Leo
 

 

Leo

Burrow Mump

Isle of Athelney

The Isle of Athelney, the hiding-place of Alfred the Great, at the time when the fortunes of England lay trembling in the balance, is a slightly elevated plot of land where the river Parret joins the Tone. In Alfred’s days it was a small island surrounded by an impenetrable morass, and thickly grown with alders. Here tradition places the hut in which the king, deep in thought, allowed the good wife’s cakes to burn. Soon a little band of faithful followers joined Alfred, and together they built a causeway over the marshes, eventually constructing a fort from which successful sallies were made against the Danes in the vicinity. The rally of the Saxons round their intrepid king resulted in the victory of Ethandune, and out of gratitude for his success, Alfred built on the island an abbey, of which a few relics, including the famous Alfred Jewel, remain to-day. 
The Alfred jewel

is an Anglo-Saxon artefact made of enamel and quartz enclosed in gold that was discovered at Petherton Park, North Petherton , in 1693
Batlle of Sedgemoor at Westonzoyland

Monmouth's rebellion against James the Second was defeated here on the banks of the River Parret and Monmouth captured and beheaded .

This was the last battle ever to take place on English soil ,

 

location map -- click to enlarge

 
Athelney is on the edge of the flat valley of Sedgemoor, the scene of Monmouth’s defeat in 1685. The royal troops were quartered in the villages of Weston Zoyland, Middlezoy, and Chedzoy, their headquarters being Weston Zoyland, round which the battle raged most fiercely. Knowing the carelessness that prevailed in the royal camp, Monmouth attempted a night attack. On Sunday night, July 5, therefore, his troops stole out. But they were foiled and trapped by the broad ditches called “rhines,” in which they lost their way in a helpless fashion, and a pistol that went off in the confusion roused the Royalists, with the result that Monmouth’s followers were hopelessly routed, a thousand being slain.

King Alfred's Monument

 

The Isle of Athelney -
When translated from the Anglo-Saxon, the name of the isle, Æthelinga íeg, is often thought to mean the Island of Princes; if correct this might suggest that the island had royal connections prior to Alfred.

wikipedia HERE