The Battle of Maldon

The extant fragment of the heroic poem “The Battle of Maldon” originally appeared in a manuscript collection of other texts, including Life of King Alfred by Asser. The manuscript changed hands over the years, from the poet John Leland (1503-1552 AD), to the Archbishop of Canterbury Matthew Parker (1504-1575), to Lord John Lumley (1553-1609). After leaving the possession of Lord Lumley, the manuscript was rehomed in the library of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (1573-1631) (“The Battle of Maldon.” Viking Archaeology). Sadly, a good portion of the manuscript (as well as many other texts) was destroyed by a fire in the Cotton library in 1731. Thankfully, a librarian (who was either David Casely or John Elphinston), had made a handwritten copy of the poem, preserving the content of the fragment lost in the fire. There was another version of the manuscript as well—the first printed version that appeared in 1726 “as an appendix to the Chronicle of John of Glastonbury, edited by Thomas Hearne” (The Battle of Maldon). Therefore, our modern readings and translations of the text have both Hearne’s and Casely/Elphinston’s versions from which to draw.