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The Battle of Hingston Down took place in 838, probably at Hingston Down in Cornwall between a combined force of Cornish and Vikings on the one side, and West Saxons led by Ecgberht, King of Wessex on the other. The result was a West Saxon victory. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which called the Cornish the West Welsh:

In this year a great naval force arrived among the West Welsh, and the latter combined with them and proceeded to fight against Ecgberht, king of the West Saxons. When he heard that, he then went hither with his army, and fought against them at Hingston Down, and put both the Welsh and the Danes to flight.

Most historians of the period identify the site of the battle as Hingston Down north-east of Callington in Cornwall, but others argue for Hingston Down near Moretonhampstead, Devon.

The British kingdom of Dumnonia, which covered Devon and Cornwall, survived into the early eighth century, when eastern Devon was conquered by Wessex. Conflict continued throughout the 8th century with Wessex pushing further west. In 815 King Egbert raided Cornwall 'from east to West' which, given later battles at Gafulford and Hingston Down probably indicates the conquest of the remaining parts of West Devon.

This was the last recorded battle between the Cornish and the West Saxons and ended roughly a century of warfare that began at the Battle of Llongborth in 710 (see Geraint of Dumnonia). The last known king of Cornwall, Dungarth, died in 875, but he is thought to have been an under-king subject to Wessex.

References

1. Charles-Edwards, p. 92
2. Whitelock, p. 187
3. Charles-Edwards, p. 431; Hadley, p. 200; Stenton, p. 235
4. Fletcher, John (2022). The Western Kingdom. Cheltenham: The History Press. pp. 88–90. ISBN 9781803990002.
5. Weatherhill, Craig. "Where was Hengestdun?". Cornish World Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
6. Fletcher, John. "Vikings and Settlers in Cornwall". Projekt Forlg. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
7. Charles-Edwards, pp. 428-31; Padel, "Cornwall"; Davies, p. 342; Stenton, p. 235

Sources

• Charles-Edwards, Thomas (2013). Wales and the Britons 350–1064. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-821731-2.
• Davies, John Reuben (2013). "Wales and West Britain". In Stafford, Pauline (ed.). A Companion to the Early Middle Ages: Britain and Ireland c.500-c.1100. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-118-42513-8.
• Hadley, Dawn (2013). "Viking Raids and Conquest". In Stafford, Pauline (ed.). A Companion to the Early Middle Ages: Britain and Ireland c. 500–c. 1100. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 195–211. ISBN 978-1-118-42513-8.
• Padel, O. J. (2014). "Cornwall". In Lapidge, Michael; Blair, John; Keynes, Simon; Scragg, Donald (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England (2nd ed.). Chichester, UK: Wiley Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-470-65632-7.
• Stenton, Frank (1971). Anglo-Saxon England (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280139-5.
• Whitelock, Dorothy, ed. (1979) . English Historical Documents, Volume 1, c. 500–1042 (2nd ed.). London, UK: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-14366-0.

50°31′16″N 4°14′50″W / 50.521°N 4.2473°W / 50.521; -4.2473

v t e Calstock Parish, Cornwall
Government	Unitary authority Cornwall Council Local government Calstock Rural District
Places	Villages Calstock Gunnislake Harrowbarrow St Ann's Chapel Latchley Hamlets and other small settlements Metherell Albaston Coxpark Dimson Drakewalls Norris Green Rising Sun Cotehele Quay School Calstock Primary School Gunnislake Primary Academy Harrowbarrow School Delaware Primary Academy Places of interest Cotehele Clock Tower Quay Calstock Viaduct Calstock Roman Fort Religious Buildings St Andrew's Church St Anne's Church All Saints St Michael and All Angels Albaston Chapel St Thomas Becket Chapel St Katherine's Chapel The Edgcumbe Chapel Country Houses Cotehele House Harewood House Honicombe House Railway Stations Calstock Gunnislake Chilsworthy Latchley Seven Stones Luckett Callington Valleys or Waterways Tamar Valley Silver Valley Danescombe Valley Honicombe Valley Cotehele Quay Danescombe Quay Trelawny Island Southcott Island Tamar Manure Canal
Mining	Mining in Cornwall and Devon Devon Great Consols Hingston Down Quarry
Transportation	Bus Plymouth Citybus Rail Great Western Railway Tamar Valley Line East Cornwall Mineral Railway Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway Other River Tamar Transport in Cornwall
Other topics	Boat Building Goss's Boatyard May's Boatyard Nestakes Boatyard Ships Tamar barge Shamrock Lynher Tamar Ketch Garlandstone Events Battle of Hingston Down 838 Battle of Gunnislake New Bridge 1644 Calstock Landslide 2013
List of topics related to Cornwall

• Calstock
• History of Cornwall
• Battles involving the Vikings
• Battles involving Wessex
• 838
• 9th century in England
• 830s conflicts