Herepath

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Herepath, a military road (literally, an army path) in use in southern England in the ninth century CE.

This was a time of war between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and invaders from Denmark. The English military preparations, conducted under the leadership of King Alfred of Wessex, included fortified burhs interconnected by recognised military routes - the herepaths.

Where these roads exist today, local legend often imputes them with magical, romantic or mystical origins in prehistoric time and the name is rather wantonly applied to any old trackway, especially in the region of Wessex.

[edit] References

  • Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition 1989: here (Old English) - an armed host (ninth century).