Calls to celebrate the battle of Wodensfield
Former Mayor of Wolverhampton Phil Bateman is leading calls for Wolverhampton City Council to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Wodensfield (Wednesfield) which took place between the Anglo Saxons and the Danes on the 4th & 5th of August 1100 years ago.
Phil said: “There is a strong local opinion that the City Council should be celebrating this most important of battles. This battle which was reported to have taken place in Wednesfield (or Wodensfield as it was called then) in the year 910 was crucial in helping to forge the unification of England as one kingdom. Indeed if the Danes had won, we all would have been likely to have been speaking Danish now!”
“Since the finding of the Staffordshire Hoard there has been huge interest in the local history of the area. The City are missing a trick if it allows another year to slip by without recognising the importance of this battle that is unique to Wednesfield and Wolverhampton.”
“The first written references to Wednesfield come in the Anglo Saxon chronicles where there is reference to a great battle at Wednesfield in which the Mercians and their allies inflicted a defeat on the Danes which lead to effective end of their power. It has always been an important part of Wednesfield’s traditional history that this great battle was fought here and a reference to it appeared on the Wednesfield Urban District Council’s coat of arms.”
Do you think we should mark the anniversary of the battle of Wodensfield/Wednesfield? Let us know in the comments!
Hi it is in interest I read this article about the Battle of Wodnesfield; I am currently planning the Wednesfield History week which takes place between 7th – 11th June 2010. As part of that week Wodensfield Primary School pupils are enacting the battle of Wodnesfield as a dance form. A full program of events will be issued once they are finalised, and i will ensur ethat WV11 gets the program but it would be nice to look at an event in August to celebrate the Battles anniversary.
Regards
Simon Hamilton
Wednesfield & Fallings Park LNP Partnership Officer
Anyone planning evemts for such a celebration should contact the Viking and Saxon re-enactment group The Birmingham Vikings, of whom I used to be a member: http://www.birminghamvikings.co.uk
They would make the event one to remember for another 110 years!
Contact John or Roz Sheard: 43 Croft Road, Yardley, Birmingham, B26 1SQ .
Tel: 0121 784 6408
Highly recommended!
Stuart Williams
The Bloxidge Tallygraph
Well done Phil in trying to get this recognised. Wednesfield has a long and rich heritage that all to few seem to celebrate. I've enjoyed researching Wednesfields past since meeting my Woden Wife 20 years ago and would love to help in any way. Regards, Ivan Carpenter.