Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Scandinavian Britain - III. The Norse Settlements - 4. Dumfrieshshire and Galloway
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
said he worshipped Thor when he was at sea, or in
danger, though praying to Christ when on shore.
From Ireland the Gallgael seem to have migrated
about 860-870 to the islands and coasts of south-west
Scotland, during the time when Olaf the White
was extending his power in that direction. He
wasted Pictland (Galloway ?) in 866, and took Alclyde
(Dumbarton) the capital of the Cymric realm in 870.
In 875 Oistin, his son, is said to have been treacherously
slain by the people of Alban ; and the identification
of this Oistin (Eystein) with Thorstein the Red,
another son of Olaf, whose conquests in northern
Scotland must have been of a later date, has led to
much confusion in the history of the period. In 877
a body of Danes, driven from Ireland by the Norse,
crossed Scotland to Fife and fought Constantine at
Dollar ; but no settlement is recorded as made.
Meanwhile in 875 Halfdan had invaded Galloway,
and the coast probably was open to other parties of
Vikings. That the Northmen in these parts were not
hostile to English Christians, is shown by the sojourn
of St. Cuthbert’s relics at Whithorn about this time.
But that they soon became populous in the islands as
far south as Man is shown by Harald’s invasion,
which cannot be later than about 880, and if it had
occurred earlier it would have left some traces in the
story of Eardwulf’s pilgrimage. He and his companions,
it will be remembered, are said to have left
Whithorn on hearing of Halfdan’s death, slowly
returning along the coast. They could not have
been in Galloway in such a time of tumult and
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
