Fethanleag, battle of

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Fethanleag, battle of, c.584. Fought possibly at Stoke Lyne, near Bicester (Oxon.), between the West Saxons and the Britons. The outcome is not recorded, but although the West Saxon king Ceawlin is reported to have taken towns and considerable booty, he returned home in anger. It seems likely that he was not wholly victorious and the West Saxons probably suffered a check to their westward expansion.

Audrey MacDonald