Certainly as far as the name goes! 'Hengistbury' sounds Old English in root (Hengist + burh = Hengist's fort/town), and Bournemouth is plausibly near the region where Hengist and Horsa are purported to have landed, according to the legends. There aren't a huge amount of Hengist place names, to my knowledge, so there will be a reason (deep down in the past, probably!) why local people felt it pertinent to connect themselves to the legendary figure!
Wonder if anyone will ever check if there's a body that could even feasibly be his in there? Has there been a dig of the barrow? But if there wasn't, that would get rid of a great story for the sight and might affect tourism
I don’t think there has ever been excavation of the barrow, certainly not in modern times. The legend is probably too unlikely ever to warrant a dig! It would be interesting, though we could never confirm that a body, if found, was Hengist’s. And you’re right: why get rid of a great story! I think it’s quite fun 🥰
It would be fun to explore it further, wouldn't it? My gut tells me that medieval robbers or antiquarians would have gone in already if there was wealth in there... But my heart tells me not to be so negative! I quoted a DPhil study in the article that focused on Conisbrough & a few other examples, so perhaps there are rumblings in the academic community...
Is there a link with Hengistbury Head near Bournemouth?
Certainly as far as the name goes! 'Hengistbury' sounds Old English in root (Hengist + burh = Hengist's fort/town), and Bournemouth is plausibly near the region where Hengist and Horsa are purported to have landed, according to the legends. There aren't a huge amount of Hengist place names, to my knowledge, so there will be a reason (deep down in the past, probably!) why local people felt it pertinent to connect themselves to the legendary figure!
Wonder if anyone will ever check if there's a body that could even feasibly be his in there? Has there been a dig of the barrow? But if there wasn't, that would get rid of a great story for the sight and might affect tourism
I don’t think there has ever been excavation of the barrow, certainly not in modern times. The legend is probably too unlikely ever to warrant a dig! It would be interesting, though we could never confirm that a body, if found, was Hengist’s. And you’re right: why get rid of a great story! I think it’s quite fun 🥰
Yeah, there'd be no way to prove 100% either way but if it matched the wealth level and time period....
It would be fun to explore it further, wouldn't it? My gut tells me that medieval robbers or antiquarians would have gone in already if there was wealth in there... But my heart tells me not to be so negative! I quoted a DPhil study in the article that focused on Conisbrough & a few other examples, so perhaps there are rumblings in the academic community...