A stroll over Beacon Hill on the northern fringe of Ilminster in South Somerset.

On Easter Sunday I decided to go for a stroll up Dillington Park Drive to Beacon Hill on the northern fringe of Ilminster in South Somerset.  The weather was warm and sunny with plenty of blue sky so I took my camera with me even though the horizon was a little hazy and not ideal for photographing landscapes.

One of a pair of gates and stone pillars at the entrance to Dillington Park Drive near Ilminster in South Somerset.

After entering Dillington Park Drive it was not long before I came upon the remains of Ilminster’s World War Two defences in the form of dragon’s teeth in the undergrowth and a pill-box covering the old London Road east of the town.  Ilminster, along with several other neighbouring towns, was fortified as an Anti-Tank Island to provide a bulwark against any German armoured forces advancing from the west. 

World War Two pill-box in Dillington Park Drive, South Somerset.

Before the drive reached Dillington Park I branched off left onto Beacon Hill, which at its highest point reaches 338 feet, and followed the hedgerow alongside a vast field of rapeseed.  Numerous Peacock butterflies danced around, sometimes settling on the flowering rape, but not long enough for me to take a photo of their colourful wing markings.

Greater Stitchwort in the shade of a hedgerow.

The view from Beacon Hill, near Ilminster in South Somerset, toward the village of Puckington.

I walked as far as Old Road, now just a track between the hedgerows, where I took some photos of the view to the north.  The village of Puckington was clear enough, but the Curry Rivel Ridge was a little hazy.  Nevertheless, I could see the Burton Pynsent Monument and thought I could make out the windmill on Walton Hill on the Poldens, but not positively.

The view from Beacon Hill near Ilminster in South Somerset toward the Curry Rivel Ridge.  The Burton Pynsent Monument was just visible on the skyline to the right.

I returned by the same route.  All in all it was an afternoon well spent enjoying fresh air and gentle exercise with fine views of the English countryside to boot.   

Staple Hill, the highest point on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset.

Staple Hill in Somerset is, at 1,033 feet, the highest point on the Blackdown Hills.  It is also the site of a Forestry Commission Plantation through which passes the Staple Fitzpaine herepath, a part of the Anglo-Saxon military road network initiated in the ninth century.

The Forestry Commission has provided a spacious car park, footpaths and seating which allows visitors to enjoy some impressive views across Somerset.

There are fine views over the Vale of Taunton Deane to the Quantock Hills and, on a clear day, one can see north over Bridgwater Bay to Brean Down, Weston-super-Mare and Kewstoke with the Welsh coast and mountains visible on the far side of the Bristol Channel.

The view north from Staple Hill on the Blackdown Hills in Somerset.  At the top of the picture the Welsh coast, 45 miles distant, can be seen through the gap between Brean Down and Kewstoke.

The views to the north-east, along the foothills of the Blackdowns, encompass the Somerset Levels with Glastonbury Tor, Burrow Mump and the Burton Pynsent Monument clearly visible.  The low ridge of the Polden Hills can be seen and the Mendip Hills are on the horizon.  A pair of binoculars and a good map add to the pleasure of spotting these and other landmarks. 

Looking north-east from Staple Hill on the Blackdown Hills.  Spot the Burton Pynsent Monument near Curry Rivel. 

The view to the north-east from Staple Hill on the Blackdown Hills across the Somerset Levels to the Mendips. 

The Battle of Sedgemoor near Westonzoyland in Somerset. The last battle fought on English soil.

Today is the anniversary of The Battle of Sedgemoor which took place in 1685 near Westonzoyland in Somerset, it was also the last major battle to be fought on English soil.

R. Ernest Dupuy and Trevor N. Dupuy in The Collins Encyclopedia of Military History, (BCA,1993) write succinctly of the Battle:

"Monmouth's Rebellion.  The Duke of Monmouth, leading a Protestant revolt as pretender to the English throne, landed in Dorsetshire with 82 men.  After recruiting considerable local support, he led a desperate attack against a Royal army commanded by Louis Duras, Earl of Faversham at Sedgemoor (July 6), was repulsed and the rebellion crushed.  Monmouth was captured and beheaded."

The memorial to those who died and suffered during and after the Battle of Sedgemoor.  It stands to the north west of the village of Westonzoyland in Somerset.

The inscription on the memorial plaque reads:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO DOING THE RIGHT AS THEY GAVE IT FELL IN THE BATTLE OF SEDGEMOOR 6TH  JULY 1685 AND LIE BURIED IN THIS FIELD OR WHO FOR THEIR SHARE IN THE FIGHT SUFFERED DEATH PUNISHMENT OR TRANSPORTATION.  PRO PATRIA.

A rhine crosses the battlefield at Sedgemoor. Such obstacles thwarted Monmouth's surprise night attack on the King's forces.

My visit to the battlefield memorial took place on July 5 – a very warm day.  I left the car in the shade of the hedge opposite the village hall in Cheer Lane, just off Monmouth Road.  Returning to Monmouth Road and turning right brings you to Bussex Farm and an information board giving details of the Rebellion and Battle.  Turning west and walking between the rhines along Bussex Drove the going was firm due to the recent dry weather.  Taking the first track to the right leads to the memorial enclosure and more information boards. There you will find a convenient bench on which to rest and view the battlefield, the Quantocks to the west and the Poldens to the north.  The tower of St. Mary’s Church in Westonzoyland was visible, through the treetops, to the south east. 

The memorial is surrounded by four unusual toadstool-like stone monuments with weather-worn inscriptions commemorating battles from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well as the First and Second World Wars. 

I enjoyed a very peaceful walk to and from the memorial and came across only three people during that time: one young woman walking her dog; a cyclist traversing a field; and a lone car driver who drove carefully along the track to the memorial, something I would not attempt if the ground was wet – for obvious reasons.

St. Mary’s Church in Westonzoyland has an excellent visitor centre with exhibits and information on the Battle of Sedgemoor and the Monmouth Rebellion.  Here is a link:

http://www.zoylandheritage.co.uk/index.htm

St Mary's Church in the village of Westonzoyland.  500 rebels were captured and held inside after the battle.

Walton Hill in the Polden Hills. An unrivalled view over the Somerset Levels.

Walton Hill is on the ridge of the Polden Hills just south of Street in Somerset.  The National Trust owns and manages the hill, but be aware that the former windmill, just along the ridge to west, is a private residence.  Walton Hill overlooks, and takes its name from, the nearby village of Walton which dates back to Saxon times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book as belonging to The Church.

The view north from Walton Hill over the village of Walton to the Mendip Hills.  Crook Peak is on the horizon above and just to the right of the spire of Holy Trinity Church.

I approached in a westerly direction from the crossroads where the B3151 passes over the Poldens at the top of Collard Hill.  Just over a mile from the crossroads is a convenient parking area only a short and gently sloping walk from the 269 feet high summit of Walton Hill. 

There is an orientation monument at the summit which illustrates the landmarks visible in the wonderful panoramic view.  They include: Lollover Hill and Dundon Hill nearby to the south; the village of High Ham and Stembridge Tower Mill to the south west; the Wellington Monument is visible on a clear day, using binoculars, 23 miles away on the Blackdown Hills; to the west is King’s Sedgemoor with Bridgwater and the Quantock Hills beyond; to the north west are Brent Knoll, Brean Down and the Bristol Channel; the Mendip Hills to the north lie parallel to the Polden Hills with the plain of East Sedgemoor between the two ranges.

The view along the southern slopes of the Polden Hills towards Bridgwater and the Quantock Hills beyond.

The view from Walton Hill across The Levels to the Blackdown Hills. 

Although the Poldens never rise above 300 feet they give an unrivalled view over the Somerset Levels.  For those fit enough to explore it, the 6 mile long footpath of the Polden Way runs from Walton Hill south east to Hurcot Hill near Somerton.

The Admiral Hood Monument near Butleigh in the parish of Compton Dundon, Somerset.

Whenever I drive up the B3151 to Street my attention is drawn to the Admiral Hood Monument rising above the treetops on the wooded hillsides north and east of the village of Compton Dundon.  Having never visited the Monument, a couple of weeks ago I decided to take a closer look.

At the crossroads at the crest of Collard Hill I turned right off the B3151 and followed the road through the woods and along the ridge which forms the south eastern extremity of the Polden Hills.  I parked in a convenient lay-by on Collard Hill and set off in a south easterly direction along a public footpath.  I soon came upon open ground which gave picturesque views over Compton Dundon to Dundon Hill and Lollover Hill and beyond Somerton Moor to Ham Hill.  I now had a clear view of the Hood Monument rising above the trees and followed the footpath towards it.  After crossing a tarmac lane I entered thick woodland where the path twisted and turned up a very steep hillside – 5 steps at a time for an asthmatic like me – and suddenly came upon a small clearing and the Monument.

The Admiral Hood Monument on Windmill Hill near Butleigh in the parish of Compton Dundon in Somerset.

Standing amongst the trees on Windmill Hill, the Monument is a Tuscan column on a square plinth* 110 feet high.  It was paid for by public subscription and built in 1831 to a design by architect Henry Goodridge.  Atop the column are stone carvings of the decorative sterns and billowing sails of Napoleonic-era warships. 

Stone carvings atop the Admiral Hood Monument.

From the foot of the Monument the view of the surrounding countryside is obscured by trees to the east and west and bushes to the south.  However, to the north an avenue between the trees allows a dramatic view of Glastonbury Tor, just over three miles away, and to the Mendip Hills on the horizon.  

The view of Glastonbury Tor and the Mendip Hills from the foot of the Admiral Hood Monument.

Sir Samuel Hood played a major part in the Battle of the Nile on August 1st 1798, perhaps the most significant action of his career.  In command of HMS ZEALOUS he accompanied HMS GOLIATH, commanded by Thomas Foley, which led the attack on the French fleet in Aboukir Bay.

Hood and Foley were members of Nelson’s “Band of Brothers”, a phrase coined by Nelson to describe his Captains when writing his despatches after the Battle of the Nile.

At the time of the Battle of Trafalgar Hood was recovering from the loss of his right arm.  His elbow had been shattered by a musket ball while, in command of HMS CENTAUR, he led a successful action against 5 French frigates off Rochefort on 25^th September 1805.  Keen to return to active service he declined commands ashore and went back to sea, once again aboard HMS CENTAUR, in 1807.

Hood died of malaria in Madras on 24^th December 1814 while Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Fleet.

An illustrious naval family.

Sir Samuel Hood, to whom the Hood Monument is dedicated, should not be confused with his cousin Samuel Hood, Viscount Hood.  Viscount Hood had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Navy which included commands during the American War of Independence.  He was also present at the Battle of the Saintes, an action in 1782 which decisively removed the threat of a French and Spanish invasion of Jamaica and repaired the Royal Navy’s reputation after a series of American and French victories.  Viscount Hood’s younger brother Alexander Hood, Viscount Bridport, also had a long career in the Royal Navy including being second in command to Lord Howe during the battle of The Glorious First of June.  The battle, in 1794, was fought 400 miles west of Ushant when a Royal Navy fleet of 25 ships captured or put out of action 7 ships of a French fleet of 26.  Both sides claimed success as a large merchant convoy under the protection of the French fleet escaped unscathed. 

Sir Samuel Hood had two brothers who also served in the Royal Navy.  Arthur Hood was lost at sea in the sloop HMS POMONA in August 1776 during a hurricane in the West Indies.  Captain Alexander Hood was mortally wounded on April 2^nd 1798 while in command of HMS MARS during a bloody but victorious battle with the French ‘74’ HERCULE near the Pointe du Raz off the coast of Brittany.

In 1916 Rear Admiral Sir Horace Hood, the great-great-grandson of Viscount Hood, was in command of the Third Battlecruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland and was among those lost when his flagship HMS INVINCIBLE was hit in a magazine and blew up.  On August 22nd 1918 his widow Ellen, Lady Hood, christened and launched the majestic battlecruiser HMS HOOD which was later to be sunk by the magnificent German battleship BISMARCK on the 24th May 1941 during the Battle of the Denmark Strait.




*Inscription on plinth.

North East side.

In memory of Sir Samuel Hood, Baronet, Knight of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath and nominated Grand Cross thereof,  Knight of St Ferdinand and of Merit.  Knight Grand Order of the Sword.  Vice Admiral of the White and Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty’s Fleet in the East Indies.

North West side.

An officer of the highest distinction among the illustrious men who rendered their own age the brightest period in the naval history of their country. 

South West side.

This monument is dedicated to their late Commander by the attachment and reverence of British Officers of whom many were his admiring followers in the awful scenes of war in which while they call forth the grandest quality of human nature in him likewise gave occasion for the exercise of its most amiable virtues.  He died at Madras December 24th 1814. 

Ashton Windmill on the Isle of Wedmore in Somerset.

Ashton Windmill is an 18th century flour mill on the Isle of Wedmore in Somerset.  The mill stopped working in 1927.  I decided to go and have a look at it while driving south on the A38; it is easy to find by turning east off the A38 at Lower Weare and just following the road for about 2 miles.  The windmill is about 50 yards from the road and a convenient lay-by.

It was very peaceful - there was no-one else around during the visit - with views of the Mendip Hills to the north and the Polden Hills to the south.   The windmill stands on a ridge at a height of 141 feet so, unsurprisingly, there was a refreshing breeze which my wife and I enjoyed for about 40 minutes before heading back to the A38.

Ashton Windmill is in the care of Sedgemoor District Council, more information and details of when it is open can be found here:
 http://www.sedgemoor.gov.uk/museums

Ashton Windmill on the Isle of Wedmore in Somerset.
 

The Battle of Cynuit near Combwich in Somerset. Key to King Alfred's decisive victory over the Danes at Edington.

My interest in Combwich and the Battle of Cynuit was aroused in a rather roundabout fashion which began with a newspaper article on an aspect of Cornish nationalism.  Apparently Cornish nationalists have come up with the idea of place names on signposts being in English and Cornish in order to promote the Cornish language.  The thought struck me that something similar could be done here in Somerset in order to preserve and promote the Somerset dialect.  So, I consulted my copy of Roger Evans’ Don’t Tell I, Tell ‘Ee!  An affectionate look at the Somerset dialect (Countryside Books, 2008).  In the chapter on the pronunciation of Somerset place names, alongside the more well-known Weston-super-Mare pronounced “Wessun” and Crewkerne pronounced “Crook-urn”, was Combwich pronounced “Cummidge”.

I had never come across Combwich before so I went back to the bookshelves for a little more research.  Combwich is mentioned in most histories and guides on Somerset.  However, in Ralph Whitlock’s Somerset (Batsford, 1975) and the Reverend E.H.Smith’s Happy Memories of West Somerset in 100 Pictures (1945) there is mention of the Battle of Cynuit.  Further reading revealed the significance of the fighting which took place in this quiet corner of Somerset over eleven hundred years ago.

Cynuit – the key to victory.  In the year 878AD the Anglo-Saxon campaign against the Danes begun in Somerset, and led by Alfred the Great, saved the Kingdom of Wessex and thus determined the future of English nationhood and western Christian civilisation.

It could be argued that the key to Alfred’s campaign and ultimate victory over the Danes at Edington (Ethandune) was the earlier battle of Cynuit (or Cynwit) near Combwich, a village on the west bank of the River Parrett.

A view of the harbour at Combwich on the west bank of the River Parrett.

Following his escape from Chippenham and flight to Somerset Alfred conducted a guerrilla campaign from his fortress on the Isle of Athelney against Guthrum and his Danes based in the Polden Hills.

Guthrum, unable to get to grips with Alfred’s forces because of the lakes and marshes around Athelney, sent for ships and men of the Danish fleet which had wintered over in Wales.  Consequently the Dane Hubba sailed with 23 ships and 1400 men for the River Parrett intending to force a passage upriver toward the Isle of Athelney.  However, Hubba’s progress was halted where the river narrows at Combwich, by Odda, Alderman of Devonshire, and his Saxons.  Hubba and his men disembarked and battle commenced. 

Under ferocious Danish assault the Saxons were forced to retreat inland to the hill-fort of Cynuit (the present day site of Cannington Park) one and a half miles south west from Combwich.  The Danes, confident of success, prepared to lay siege to the fort, but the next morning Odda and his Saxons, with nothing to lose, launched a counter attack.  Hubba and 850 (some sources say 1,200) of his men were slain, the survivors fled to their ships.  Odda and his victorious Saxons then made their way to Athelney to bolster King Alfred’s forces on his island fortress.



Cynuit hill-fort viewed from the east.  The hill, the present day site of Cannington Park, is 262ft high.

Guthrum’s Danes on the Polden Hills were now constantly harassed by Saxon raiders from Athelney.  Meanwhile, Alfred travelled to Egbert’s Stone on the east of Selwood in Wiltshire where an army of Saxons from Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire was gathering.

Alfred led his Saxon army west from Wiltshire to the Polden Hills then on along the ridge to Edington (Ethandune) where the Danes, demoralised and lacking reinforcements after the Battle of Cynuit,  were decisively defeated.

Evidence of battle.  There is, of course the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the writings of Asser, Alfred’s official biographer, to ponder.  Physical evidence has been found in quarries in the vicinity of Cynuit as the Reverend E.H.Smith reports: “As mute witnesses of the severity of the battle men’s bones are constantly being exhumed above the quarry now being worked on the site of the fight – in fact the writer has himself picked up and examined many, and at widely different dates, as fresh areas of quarry are opened out.”

An alternative history.  Yes, yes I know, Hubba could have been a Viking, Cynuit might have been in Devonshire at Contisbury Hill or Castle Hill near Beaford while Edington in Wiltshire is suggested as “Ethandune”.  However, in my view history is fifty per cent fact and fifty per cent opinion, so, especially as I was born in the county, I am happy to support the judgement that all the action took place in Somerset!

      

 

 

Burrow Mump, near Burrowbridge, in South Somerset. Outpost of King Alfred's final redoubt in Anglo-Saxon Wessex.

Burrow Mump, near Burrowbridge and the confluence of the Rivers Tone and Parrett, was an eastern outpost of King Alfred the Great's fortress on the Isle of Athelney - the King's final redoubt in Anglo-Saxon Wessex.

Seen from the National Trust car park, just off the A361, Burrow Mump is certainly no Glastonbury Tor but a gentle climb to its 79 feet high summit is rewarded with some memorable panoramic views.


The ruined chapel dedicated to St Michael atop Burrow Mump.  On the south wall is a memorial plaque including the words: "That the men and women of Somerset who died serving their country in the Second World War may be remembered here in time to come."

To the north, 13 miles away across Sedgemoor, the upper slopes of Brent Knoll are visible, Glastonbury Tor can be seen to the east.  The Burton Pynsent Monument near Curry Rivel is conspicuous to the south, while  the Wellington Monument on the Blackdown Hills is discernible in the far south west.

Following the decisive Battle of Edington (Ethandune), King Alfred had the defeated Danish king baptised in the village of Aller which lies at the western foot of Aller Hill 2.5 miles south east of the Mump.  Edington, 6 miles north on the far side of the Polden Hills, is suggested by some historians to be "Ethandune", the site of Alfred's victory, rather than Edington in Wiltshire.  Being from Somerset, I am happy to support this theory!

The view south-east across Southlake Moor.  The western slopes of Aller Hill and the village of Aller are at the top left.