 (corrected by scholars to 838) Egbert
Egbert of Wessex
Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent...
king of the West Saxons defeated an army of Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s and Cornish
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
at Hengestdun = "Stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
Hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
". A more likely site for this battle is now thought to be at Hingston Down
Hingston Down, Devon
Hingston Down is a hill spur approximately one mile east of Moretonhampstead and 10 miles west of Exeter in Devon. Some historians now claim that this was the site of the 838 battle between a Cornish/Danish alliance against the West Saxons rather than at the site at Hingston Down near Callington,...
near Moretonhampstead
Moretonhampstead
Moretonhampstead lies on the edge of Dartmoor and is notable for having the longest one-word name of any place in England. The parish church is dedicated to St. Andrew. George Oliver and John Pike Jones , 1828, Exeter: E. Woolmer. Moretonhampstead is twinned with Betton in France.-History:The...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
as mentioned in Cornish World Magazine
Cornish World Magazine
Cornish World is an independent, glossy, bimonthly magazine published in Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom.The magazine was launched in 1994 to keep the Cornish diaspora around the globe in touch with Cornwall...
in Oct 2007. This is thought to be the more probable location as it was nearly a full century later in 936 when King Athelstan fixed the east bank of the River Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
as the boundary between Anglo-Saxon Wessex and Celtic Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. Up until 927 the two peoples had lived together in Devon and Exeter "aequo jure" = "by equal law".
Geology
There is a quarry there, and the Hingston Downs Consols mine is the type localityType locality (geology)
Type locality , also called type area or type locale, is the where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first identified....
for the mineral Arthurite
Arthurite
Arthurite is a mixture of divalent copper and iron ions in combination with trivalent arsenate, phosphate and sulfate ions with hydrogen and oxygen...
, which was discovered here. The quarry forms the Hingston Down Quarry & Consols SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
), noted for its mineralisation
Mineralization (geology)
In geology, mineralization is the hydrothermal deposition of economically important metals in the formation of ore bodies or "lodes".The first scientific studies of this process took place in Cornwall, United Kingdom by J.W.Henwood FRS and later by R.W...
.