3. The settlement of the Danes in England.

These events had as an important consequence the settlement of large numbers of Scandinavians in England.
Many individuals remained behind when their ships returned home. Often they became permanent settlers in the island. Some indication of their number may be had from the fact that more than 1,400 places in England bear Scandinavian names.

Most of these are naturally in the north and east of England, the district of the Danelaw, for it was here where the majority of invaders settler. Most of the new inhabitants were Danes, although there were considerable Norwegian settlements in the northwest, especially in what is now Cumbria. The presence of a large Scandinavian element in the population is also indicated by local government, legal procedure, etc. Thus we have to do not merely with bands carrying devastation into all parts of the country but also with an extensible settlement by farmers who intermarried with the English, adopted many of their customs, and entered into the everyday life of the community. In the districts where such settlements took place, conditions were favourable for an extensive Scandinavian influence on the English language.