WIRRAL Viking enthusiasts have stolen a march on American TV over the first overseas voyage of a giant Viking ship half the size of a football pitch.
Initial hopes of a Wirral visit were dashed when the Norwegian team switched their plans for the Draken Harald the Fairhair to visit America after being offered a lucrative television deal.
Professor Steve Harding, from Wirral - a Viking expert who last year was made a Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit - said in March that Wirral could not compete with the offer but was still hopeful the crew would visit Wirral on the way.
During the 10th century, Wirral was a Viking mini-state with its own parliament (the Thing, or Ting). This was located on Cross Hill, across the main road from the reservoirs. Thingwall means 'assembly place'. Today, there is no indication there of its historical significance.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
I thought we had Saxons not Vikings, as we have Saxon Road and no Viking named roads.
Zipper, the village and place names are the ones more connected to the Vikings. Many of them including Irby, Frankby, Greasby, Barnston,Bebington, Storeton, Neston, etc.etc. It's interesting to follow the history of the Vikings here. The following link gives much more detail on place name connections.
Having read that, I find just as interesting a possible explanation for the 14thc. poem written , Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Last edited by granny; 2nd Jun 201412:03pm.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
Just seen an item in today's 'Echo' about the 'Harald Fairhair' replica longship's visit on July 18th, when it will be rowed into the West Float. Would really like to see that! There was also a mention of a Viking village being built on land at Claremont Farm in Bebington, in a link-up with Big Heritage - I think Bebington is a Saxon name, but never mind, eh! Church Farm at Thurstaston would have been a more Viking area of Wirral, with all the '...by' names, but good luck to Claremont farm; it will be interesting to see.
My mistake Greenwood. Bebington is Saxon in origin.
Here's a list of some of those places with connections to the Vikings.
When the Vikings arrived in 902AD, Wirral was empty. Looking at the place names gives us a clue to where they settled. Based upon the distribution of names, Oxford Archaeologist David Griffiths has drawn a north south line showing what he believes to be the original settlement area. This is verified by John McNeal Dodgson, a place name and linquistic expert based on manors held by Scandinavians at the time of Domesday (1086AD).
Wirral Place Names
Arrowe. A shieling or 'at the shieling'. Also Arwe and Argh. Summer pastureland away from the farmhouse.
Birkenhead. not a large settlement but a region of 'headland growing with birch trees; old english influence mixed with old norse. Probably with a few huts?
Brimstage. from Brunn.
Caldy (once Little Caldy). Cold Islands or Kald-eyjar. This meant the district of the cold islands.
Claughton. Klakkr-tun. Hamlet on a hillock. Mixture of Norse/Saxon. Klakkr - hillock and tun - town.
Crabwell, narrow field, krupp-vollr.
Denhall - early form of Daneswell. (There is a daneswell drive in Moreton). Possibly the nucleus of Danes who joined Ingimund in raids on Chester. Danes Well (spring).
Frankby. Frankisbyr or frankies or Frakki's village. From Old danish (person) and by - settlement or vilage. The use of a named village is most unusual for the area.
Gayton. Geit-tun, goat farmstead.
Greasby. Greasby Bridge, Greasby Copse, Gresby Brook. Old english 'graef' or stronghold and the danish 'by'. In Domesday Book it was known as Gravesberies.
Helsby. Village at the edge. Hjalli-byr.
Heswall. Hazel spring from the old english hoesel and hesli (norse).
Hinderton, the hinder part of the village, the back part. Hindri, old norse - at the back.
Irby. Ira-byr - the settlement of the Irish or more likely 'settlement of Scandinavians from Ireland (Irar).
Kirkby i Waleya (Wallasey Village). Kirkju-byr, village with the church.
Larton. Leir-tun, Farmstead at clayey place.
Lingham. Now part of moreton. Lyng-holmr. Heather Island on a marsh. now the region of Moreton Shore. It was here that Viking King Canute gave rise to the legend of turning back the sea.
Liscard. Hall at the rock. lios na carraige. Also Lisnakarke and Lisecair.
Meols. Great & Little. Melr = sandbanks. Sites of many archeological finds. Iceland has Melar place name of similarity. Several variations exist in the north west.
Mollington Torold. Now known as Great Mollington. An english name means Moll's Farm. The word Torold is norse, or Toraldr, or Thorot, ap erson who owned land in 1271. The land was in the possession of the Thorld family into the 14th Century. Also known as molyntom Thorot (1286).
Ness. Nes, promontory.
Neston. Farmstead at or on the promontory (nes). Accessible by sea, Vikings used the landing there. In medieval times it was the main Wirral town. Local church (St Mary & St Helen) is home to some remarkable Viking stonework.
Noctorum. Cnocc-tirm; the hill thats dry or Dry Hill.
Oxton. first element identified as Viking.
Pensby. Village at Penn Hill. Could have celtic origin meaning 'top end'
Raby. Raby Mere. Rái-byr. Village at a boundary.
Storeton. Stór-tún - the great farmstead. Storting - is norse for great assembly or Parliament. Its possible that the first part Stóró comes from a young wood, plantation, or land growing with brushwood. Dr John McNeal dodgson thinks the latter is the most likely.
Thingwall. Thingwall (ting-volr) the viking Parliament for the norse community. situated in what was the centre of the community. The Viking letter for T is used in Stephen Hardings book, which I cannot produce; its like a capital 'I' with a 'p' interwoven.
Thurstaston. Torsteinns-tún (Torsteins farmstead). The idea taht it derived from Thors Stone is incorrect. This local interpretation comes only from local folk.
Tranmere. trani-melr or Crane's Bank. Sandbank with the crane birds. a favoured spot on the early Mersey for these birds and immortalised by the Vikings. A Viking lady gave her name to Reynildes Pool, now dried up and another Gunnhildr, to Gunnille Pool. there was also a tranmere Pool. After the industrial revolution, cranes of a different type occupied Tranmere on the river bank! Famous also for its Football Team, the only English football team with a Viking name.
West Kirby. Exactly as the name suggests, the west village of the church. Vestri-Kirkjuyr. The 'west' was to distinnguish it from the 'other village with a Church' = Wallasey Village. The church in question is St Bridgets, founded by the Vikings. All that remains of the original is the hogback tombstone, which is now inside the church. Another early name was Kirkby in Wyrhale. The viking name exists today in Iceland.
Whitby. The white manor or village. Hviti-byr. There is a namesake in North Yorkshire which I visit at least once a year.
Woodchurch. Wodekirkja. Wooden Church or church in a wood.
Last edited by granny; 3rd Jun 20147:49pm.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
Does anyone know where the best place to park to see the viking ship in the West Float will be? I can imagine it being packed around the site but there isn't a nearby stain station otherwise I wouldn't bother taking the car.
I think they will be fitting a new mast while they're at West float, which should be interesting; they've been using engine power since a mishap three days out of Haugesund. They came through the Caledonian Canal instead of going round the north of Scotland - sorry, Orkney! - and are on their way south now. Should be able to pick up their progress on the shipais.co.uk website. Not sure about the bus routes around West Float, but parking further away and going by bus might be an option. I'd like to see them row into West Float from the river, actually - daresay local press/websites will have details nearer the time.
![[Linked Image]](http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/34/15/341584_57113082.jpg)
