![]() “King Alfred the Great in the year of Our Lord 879 having been defeated by the Danes, fled for refuge to the Forest of Athelney, where he lay concealed from his enemies for the space of a whole year. But, you’ll find a carving of his face and an inscription of his story that reads It is quite a small monument on the hillside dedicated to King Alfred that has been fenced off to protect it. The statue was erected by John Slade of Maunsel in North Newton to commemorate this important event in history! It was repaired by the Somerset County Council in 1985. King Alfred’s Monument is the only evidence that our once-great king visited here and eventually built his fortress. King Alfred’s Monument King Alfred’s Monument It saw Gurthrum baptised as a Christian and he then became King Guthrum of East Anglia!ĭespite it being a harrowing time, Alfred never forgot the kindness and loyalty he received in the marshes. Peace was eventually made with Guthrum which resulted in the Treaty of Wedmore. He was able to defeat the lead invader Guthrum with allies from Wiltshire, Somerset, and Hampshire. His time here allowed him to plan a strategy to take back Wessex and he went on to launch a surprise counterattack at the Great Battle at Edington. It was the perfect place for Alfred to seek refuge when Wessex fell to the Vikings as the boggy conditions made it impossible to be discovered easily.Īlthough he was stuck here for just over seven weeks, he wasn’t idle! He managed to find time to order Alfred’s Fortress to be constructed in 878. ![]() ![]() The whole area was a huge wetland and water network of ‘impassable marshes’! his daughter, Queen of Merica, was called Æthelflæd.īack in King Alfred’s time, Athelney was a swampy marshland on the Somerset Levels. This was a status reserved only for Saxon nobility eg. Gladly accepting his punishment.Īthelney loosely translates into the Saxon word for ‘prince’, which is ætheling. So, she began to scold him for burning her cakes and beat him with her broomstick.Īccording to the legend, even though he was a royal he didn’t let on and just apologised. They were baking by the fire but as Alfred was just a wee bit distracted by his whole kingdom being taken over by Danes – he left them to burn by mistake!Īs Alfred was keeping a low profile, the lady didn’t realise that this was indeed King Alfred of Wessex. While he was here, the woman asked Alfred to look after her griddle cakes, which were small loaves of bread in Saxon times. In complete contrast to his grand stronghold in Wessex, Alfred was lying low as a common soldier and was taken in by a peasant fisherwoman and her small hut on the marshes. It was the perfect place to hide as the conditions were impassable. He was taken to the swamps of the Somerset marshes and sought refuge in a little place that we know today called the Isle of Athelney. ![]() King Alfred the Great What is the legend where King Alfred burnt cakes?Ĭhristmas Day in 877 for King Alfred the Great was definitely one to remember! Instead of celebrating with his family, he was running for his life as Wessex was overrun with Viking warriors led by Guthrum! ![]()
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