Editing Pontefract (section)

===Anglo-Scandinavian history{{anchor|Tanshelf and Kirkby}}===
The period of Yorkshire's history between the demise of the Viking king, Eric Bloodaxe, in 954 and the arrival of the Normans in 1068 is known as the Anglo-Scandinavian age.  The modern township of Pontefract consisted of two Anglo-Scandinavian settlements, Tanshelf and Kirkby.  In Yorkshire, place-name locations often contain the distinctive Danish '-by' i.e. Kirkby and today, the major streets in Pontefract are designated by the Danish word 'gate' e.g. Bailygate.

The Anglo-Scandinavian township, Tanshelf, recorded as ''Tateshale'', ''Tateshalla'', ''Tateshalle'' or ''Tatessella'' in the 'Domesday Book' is today occupied by the town of Pontefract.  The ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' made a reference to Tanshelf in 947 when King Eadred of England met with the ruling council of Northumbria to accept its submission. King Eadred did not enjoy Northumbria's support for long, and a year later the kingdom voted Eric Bloodaxe King of York.<ref>[http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/vikingweb/Settlement.htm Towns in Anglo-Saxon West Yorkshire] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213053252/http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk/VikingWeb/Settlement.htm |date=13 February 2015 }}. ''Settlements in Anglo-Saxon West Yorkshire''. Retrieved 30 August 2014.</ref>

When the Domesday survey was commissioned by [[William the Conqueror]] in 1086, Tanshelf was a sizeable settlement. It had a priest, 60 petty burgesses, 16 cottagers, 16 villagers and 8 smallholders, amounting to 101 people.  The size of the population might have been four or five times larger as the only people listed were landholders.  Tanshelf had a church, a fishery and three mills.  Archaeologists discovered the remains of a church on The Booths, off North Baileygate, below the castle. The oldest grave dates from around 690. The church may have been similar to the church at [[Ledsham, West Yorkshire|Ledsham]].  The area of the town market place was the meeting place of the [[Osgoldcross (wapentake)|Osgoldcross]] [[wapentake]].<ref>Hey</ref> In the Anglo-Saxon period part of the modern town was known by the Anglo-Scandinavian name as Kirkby.