simple home defense.

[Pete Grey]

I have done my homework MB, yes after defeats by several viking armies Alfred was forced to retreat to Altherney in the Somerset marshes.

From there he lead a resistance against the danes until he was stronger, then he called the militias of Wiltshire Somerset and Hampshire to Egberts stone before beating the danes at the battle of Edington. After Guthrums defeat Alfred started to strengthen Wessex.

After this the main reason the danes could not capture Wessex was the burhs or fortified towns, many with old roman walls, the danes would not lay siege to them as they preferred to raid poorly defended settlements. The burhs were defended mainly by the fyrd, leaving the main army to attack any danish war bands. It was Alfred’s grandson Aethelstan who finally defeated the danes decades later.

The point of my post is a property or group of properties, protected by a determined group of people with improvised weapons would have a good chance of detering a mob, that would look for a softer target.