Viking Raiders
The story of St. Alkmund provides evidence that word of the Danish sea raiders, commonly known as Vikings, had reached the people of Northworthy. While the villagers might have felt a sense of security due to their distance from the coast, this false sense of safety was shattered when the Danes established a stronghold in Nottingham. On this occasion, the Vikings eventually departed the area.
However, the situation was quite different in 874 when Guthrum, the Danish chieftain, led his formidable "great army" up the Trent River, targeting villages and even burnt down Repton Monastery. It was an exceptionally harsh winter. The Danes established their camp at Repton, where a Viking battle-axe, presently housed in the School Museum, was discovered around 1100 years later.
In the face of this threat, Burhred, the King of Mercia, chose to flee, and the Danes installed a "puppet" government, with a Mercian collaborator named Ceowulf as king. As the season transitioned to spring, the primary Danish army moved onward, leaving a contingent of Danes to maintain control in the region. Normanton, "village of the Northmen," was among their initial settlements in this area. The notion that the Vikings' Great Army encamped near St Wystan's Parish Church in Repton during the winter of AD 873-74 has intrigued historians. However, recent investigations led by archaeologists from the University of Bristol, under the guidance of Cat Jarman and Mark Horton, have finally yielded seemingly indisputable evidence validating the historical account of this encampment, originally documented in the 9th century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
Guthrum was King of East Anglia in the late 9th century. Originally a native of Denmark, he was one of the leaders of the "Great Summer Army" that arrived in Reading during April 871 to join forces with the Great Heathen Army, whose intentions were to conquer the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. The combined armies were successful in conquering the kingdoms of East Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria, and overran Alfred the Great's Wessex, but were ultimately defeated by Alfred at the Battle of Edington in 878. The Danes retreated to their stronghold, where Alfred laid siege and eventually Guthrum surrendered.
Under the terms of his surrender, Guthrum was obliged to be baptised in the Christian faith and then with his army leave Wessex. This agreement is known as the Treaty of Wedmore. Another treaty soon followed that set out the boundaries between Alfred and Guthrum's territories as well as agreements on peaceful trade, and the weregild value of its people. This is known as the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum.
A coin minted by Guthrum in 880
While King Alfred ultimately triumphed over them, he was compelled to cede a portion of England, including Derbyshire, known as the Danelaw, where Danish law held authority. The Saxons originated from the wooded regions of Europe, primarily leading an agrarian way of life. In contrast, the Danes hailed from the indented coast of Denmark, known for their maritime trade, piracy, and formidable combat skills. Saxons typically favoured village settlements, whereas Danes were known for establishing towns, which included the Five Boroughs: Lincoln, Leicester, Nottingham, Stamford, and Derby. Among these, only Derby bore a Danish name, although Lincoln, Leicester, and Derby had Roman origins.
The Danes established a trading hub in proximity to Northworthy, situated along the forested banks of the Derwent River, an area teeming with deer. Hence, they named it the "town of the deer," which in Danish is Deorby, where "by" signifies town and "Dear" denotes deer. Remarkably, the town's seal continues to bear the device of "the Buck-in-the-Park" to this day.
'INDUSTRIA VIRTUS ET FORTITUDO'-Diligence, courage and strength.
Derby had its origins as a town from the outset and did not evolve from a village. Unlike Chesterfield, which had a Lord of the Manor imposing restrictions, Derby was never subject to such limitations on its freedoms. It appears that when the Saxon thane of Northworthy was eliminated, the village of Northworthy was incorporated into the emerging town. Northworthy Village underwent a name change, becoming Derby, and the two became one entity. This urban expansion took place around AD 874. By AD 917, the Anglo Saxons, led by Aethelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians and King Alfred's daughter, had successfully reclaimed the town.
The Danes had designed the town with a central market area and referred to the streets as "gates," such as Irongate and Sadler Gate. In this context, "gate" does not signify an entrance but is Danish for street. Some of our "gates" did not originally pertain to the early town, although Sadler Gate, which seemingly connected the new Deorby with Northworthy village, might have played that role. Friar Gate did not acquire its name until the thirteenth century.
Present-day depiction of the Market Place. Its road layout, inspired by the Roman system, extends outward in all directions.
The location for a trading town was thoughtfully selected. Given that the Derwent was navigable by small boats, the Danes chose a site on the broad segment of the river, still referred to as the Basin, where goods could be loaded and unloaded. A thriving market necessitates well-connected roads to various destinations, and the Danes drew substantial inspiration from the ancient Roman road network that centered around Little Chester. A road map originating from the Market Place and stretching to places like Buxton, Ashbourne, Uttoxeter, Burton, London, Nottingham, Sheffield, and other smaller towns clearly demonstrates the strategic advantages of Derby's location and how closely it adhered to the Roman model.
Faced with a threat from Edward the Elder, King Alfred's son, the Danes encircled the town with a defensive stockade. According to an ancient Mercian Register, Aethelflaed, the Lady of the Mercians, with divine assistance, is noted to have "before Lammas, acquired the town known as Derby, along with all its associated properties." This accomplishment, however, did not come without sacrifice, as the register records that "four of her thanes were also slain within the gates, which was a source of sorrow to her." It's believed in tradition that, in gratitude for her victory, Aethelflaed was responsible for constructing the initial St. Mary's Bridge.
Aethelflaed not only ruled skilfully but even led her armies into battle.
When that weak king, Ethelred the Unready, was on the throne of Alfred, the Northmen made their last invasion. In 1013 Canute brought peace, and the Five Boroughs, including Derby, took him for king. He united all of the kingdoms of England under his rule, so that henceforth there was no Wessex and no Mercia, only England.
At the time of Aethelflaed's capture of Derby, the town was home to approximately 700 residents living in around 150 houses. Edward the Elder initiated a mint where Anlaf, the Danish King of Northumberland, had coins minted in 933. Among the Derby "monyers" (craftsmen who coined money) serving King Athelstan in 940 were individuals with names like Boiger, Meda, and Bernard, involved in the production of the silver penny. The market commenced modestly with a few stalls in an open area.
Town merchants engaged in the purchase of wool, hides, and other commodities from the surrounding villages, which, once processed into items like harnesses, were then bought back by the villagers. This trading naturally attracted craftsmen, fostering the growth of various trades. It became economically beneficial for rural communities to exchange agricultural products such as wheat, butter, and meat to supply the needs of Derby townspeople and acquire essential goods for their farms. This interconnectedness between the countryside and the town led to a thriving Derby, where merchants conducted trade, craftsmen manufactured products, and villages transitioned from self-sufficiency to engagement with the broader economy.
The round arch and carved zig-zag mouldings of this fine door in Boulton Church are examples of the few remaining traces of Norman architecture· in Derby. There has been an abundance of items found from weapons, tools, coins and decorative items including jewellery
Derby Market Place in 1894
Market Square in 2002 when an outdoor market came back to Derby.