Maldon poem is a literary classic

The statue of Byrhtnoth looks out on the battlefields

'The Song of Maldon' is an epic poem and one of the few remaining examples of Old English from the Saxon period.

It describes the Battle of Maldon which took place on 10, August 991 AD, beside the River Blackwater.

The 325-line fragment dates from the same era as 'Beowulf' and was originally communicated orally.

"It was one of the first resistances to the Vikings and their raids on our coastal towns," said local historian Robert Long.

"The battle took place on the land side and causeway of the island of Northy in the estuary of the River Blackwater," he added.

One of the ways to deal with the Vikings was to pay them off, however Byrhtnoth led his locals and decided to take on the invaders.

This battle of Maldon was one of the first resistances to the Vikings and their raids on our coastal towns Robert Long

"It all goes back to the King of the period, Ethelred the Unready, and he never made strong decisions," said Robert.

"Consequently the Earls of the different kingdoms of England made their own defences of their patches, but is wasn't enough to beat the Vikings."

The poem is often mentioned in the same breath as 'The Charge of the Light Bridge' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, as it describes an English defeat, but Robert feels this is unfair.

"This was the first resistance by Saxon warriors to the Vikings. Byrhtnoth was a strong patriot and he wanted to defend this country and particularly the town of Maldon," he said.

"He did succeed in stopping the Vikings from raping and pillaging the residents of Maldon, as they were so depleted after the battle they just left. So, it was a victory of sorts."

Local historian Cllr Robert Long is keen to promote Maldon's history

Maldon was an important town during the Saxon period with a mint producing silver and gold coins, Byrhtnoth stopped this important building falling into enemy hands.

The statue of Byrhtnoth in Maldon Promenade Park was unveiled in 2006 and Robert Long was involved in setting the statue up.

Cllr Long is also the Deputy Leader of Maldon District Council and sat on the organising committee for this sculpture.

The bronze statue was created by the famous artist and local resident, John Doubleday.

For Robert the statue is in the perfect location able to keep watch on Northy Island and the causeway the Vikings had to cross to get to the main land.

When it came to the unveiling Robert had some interesting ideas on who to invite to unveil the statue.

Robert chuckles and says: "Speak to anyone in the UK today, 'what's your view of the Vikings?' And they all say Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis in the 'The Viking' film. I wanted to invite Kirk Douglas and everybody laughed.

"In the end we had the Ambassador of Norway!"

Read the 'Song of Maldon' poem