Battle of Maserfield 642
Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date (year) | 642 | Wikidata P585 point in time |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 7th century | derived |
| Period | Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| Participants | Kingdom of Bernicia, Kingdom of Mercia | Wikidata |
About the battle
The Battle of Maserfield, (Welsh: Cad Maes Cogwy) was fought on 5 August 641 or 642 (642 according to Ward) between the Anglo-Saxon kings Oswald of Northumbria and Penda of Mercia allied with Welsh Kingdom of Gwynedd, ending in Oswald's defeat, death, and dismemberment.
The location was also known as Cogwy in Welsh, with Welshmen from Pengwern participating in the battle (according to the probably ninth-century Canu Heledd), probably as allies of the Mercians. Bede reports the commonly accepted date given above; the Welsh Annales Cambriae is generally considered incorrect in giving the year of the battle as 644. The site of the battle is traditionally identified with Oswestry.
Visiting the battlefield
The Battle of Maserfield was assumed for much of the twentieth century to have taken place at what is now Oswestry in Shropshire. The etymology of this name is "Oswald's Tree", while the traditional Welsh name for the same place is Croesoswald ("Oswald's Cross"); although an association with King Oswald of Northumbria is not certain, the name is popularly assumed to refer to him. In the mid-seventh century, Oswestry is thought to have probably still been in the territory of Powys. If this location is correct, it would mean Oswald was in the territory of his enemies, which would suggest he was on the offensive.
However, neither the Welsh nor English names for the battle site have been securely identified with modern reflexes or localised, and site of the battle is still debated among scholars; in 2020,…
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 52.8600, -3.0540
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Maserfield (revision 1370449245), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Location and place-names”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Oswestry 1644 · 0 km
- Battle of Crogen 1165 · 9 km
- Battle of Mechain 1069 · 14 km
- Battle of Buttington 893 · 21 km
- Battle of Cefn Digoll 630 · 23 km
- Siege of Exeter 630 · 23 km
Browse more: battles in England · Early medieval, Anglo-Saxon & Viking · 7th century battles