History enthusiast Damian Bullen believes Burnley was site of legendary Viking Battle of Brunanburh

Damian Bullen, who now lives on the Isle of Arran, has held a deep fascination in the Battle of Brunanburh for many years, but is now more convinced than ever that the 937 epic encounter was fought in Burnley.

Historians are still divided over the exact location for the battle which was between Æthelstan, King of England, and an alliance of Olaf Guthfrithson, King of Dublin, Constantine II, King of Scotland, and Owain, King of Strathclyde.

The battle resulted in an overwhelming victory for Æthelstan's army. Among the casualties were five kings and seven earls from Olaf's army.

Damian said: “There's a lot of theories out there, but none have seven burial mounds like Burnley's.

“An article entitled ‘Excavations in Everage Clough, Burnley’ in the Transactions of the Historical Societies of Lancashire and Cheshire, 1951, confirmed my belief that Burnley was the location.

“The article places seven burial mounds really close to where I think Brunanburh was (Castle Hill, next to Towneley).

Damian said he’s convinced that these mounds are the final resting places of the chief protagonists who fought in the battle and are mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:

“Who came with Anlaf over the sea-surge In the bosom of a ship, those who sought land, Fated to fight. Five lay dead On the battle-field, young kings, Put to sleep by swords, likewise also seven Of Anlaf’s earls, countless of the army, Sailors and Scots.”

Indeed, Damian has been inspired to write his own ‘epic poem’ about the battle.

He added: “Of all the candidates for the Battle of Brunanburh, only the possible Saxon burh at Towneley lies near a possible burial place for seven important Vikings, surely making the Burnley Brunanburh the leading, if not only, contender for the actual battlefield site.

“Yet again, another square peg fits another square hole, and it really is quite startling just how much of the Burnley landscape had been imprinted into the Brunanburh battle.

“While studying the case, I came across a very relevant passage in SW Partington’s ‘Danes in Lancashire,’ which shows how the smallest and most innocuous of place-names can become eternal storehouses of so much history.”