914. Viking fleet comes from Brittany, ravages in Wales and along the southwest
Edward builds fortresses at Buckingham, receives submissions from Bedford and Northampton
Æthelflæd builds fortresses at Eddisbury and Warwick
The Viking fleet from Brittany was led by two earls, Ohter and Hroald, and they arrived at the Severn estuary and ravaged in Wales and around the coast. They went inland into Herefordshire, but the men of Hereford and Gloucester and the nearest fortresses met them and put them to flight and killed Hroald and Ohter's brother, and besieged them until they gave hostages and promised to leave. After this, Edward arranged that men were stationed along the south side of the Severn estuary, to deter attacks. The Vikings nonetheless did manage twice to steal inland, once to Watchet and once to Porlock . On both occasions, however, they were caught and heavy casualties were inflicted. They were camped on the island of Steepholme, and they remained there until the autumn when they grew very short of food, at which point they went on to Dyfed, and from there to Ireland.
Also in the same year, before Martinmas (November 11), Edward stayed at Buckingham with his army, and built two fortresses there, and the Earl Thurcetel submitted to him there, as did the principal lords of Bedford and many of those at Northampton. Edward took his army to Bedford and occupied the borough and stayed there four weeks and ordered another fortress to be built there.
Æthelflæd meanwhile built a fortress at Eddisbury in the early summer (which would block raids into northern Mercia from the Mersey) and another at Warwick in the early autumn (another fortress, like Tamworth and Stafford, on the northeastern border of English Mercia, against the Five Boroughs).