Learnings: The Burh

The plan of a burh, or fortified community, by Jean-Claude Golvin / Contemporary

Some burhs were built atop existing Roman walls and fortresses, while others were built from scratch. They became powerful social centres, safe havens where locals could find protection and security. Warriors may have stabled their horses within the burh so that they could ride swiftly to the defense of surrounding villages.

It is likely that the burhs had ways to communicate and to warn each other of danger. If a burh such as the one sketched here was under attack, its people might have lit a beacon, a fire that could be seen from great distances, to put the other strongholds on high alert.