Yttingaford and the Tenth-Century Bounds of Chalgrave and Linslade

Summary

CHALGRAVE AND THIODWEG.

The road called ‘ thiodweg ’ or the Highway, in the Chaigrave charter of A.D. 926, translated on pp. 42, 43 above, has long interested me. There is considerable reason to believe that it once led directly to the ford which was the scene of the peace-negotiations between King Edward ‘ the Elder,’ and the Danish King Guthrum-Eohricsson, after the collapse of the revolt in favour of the ‘ ætheling ’ Æthelwald. The date of this event, which on grounds wholly unknown to me is assigned to the year 903 by a writer in the V.C.H. Beds, (iii, 401), is given in the A. S. Chron. as 906. The name is there written ‘ Yttingaford,’ and has long remained unidentified; but it is found to occur again as ‘ Yttinga ford ’ in a charter of 966, among the metæ or boundary-marks of an estate of ten hides called Hlincgelad; this, as I hope to show, is unlikely to be any other place than Linslade near Leighton Buzzard; and the ford therefore leads from Buckinghamshire to Bedfordshire.

The coincidence of the ford-names has already been noticed by Mr. F. M. Stenton, and Hlincgelad rightly identified with Linslade. But the ford itself was obviously not found; it is placed much too far north and too near Leighton Buzzard. As little or nothing beyond the bare statement of identity is given, unaccompanied by any attempt at proof, it may not be altogether unfair to conclude that it rests upon simple recognition of the name in the charter. If so, it is no more conclusive in itself than the old guess of Hitchin(ford), which was long followed by historical writers; further reference will be made to it below. I may anticipate matters here by remarking that I think that I have found both the ford and its ancient name still in existence.

It will be necessary first to identify the road (‘ thiodweg ’ = theodweg, the people’s road or highway), and to show its course. For this purpose and for others, it may be found not wholly unprofitable to trace the ancient boundary-marks of the two vills in some detail,—perhaps tiresome detail.