More information : Centred ST 859228. The Saxon burh of Shaftesbury
appears to have been situated west of the abbey church
(ST 82 SE 4) on the steep-sided promontory spur. It is
recorded in the Burghal Hidage (b) with an assessment of 700
hides indicating a wall length of 2,888 ft. and was probably
one of Alfred's "de novo" burhs. Asser (a) writing circa 890
refers to the nunnery (or abbey) next to the burh by its east
gate, possibly indicating that the burh was established between
the foundation of the nunnery c.871x877 and when Asser was writing after 890. Alternatively, the burh may have been an earlier foundation. Although there is no direct archaeological evidence, it is assumed that the Burghal Hidage rampart bisected the promontory and various suggestions for the line of the rampart have been asserted.
Taylor (C) describes a "low rise in the ground passing through
gardens and a school playground" athwart Abbey Lane which might
be the result of garden activities according to Penn. The "line
of Magdalen Lane" (5) and a line following Lion Walk are also
probabilities. (See plan)
The Medieval town grew up outside the abbey gate, either before
or after the Conquest when the burh was deserted. Bimport,
the spine road (extending from ST 85772276 to ST 86172303) is
the only street likely to have early origins, and its name also
suggests that it dates from the period of the burh. (1-2)
Centred ST 858229. Late Saxon urban area east of Castle Hill.
An open grassed area, including the probable north-west part
of the late Saxon burh. Scheduled. (3)
Research on the extent of the burh as stated in Charter 655, dated AD 958, as a grant of King Eadwig suggest that the lands refered to in the charter correspond very closely with those bounded by St Peter's parish. (4)
Asser's `Life of Alfred' states that:
"King Alfred ordered the...monastery to be built near the East gate of Shaftesbury as a residence for the nuns."
This supports the idea that that the monastery was built after the creation of the burh.
It is classified as a major borough and was seen as a suitable refuge for the nuns of Wilton during the reign of Ethelred II. It was a middle-ranking mint from the reign of Athelstan onwards, (see ST82SE57). (5) |