Burrow Mump
Encyclopedia
Burrow Mump is a hill and historic site overlooking Southlake Moor
in the village of Burrowbridge
in Taunton Deane
, Somerset
, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
. Burrow Mump is also known as St Michael's Borough or Tutteyate. Both words Burrow and Mump mean hill.
sandstone
capped by Keuper marl
standing at a strategic point where the River Tone
and the old course of the River Cary
join the River Parrett
.
Archeological surveys have shown some Roman
material and three medieval pits. It is likely that it was a Norman
motte
with a terraced track which spirals around the hill to reach it. It probably served as a natural outwork to the defended royal island of Athelney
at the end of the 9th century.
Excavations have shown evidence of a 12th century masonry building on the top of the hill. The first recorded writing mentioning this site is from William Worcester
in about 1480 when he referred to it as Myghell-borough. A medieval church dedicated to St Michael, belonging to the Athelney Abbey
, dates from at least the mid 15th century. This formed a sanctuary for royalist troops
in in 1642 and 1645 during the English Civil War
, and a detachment of the king's army occupied it in 1685 during the course of the Monmouth Rebellion
.
with red brick and Ham stone dressings. The attempt at total rebuilding ended in failure to collect enough money, despite donations from Pitt the Younger and Admiral Hood, and a church for the community was built instead at the foot of the hill (Burrowbridge
) in 1838. The ruined church is one of the churches dedicated to St. Michael that falls on a ley line
proposed by John Michell
. Other connected St. Michaels on the ley line include churches built at Othery
and Glastonbury Tor
.
were presented, in 1946, by Major Alexander Gould Barrett, to the National Trust
and serve as a memorial to the 11,281 Somerset men whop lost their lives during the first
and second world wars
. The ruin was classified as a Grade II listed building in 1963.
Southlake Moor
Southlake Moor is a 196.1 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrow Mump and Burrowbridge in Somerset, notified in 1985....
in the village of Burrowbridge
Burrowbridge
Burrowbridge is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Parrett and A361 road south east of Bridgwater in the Taunton Deane district on the edge of the Somerset Levels...
in Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
. Burrow Mump is also known as St Michael's Borough or Tutteyate. Both words Burrow and Mump mean hill.
Geology and early use
It is a natural 24 metres (78.7 ft) high hill of TriassicTriassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
capped by Keuper marl
Keuper marl
Keuper marl is the former name for a layer of mudstones and siltstones from the late Triassic period . Typically red, or occasionally...
standing at a strategic point where the River Tone
River Tone
The River Tone is a river in Somerset, England, which is about long. It rises at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues through Taunton and Curry and Hay Moors, which are designated as a Site of Special...
and the old course of the River Cary
River Cary
The River Cary is a river in Somerset, England.The River Cary has its source at Park Pond in Castle Cary, and then flows southwest through Cary Moor to Babcary, where there is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Babcary Meadows and Cary Fitzpaine. It then flows northwest through...
join the River Parrett
River Parrett
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...
.
Archeological surveys have shown some Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
material and three medieval pits. It is likely that it was a Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
motte
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
with a terraced track which spirals around the hill to reach it. It probably served as a natural outwork to the defended royal island of Athelney
Athelney
Athelney is located between the villages of Burrowbridge and East Lyng in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. The area is known as the Isle of Athelney, because it was once a very low isolated island in the 'very great swampy and impassable marshes' of the Somerset Levels. Much of the...
at the end of the 9th century.
Excavations have shown evidence of a 12th century masonry building on the top of the hill. The first recorded writing mentioning this site is from William Worcester
William Worcester
William Worcester , was an English chronicler and antiquary.-Life:He was a son of William of Worcester, a Bristol citizen, and is sometimes called William Botoner, his mother being a daughter of Thomas Botoner from Catalonia....
in about 1480 when he referred to it as Myghell-borough. A medieval church dedicated to St Michael, belonging to the Athelney Abbey
Athelney Abbey
Athelney Abbey, established in the county of Somerset, England, was founded by King Alfred in 888, as a religious house for monks of the Order of St. Benedict. It was dedicated to our Blessed Saviour, St. Peter, St. Paul, and St...
, dates from at least the mid 15th century. This formed a sanctuary for royalist troops
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
in in 1642 and 1645 during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, and a detachment of the king's army occupied it in 1685 during the course of the Monmouth Rebellion
Monmouth Rebellion
The Monmouth Rebellion,The Revolt of the West or The West Country rebellion of 1685, was an attempt to overthrow James II, who had become King of England, King of Scots and King of Ireland at the death of his elder brother Charles II on 6 February 1685. James II was a Roman Catholic, and some...
.
18th century rebuilding
In 1793, the church was rebuilt with a west tower, 3-bay nave and south porch, in squared and coursed liasLias Group
The Lias Group or Lias is a lithostratigraphic unit found in a large area of western Europe, including the British Isles, the North Sea, the low countries and the north of Germany...
with red brick and Ham stone dressings. The attempt at total rebuilding ended in failure to collect enough money, despite donations from Pitt the Younger and Admiral Hood, and a church for the community was built instead at the foot of the hill (Burrowbridge
Burrowbridge
Burrowbridge is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Parrett and A361 road south east of Bridgwater in the Taunton Deane district on the edge of the Somerset Levels...
) in 1838. The ruined church is one of the churches dedicated to St. Michael that falls on a ley line
Ley line
Ley lines are alleged alignments of a number of places of geographical and historical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths, natural ridge-tops and water-fords...
proposed by John Michell
John Michell
John Michell was an English natural philosopher and geologist whose work spanned a wide range of subjects from astronomy to geology, optics, and gravitation. He was both a theorist and an experimenter....
. Other connected St. Michaels on the ley line include churches built at Othery
Othery
The parish and village of Othery, established in 1515, sits on a detached extension of Sowy island on the Somerset Levels. It is east of Bridgwater and north-west of Langport. It borders the hamlets and villages of Pathe, Burrowbridge, Middlezoy, Westonzoyland and Aller, which it meets at Beer Wall...
and Glastonbury Tor
Glastonbury Tor
Glastonbury Tor is a hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, which features the roofless St. Michael's Tower. The site is managed by the National Trust. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument ....
.
Memorial
The hill and ruined roofless nave with the remains of the porch, some window openings without traceryTracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
were presented, in 1946, by Major Alexander Gould Barrett, to the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and serve as a memorial to the 11,281 Somerset men whop lost their lives during the first
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and second world wars
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The ruin was classified as a Grade II listed building in 1963.
External links
- "Burrow Mump" - a 360° panoramic view from the top of Burrow Mump