The Battle of Pinhoe took place between the

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

and the men of

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

and

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

at Pinhoe,

The battle

In 1001,

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

laid siege to

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, but due to the strong fortifications built during Athelstan's reign they could not break through. They then started pillaging nearby villages, and were met at Pinhoe by an army from the shires of Devon and

. The battle was hard and the defenders nearly used up all their ammunition.

The priest of Pinhoe

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

of Pinhoe wanted to resupply the troops with

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

. He sneaked through the Danish lines and ran to Exeter to get arrows and arms. He successfully returned to the defenders and supplied them with the weapons.

The burning of Pinhoe

The weapons were not sufficient for the local defenders to defeat the Vikings. The Vikings infiltrated Pinhoe and burned it to the ground. This was as a warning for the citizens of Exeter.

The legacy of the priest

The priest was awarded for his outstanding bravery an annual payment of 16 shillings. It was said that this sum was still paid to the Vicar of Pinhoe in Victorian times.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Pinhoe 11th century in Devon Military history of Devon Pinhoe 1001 in England Pinhoe Pinhoe