Anglesey, which they raided in 971 (ravaging Penmon), 980 and 987 when, according
to the annals, Guðröð seized as many as 2 , 000 men from Anglesey ( Jones 1952 ; Davies
1990 : 57 ).
LEGACYViking impact on Wales has to be seen as part of a broader pattern of activity in north-
west Europe and is comparable with that on Brittany. The displacement of Viking
leaders from Dublin in the early tenth century had repercussions around the Irish Sea, so
that by the middle of the century its seaboard supported in some respects what has been
termed a single ‘Scandinavian’ community of fashion or culture. No doubt the strength
of such Scandinavian contributions to seaboard culture will have varied regionally, with
pockets of intensity. By the middle of the tenth century the southern seaboard of the
Irish Sea (the coast of north Wales) also shared the ‘Norse-influenced’ community of
fashion or culture which should more appropriately be called ‘Cambro-Norse’, reflecting
the contact between the two cultures in the territory.
There is broad agreement that the extent and impact of Scandinavian settlement in
Wales were limited – there is no evidence for an equivalent to the Scandinavian
kingdom of Dublin. However, a degree of Scandinavian rule in north Wales by the early
eleventh century is likely; some leaders had strong Welsh connections and ruled in
Figure 29. 2 These tenth-century silver ingots and fragments of arm-ring from Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey
bear shear marks which indicate that they have been used as hack-silver bullion for trading.
(Copyright © National Museum of Wales.)–– chapter 29 : The Vikings in Wales––