A  t  h  e  l  n  e  y    P  i  l  l  a  r




A rather plain monument to King Alfred, whose connections with this spot were chronicled by Bishop Asser of nearby Sherbourne who wrote in his work in 888 A.D that :- 'King Alfred, with a few to help him, made a stronghold at a place called Athelney, and thence kept tirelessly making attacks upon the pagans with his Somersetshire retainers'.


Refuge
It seems that Alfred had taken a bit of a downturn in his clashes with the invading Danes led by Guthrum, and had taken refuge at a makeshift fort at Athelney. It was while he was there, and was staying with a local family that he was given the task of baking some food, probably to earn his keep. The story goes that his mind was deep in thought on the Danes, and he forgot the cakes allowing them to burn, hence the origin of a well known childrens` nursery rhyme It may sound cynical, but I would not be surprised to find this tale occurring anywhere that King Alfred had a connection with !
The poor quality photograph of mine was taken from a distance as the footpath to the monument was closed, due to restrictions applied because of the Foot and Mouth crisis.

History records that King Alfred headed for Frome, and after getting together an army, later defeated the Danes at Edington.


Monastery
A monastery was later erected by King Alfred at Athelney, no trace of this is now left, however nearby in 1693, 'King Alfred's Jewel' as it has come to be called, was found. This is a small golden ornament, of enamel and crystal, and has inscribed 'AELFRED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN' ('Alfred ordered me to be made') into its solid gold surround. It is one of the few articles of its kind to survive from this period of time, and is now in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.


Visiting
The monument can be found about a mile west of Burrow Bridge  . Access is from a large lay-by, that was formed when the original road was diverted to its present line.

Co-Ords: 334600 129250 / ST 346292  

Bookmark this Page    

Reproduction of part or all of the contents of any of these pages is prohibited except to the extent permitted below.
These pages may be downloaded onto a hard disk or printed for your personal use without alterations. Any other use needs consent of the web site owner Mr C Curtis :- see Contact Page. These pages may not be included in any other work or publication, or be distributed or copied for any commercial purpose except as stated above.