History of the Isle of Wight

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAP. IV. OF THE DANES, AND NORMANS, IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. J. HE Saxons did not long retain the unr difturbed pofleffion of the I fie of Wight, A Formidable enemy, towards the latter part of the ninth century, began to interrupt their quiet. This was the Danes, a ferocious race, who inhabited Denmark, Sweden, Jutland, and the other frozen regions of the North. The penury of their own country had early impelled thcfe people to commit depredations on happier climes; and in confequence of thefe freebooting habits they had acquired considerable fkill in naval taftics. Their fhips, being fmall and light, were eafily managed, and extremely fwift. With thefe they ran up rivers and creeks; hauledhauled them afhore; raifed a flight rampart around them; and then began the work of plunder. Having effefted as much havoc as they could; and collefted as much booty as they were able to carry away, they immediately embarked; and, before meafures could be taken to repel them, were at fea. Thefe ravagers had made feveral defcents on the Southern coaft, before they attempted the Ifle of Wight. At length fix Danifh fhips, in the year eight hundred and ninety-feven, appeared off this place; the crews of which, landing, committed great depredations, and then failed for the coaft of Devonfhire. The throne of England, was, however, at this time filled by a prince altogether equal to the arduous times in which he lived. Alfred, ever attentive to the aggrandizement of his country, and the improvement of his fubjefts, had obferved the fuperiority of the Danifh to the Englifh mips, and had already conftrufted veflels higher, longer, and fwifter, than thofc of his enemies. Nine of Sax. Chron. p. 64 et 73. E thisthis defcription he difpatched to the Weft of England, to intercept and punifh ...