Burrow Mump is a hill and historic site overlookingSouthlake Moor in the village ofBurrowbridge within the English county ofSomerset. It is ascheduled monument, with a never completed church on top of the hill a Grade IIlisted building.
The hill stands at a strategic location overlooking the point where theRiver Tone and the old course of theRiver Cary join theRiver Parrett. Although there is some evidence of Roman visitation, the first fortification of the site was the construction of aNormanmotte. It has been called King Alfred's Fort, however there is no proof of use byAlfred the Great. A medieval church was built on the hill in the 15th century. The current ruined church on top of the hill was built in 1793. The land and ruin were donated to theNational Trust in 1946 as a war memorial.
The hill is 24 metres (79 ft) high,[1] and stands at a strategic point where theRiver Tone and the old course of theRiver Cary join theRiver Parrett, above the surrounding low-lying land of theSomerset Levels.[2] It is made ofTriassicsandstone capped byKeuper marl ascribed to theMercia Mudstone Group.[2][3]
Burrow Mump is also known as St Michael's Borough or Tutteyate.[4] Both words 'burrow' and 'mump' mean hill.[5] There is also an alternative translation for the name 'burrows' deriving from 'burh helow' meaning 'the refuge fort' and munp meaning 'a hill' so this becomes 'the refuge fort on the hill', this is very near Lyng which is where one of the Burghal Hideage forts recorded for King Alfred is located.[6]
Archaeological surveys have shown someRoman material including a piece of pottery[7] and coins found nearby which, possibly linked to its situation at a river junction, may indicate its use for trade.[8][9][10] Square pits, one of which may have been a well and post holes from theMiddle Ages have been identified during excavations, these may have been from anadulterine castle.[11][12][13] It is likely that it was aNormanmotte with a terraced track that spirals around the hill to reach it.[14] The plateau at the top is 45 metres (150 ft) by 25 metres (80 ft) and along with the scarped top of the slope formed the motte, which may have been formed duringThe Anarchy between 1135 and 1153.[12] The site has been calledKing Alfred's Fort, but there is no evidence of it being a fort[13] or having any link with Alfred the Great,[15] apart from its ownership by the nearbyAthelney Abbey which he established and was linked to Burrow Mump by a causeway.[16][17][18] It may have served as a naturaloutwork to the defended royal island ofAthelney at the end of the 9th century.[19]
Excavations have shown evidence of a 12th-century masonry building on the top of the hill, which may be from the probable adulterine castle.[7] The side of the mound may have been terraced for agricultural use due to much of the surrounding land flooded on a regular basis during the medieval period.[16]
The first recorded writing mentioning this site is fromWilliam Worcester in about 1480 when he referred to it asMyghell-borough. Amedieval church dedicated to St Michael, belonging to the Athelney Abbey,[20] dates from at least the mid-15th century. This formed a sanctuary forroyalist troops in 1642 and 1645 during theEnglish Civil War,[21] and a detachment of the king's army occupied it in 1685 during the course of theMonmouth Rebellion.[15]
In 1793, the church was rebuilt with a west tower, 3-bay nave and south porch, in squared and coursedlias with red brick andHamstone dressings.[12] The attempt at total rebuilding ended in failure to collect enough money, despite donations fromWilliam Pitt the Younger andAdmiral Hood,[14] and a church for the community was built instead at the foot of the hill (Burrowbridge) in 1838.[12] In the mid 20th century the ruin on Burrow Mump underwent some repairs to the north west corner.[12]
The ruined church is one of the churches dedicated to St. Michael that falls on aley line proposed byJohn Michell of the pseudoscientific Earth Mysteries Movement. Other connected St. Michaels on the ley line include churches built atOthery andGlastonbury Tor.[22] However, Michell's ley line is drawn as a straight line on a map across the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall linking his sites, and does not take into account the curvature of the Earth. Churches built on hills were also frequently dedicated to St Michael, and it is just a coincidence that a small scattering of churches dedicated to St Michael are found roughly near to the route of his line.
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The site of 3.573 hectares (8.83 acres) including the hill and ruined church were presented, in 1946, by MajorAlexander Gould Barrett,[23] to theNational Trust and serve as a memorial to the 11,281[24] Somerset men who lost their lives during theFirst andSecond World Wars.[25] The National Trust was taken to court fornuisance after soil from Burrow Mump slipped onto a neighbouring farmer's land.[26] The ruin was classified as a Grade IIlisted building in 1963.[27] It has been aScheduled monument since 1949.[12]
51°04′06″N2°55′14″W / 51.06840°N 2.92049°W /51.06840; -2.92049
