27/01/2024
Object of the Month - Viking Burial at Larne
The Viking burial at Larne was discovered during the construction of a tramway in 1840 to link the harbour at Curran Point with the quarries north of the town, at Bankhead. The precise location of the burial had been lost for many years, until work by the Antrim County Archaeological Society determined that it had been near the shore at Larne Leisure Centre. The burial itself consisted of a male skeleton, a sword, a spearhead, a decorated bone comb, a bronze ring pin, and a ferrule. Unfortunately most of the skeleton has disappeared but the Larne skull, as it is known, is held by Trinity College Dublin, and the grave goods are in the ownership of Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, with some items, including the sword, on loan to the Ulster Museum. The sword has been dated to the 10th century, indicating that the burial probably took place at this time.
The Viking burial is not the only indication of Norse activity in the area. Larne Lough also has the placename Úlfreksfjǫrðr, which is mentioned in Snorri Sturluson’s Heimskringla Vol. II, written in the 13th century. The saga, which is essentially a work of historical fiction, records that:
‘That summer Eyvindr Úrarhorn went on a viking voyage to the British Isles and came in the autumn to Ireland, to King Konofogor of the Irish. They met in the autumn in Úlfreksfjǫrðr, the king of the Irish and Jarl Einarr from Orkney, and there was a great battle there. King Konofogor had much greater forces and won the victory, but Jarl Einarr fled on a single ship and got back to Orkney in the autumn having lost nearly all his troops and all the b***y that they had gained. And the jarl was mightily
displeased with his journey and blamed his defeat on the Norwegians who had taken part in the battle with the king of the Irish.’
That Úlfreksfjǫrðr refers to Larne Lough is confirmed by 13th century documents in which Wulfrichford, and lands to the north, including Glenarm, were granted by King John in 1210 to Duncan of Carrick, uncle to the Earl of Galloway and his brother, the Earl of Athol.
The final indication of Norse activity in the Larne area comes from the placename Ballylumford, which may be derived from the Gaelic Baile an Longphort. The word longphort (Pl. longphuirt) was used by Irish sources to refer to military camps, often in association with Viking activity. Many of these camps in Ireland developed into permanent settlements, with Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Limerick and Cork all having Norse origins. It is possible that Ballylumford was the site of such a camp, which could have been used as a base to overwinter and continue raids in the spring.
