The 900s

During the 800s, the Danes had made a series of attacks on the Eastern coast of England and gradually progressed inland. In 878, after a series of skirmishes and battles, Alfred the Great, the Saxon King, signed the Peace of Wedmore, by which the Danes were allowed to settle in that part of England to the North East of Watling Street. They settled in large numbers and many of their village names are characterised by the ending 'by' (farm or village) or 'thorpe' (daughter settlement). Local examples include Long Buckby, Holdenby, Castle Ashby, Kingsthorpe, Rothersthorpe, and Abthorpe. Saxon names are often characterised by 'ton' (house or farm), or 'cot' (hut). Examples are Brington, Gayton, Eastcote, and Dalscote.

Heyford was very much on the border between areas controlled by the Saxons and those controlled by the Danes. In 921, there were further threats of Danish incursion and King Edward gave orders to proceed to Towcester to make ready for defence against possible attack. However the Danes were repelled and during the 900s the Danes and Saxons began to live side by side, mostly living in peace. Whether the inhabitants of Heyford were primarily Saxon or Dane is impossible to know, but they must have been involved to some degree in the skirmishes, the trade, and the subsequent merging of the languages and the two ways of life.