Summary
The monument includes a motte castle formed from the top of a natural conical hill, with a terraced track spiralling up to it, an unfinished church on the summit, and field and settlement features on the lower slopes.
Identification Images (0)
Most Recent Monitoring
None Recorded
Monument Types
- FORTIFICATION (Saxon - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
Description
Evidence for Saxon activity on Burrow Mump is sketchy, and much of it has traditional associations with Athelney. A fort built in A.D. 878, by Alfred, on Athelney, during his fight against the Danes, was described by Asser, Bishop of Sherborne, and Alfred's biographer, as 'surrounded on all sides by a very great swamp and impassable marshes', and approachable only by punts or by a bridge. He stated that the bridge connecting it to the 'mainland' ran between two fortresses. One of these was long thought to be Burrow Mump. However, this is unlikely since it is clear that the bridge crossed a branch of the River Tone between Athelney and Lyng, a place mentioned in the Burghal Hidage ( Hill 1967, p. 64-66), a list describing the defensive system of Alfred and his successor, Edward the Elder. Nonetheless Burrow Mump, in its prominent position and with its obvious natural advantages, may have played some part in the defensive scheme, controlling the east flank of Athelney ( Thackray 1980).
References
- --- SZN1472 - Monograph: D W R Thackray. 1980. Burrow Mump, Somerset.
- --- SZN9541 - Article in serial: D Hill. 1967. The Burghal Hideage - Lyng. 111.
Other Statuses and References
- National Monuments Record Reference: ST33SE10
Associated Events
None Recorded
Associated Finds
None Recorded