Danelaw

Danelaw

Danelaw , originally the body of law that prevailed in the part of England occupied by the Danes after the treaty of King Alfred with Guthrum in 886. It soon came to mean also the area in which Danish law obtained; according to the treaty, the boundary between England and Danelaw ran "up the Thames, and then up the Lea … to its source, then straight to Bedford and then up the Ouse to Watling Street." The Danelaw comprised four main regions: Northumbria; the areas around and including the boroughs of Lincoln, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, and Stamford; East Anglia; and the SE Midlands. Though the English kings soon brought the Danelaw back under their rule, they did not attempt to interfere with the laws and customs of the area, many of which survived until after the Norman Conquest.

Bibliography: See D. Whitelock, The Norman Conquest: its Setting and Impact (1968); F. M. Stenton, The Free Peasantry of the Northern Danelaw (1969) and Anglo-Saxon England (3d ed. 1971).

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"Danelaw." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Danelaw." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Danelaw.html

"Danelaw." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Danelaw.html

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DANELAW

DANELAW, also Danelagh, Danelaga. The system of law in the part of England ceded to Danish invaders in 878, and the area itself, roughly north and east of a line from London to Chester. In the mid-10c, Scandinavian kings maintained a Norse-speaking court at York, but the ordinary population, English and Danish, seems to have developed a simplified language for use in their daily contact. In the later 10c, the kings of Wessex established overlordship over the Danish settlers, who however retained control of local affairs. William of Malmesbury declared (c.1130) that the language north of the Humber and especially at York ‘sounds so harsh and grating that we southerners cannot understand a word of it’ and blamed this on the presence of ‘rough foreigners’ (De Gestis Pontificum Anglorum, Book 3, Prologue). See DANISH, NORSE.

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TOM McARTHUR. "DANELAW." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "DANELAW." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-DANELAW.html

TOM McARTHUR. "DANELAW." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-DANELAW.html

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Danelaw

Danelaw When during the 10th cent. the Viking settlers of eastern England recognized the authority of the English kings, they were allowed to follow their own laws. By the 11th cent. the term ‘Danelaw’ was being used to indicate the geographical area in which customary law was influenced by Danish practice, defined in 12th‐cent. documents as comprising all of eastern England between the Thames and the Tees.

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JOHN CANNON. "Danelaw." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Danelaw." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Danelaw.html

JOHN CANNON. "Danelaw." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-Danelaw.html

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Danelaw

Danelaw. When during the 10th cent. the Viking settlers of eastern England recognized the authority of the English kings, they were allowed to follow their traditional laws. By the 11th cent. the term ‘Danelaw’ was being used to indicate the area in which customary law was influenced by Danish practice, defined in 12th-cent. documents as all of eastern England between the Thames and the Tees.

Barbara Yorke

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JOHN CANNON. "Danelaw." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Danelaw." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Danelaw.html

JOHN CANNON. "Danelaw." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-Danelaw.html

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Danelaw

Danelaw Large region of ne England, occupied by Danes in the late 9th century. In 886, Alfred and Guthrum's Pact formally confirmed its independence. Alfred's son, Edward the Elder, and grandson, Athelstan, restored it to English control in the early 10th century.

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"Danelaw." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Danelaw." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Danelaw.html

"Danelaw." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Danelaw.html

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Danelaw

Danelaw The part of north and east England occupied or administered by Danes from the late 9th century and administered according to their laws until the Norman Conquest.

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"Danelaw." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Danelaw." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Danelaw.html

"Danelaw." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Danelaw.html

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Danelaw

Danelaw •Danelaw • in-law • son-in-law •sister-in-law • by-law • outlaw •folklore • coleslaw • subfloor

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"Danelaw." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Danelaw." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Danelaw.html

"Danelaw." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Danelaw.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

The Scandinavian element beyond the Danelaw.(LINGUISTICS)(Report)
Magazine article from: Studia Anglica Posnaniensia: international review of English Studies; 1/1/2007
Vikings and the Danelaw: select papers from the Proceedings of the XIIIth...
Magazine article from: Antiquity; 12/1/2001
THE NEW DANELAW.(Features)
Newspaper article from: The Mail on Sunday (London, England); 6/13/2010

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