Summary

Barrow Mump survives as a good example of a natural hill utilised in various periods, including as a look-out point in Saxon times, as a Norman castle, and as the location for a later medieval chapel.

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Description

The earliest reference to a church on Burrow Mump is by William of Worcester in 1480, who refers to the hill as "Myghell-borough", an early form of the dedication to St. Michael. It was later referred to in a list of Somerset Chantries of 1548 as 'The Free Chapel of St. Michael', and served that part of the parish of Lyng most remote from the parent church. The church was built on the hill-top for practical reasons, although such sites often attracted shrines, temples and churches throughout pre-Christian and Christian times.
Two engravings, one of 1763 by Bamfylde, and the other of 1774 by Sparrow show the ruins of a church of which much of the architectural detail appears to be late perpendicular. The layout of this church with a central tower was confirmed by the excavations of 1939 ( Gray 1941, p. 108-110) and a north chapel or transept not shown on the engravings was also revealed.
It is uncertain when this church fell into ruins.
Collinson, the Somerset historian, records two bells in Lyng church which came from Burrow Mump. They bear the dates 1607 and 1625 and suggest that the church was still in use at those dates. When Gerard wrote about it in 1633 it was still extant, but in 1645 it was recorded as being in a ruinous condition. In this year, during the Civil War, General Fairfax defeated the Royalist army under General Goring at Langport on the 10th of July. Many of the Royalist troops retreated to the stronghold at Bridgewater, with the exception of those who put up a stand at Aller, and 120 others who sought shelter in the ruined church at Burrow Mump, from were they soon surrendered to a detachment under Colonel Okey. A burial of a young man in the crypt of the church was found during the excavation, with a lead bullet close to his right hip, and it is possible that he was either a victem of this Civil War incident, or of the Battle of Sedgemoor fought in 1685 three miles to the north.
In 1663, 2/4.5d from Corton Dinham was detailed "For Repair of Burrow Chapel".
Erosion by cattle-poaching and rabbit burrowing are likely to have an adverse effect on these foundations and the associated stratification.

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