Regarding a noble Sodbury Camp visitor:
Little Sodbury Manor nestles on the slope immediately next to the fort. It had a chapel (uniquely) dedicated to St Aveline – and it was here that William Tyndale preached in the 16th century (he was being hired to teach the children at the manor). William Tyndale was the man who first translated the bible from Hebrew and Greek into English, no less.
The 1857 book, ‘History of the Reformation of the C16th’ by J H Merle d’Aubigné, includes the following line (p181): He would often ramble to the top of Sodbury hill, and there repose amidst the ruins of an ancient Roman camp which crowned the summit. . Which might be romantic fantasy, but I expect it’s actually true. You’d need somewhere to rest your brain after such effort. Of course his efforts weren’t appreciated – there was a law against translating the bible into English – and he had to flee the country.
Apparently Tyndale said to a priest, “If God spare my life, ere many years, I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scriptures than thou doest!” So there, and now we can make our own minds up – plus have lots of phrases we can throw into everyday conversation into the bargain (seek and ye shall find – it’s a sign of the times, o ye of little faith): his work makes up much of the King James version. The poor bloke was eventually arrested, and then strangled and burnt at the stake in the end.
The chapel was destroyed in Victorian times and replaced by the big church further down the road. There is a picture of its ruins, with attendant ancient yew trees, here on David Cloud’s site.
