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A burh or burg was an Old English fortification or fortified settlement. In the 9th century, raids and invasions by Vikings prompted Alfred the Great to develop a network of burhs and roads to use against such attackers. Some were new constructions; others were situated at the site of Iron Age hillforts or Roman forts and employed materials from the original fortifications. As at Lundenburh (medieval London), many were also situated on rivers: this facilitated internal lines of supply while aiming to restrict access to the interior of the kingdom for attackers in shallow-draught vessels such as longships. Burhs also had a secondary role as commercial and sometimes administrative centres. Their fortifications were used to protect England's various royal mints. ==Name== ''Burh'' and ''burg'' were Old English developments of the Proto-Germanic word reconstructed as , cognate with the verb 〔''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st ed. "borough, ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1887.〕 ("to shut in for protection").〔''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st ed. "† bergh | berȝe | berwe, ''v.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1887.〕 They are cognate with German ''Burg'' and Scandinavian ''borg'' and, in English, developed variously as "borough",〔 "burg",〔''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st ed. "burg, ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1888.〕 and (particularly in the East Anglian region of England and Scotland) "burgh".〔''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st ed. "burgh, ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1888.〕 Byrig was the plural form of ''burh'' and ''burg'': "forts", "fortifications". It was also the dative case: "to the fort" or "for the fort". This developed into "bury" and "berry", which were used to describe manor houses, large farms, or settlements beside the fortifications.〔''Oxford English Dictionary'', 1st ed. "† ˈbury, ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1888.〕 In addition to the English foundations described here, these names were sometimes used in Old English calques or variants of native placenames, including the Brittonic and Welsh ''caer'', as at Salisbury. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「burh」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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