ABSTRACT

The hypothesis of the redevelopment of the defences of the earlier burh at Oxford by King Æthelred in the late tenth century is critically analysed in the light of the recently-published excavations at the castle site. It is argued that the rebuilding of the north gate, which involved the creation of a new defended enceinte on its eastern side and the construction of the tower of St Michael’s Northgate, was concurrent with, and as an integral part of, this new defensive initiative. St George’s tower, which sits within the western line of these late tenth-century defences, is also argued from the structural and topographical evidence as belonging to this same phase of the reconstruction of the defences. This is supported by comparisons of the towers’ architectural features with other church towers in England, and reflects similar developments in northern France. The evidence of this new defensive system from Oxford complements and extends the historical and other evidence from the country as a whole, providing a revealing insight into the scale and nature of the strategic response of King Æthelred to the new Viking incursions during his reign.

摘要

根据最近公布的城堡遗址发掘结果，批判性地分析了 10 世纪后期由国王 Æthelred 重建牛津早期堡垒防御工事的假设。有人认为，重建北门，其中包括在其东侧建立一个新的防御性 enceinte 和建造圣迈克尔北门塔，与这项新的防御计划同时进行，并作为该计划的一个组成部分. 圣乔治塔位于这些 10 世纪后期防御工事的西线内，从结构和地形证据来看，它也属于防御工事重建的同一阶段。这是通过将塔楼的建筑特征与英格兰其他教堂塔楼进行比较来支持的，并反映了法国北部的类似发展。来自牛津的这种新防御系统的证据补充并扩展了整个国家的历史和其他证据，提供了对埃塞尔雷德国王在其统治期间对新维京人入侵的战略反应的规模和性质的深刻见解。