O/T Battle of Brunanburh

[nakedtruth]

At risk of looking stupid on a subject I know nothing much about, could the place be Bamburgh in Northumbria?

Known as Bebbanburg and similar names in the past, also a place much fought over historically

The corruption of names over the centuries makes it possible?

[monty_rhodes]

At risk of looking stupid on a subject I know nothing much about, could the place be Bamburgh in Northumbria?

Known as Bebbanburg and similar names in the past, also a place much fought over historically

The corruption of names over the centuries makes it possible?

Almost certainly not. We have several 10th century forms for Bamburgh from the ASC and elsewhere which give Bebbanburh and Babbanburh and Bede states the name derives from a Queen Bebba. There are no recorded forms which show a "u" or "r" in the first element. Bamburgh was a very well known place and it's hard to believe early scribes would consistently have shown the first element wrongly as Brun or Brunn in their names for the battlefield.

[nakedtruth]

Almost certainly not. We have several 10th century forms for Bamburgh from the ASC and elsewhere which give Bebbanburh and Babbanburh and Bede states the name derives from a Queen Bebba. There are no recorded forms which show a "u" or "r" in the first element. Bamburgh was a very well known place and it's hard to believe early scribes would consistently have shown the first element wrongly as Brun or Brunn in their names for the battlefield.

So when was the Brunanburh spelling first recorded?

And by whom?

[monty_rhodes]

So when was the Brunanburh spelling first recorded?

And by whom?

The earliest reference still extant is in Manuscript A of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and it dates from no later than 955 AD - only 18 years after the battle.
I did say above that MM is not the place to examine all the very detailed evidence. Great_fire is simply wrong. The Wirral case is mainly argued by philologists (not historians) from Nottingham University some of whom live on the Wirral and is assiduously promoted by local media, council and tourism interests. Of the articles published in reputable academic journals in the last decade most criticise the Wirral evidence and support alternative sites.