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The camp is an Iron Age hillfort sited in woodland and the course of the Roman Road known as the Devil’s Highway runs Eat-West half a mile to the South. This might be the source of the phantom footsteps heard at the Camp one night during WWII by two women who lived in a house that has now been demolished. They were aware of what sounded like voices and soldiers marching, but nothing could be seen. On another occasion, one of the women also saw the ghost of a red-haired man standing by her bed.
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Beedon Barrow (on Burrow Hill). Legend has it that a man named Burrow was buried here in a gold or silver coffin. It is also supposed to be a fairy dwelling, and ploughman who broke his ploughshare found it had been mended by them while he was away fetching tools. It was believed that the barrow could not be ploughed away; it would always remain the same. Desecration of the barrow by digging was said to bring on a thunderstorm; this apparently happened in the 19th Century.
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The Fairy’s Toot is a damaged burial chamber which was said to be the home of fairies and goblins, and to be haunted – strange noises have been heard here.
I've not been to the site but it is still shown on the OS Explorer map.
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The healing properties of Bath’s mineral springs were said to have been discovered by Prince Bladud around 900BC. Banished from court because of his leprosy, he became a swineherd. When the pigs were suffering from cracked skins he took them done to a marsh where the warm water gave off steam which healed them so completely that Bladud immersed himself and cured his leprosy.
You will find Bladud references dotted around Bath (e.g. the Bladud Arms pub and Bladud Buildings)
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A deep channel in the hillside was said to have been dug by the Devil, who was trying to drown the local people in anger at their religious enthusiasm. He was hurrying to dig as far as the sea before daybreak, but a cock crowed - the Devil, hearing that sound and seeing an old woman’s candle, thought the sun was rising and abandoned his task. He is said to be buried along with his wife in two mounds on the hill. Apparently this is rare because the Devil’s wife rarely appears in British legend! Interesting marriage.
Note earthworks, fort, barrows etc in the general area.
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An underground passage at least a mile long is said to lead from Montacute House to Ham Hill. Ham Hill is the site of a huge 210-acre hillfort, one of the largest in Britain. Although it is now much damaged by quarrying there are apparently still some very impressive ramparts to be seen.
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As is often the case, there are alternative versions of the tales below - other versions say the Devil was throwing it at Blindon Abbey or Salisbury Cathedral. Another name for it is the Devil’s Anvil.
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It was believed that the fairies would dance on this hill at midnight on Midsummer Eve. Gold was supposed to be hidden underground. Little trace apparently remains of the Iron Age hillfort on the summit.
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There have been many suggestions as to what the Long man represents, including a warrior, a god, or the giant who was killed by the Firle Beacon giant. Another legend has it that the long man fell and broke his neck, his body being outlined in chalk where he lay before it was buried in a long barrow on the hilltop. A Roman in a golden coffin is said to lie buried beneath the Long man.
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The long barrow on the hill was said to be the burial place of a giant who lived up here. he regularly quarrelled with another giant on Windover Hill and they would throw boulders at one another; one of them struck and killed the Windover giant, who can still be seen on the hillside (cf The Long man of Wilmington). there is also said to be a silver coffin buried somewhere on Firle Beacon.
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An Iron Age hillfort crowns this hill, traditionally formed from a clod of earth thrown here by the Devil while feverishly digging out the Devil’s Dyke. Another legend says that a giant called Gill who reputedly lived on the Downs would throw his hammer from the summit of the Caburn. Somewhere in the hill a silver coffin and a knight in golden armour are said to be buried.
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The church apparently stands on an ancient mound, although legend says that originally it was intended to be built elsewhere. Each morning the builders found their work destroyed and the stones thrown over on to the mound. They didn’t know whether to persist in the original location or move the site, but when ‘wise men’ saw 4 oxen lying on the mound in the shape of a cross this was taken as a sign that the church should be built there.
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Following a battle at this hillfort a dragon was said to have been formed by ‘spontaneous generation’ from the pile of dead bodies. It terrorised the neighbourhood until it was killed by a local hero known as Fulk Fitzwarine. The events are commemorated on a carved and painted rood-screen (circa 1500) in the church (or did the rood screen inspire the dragon tale?).
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I've read something a bit confusing about the remains of the prehistoric tomb being connected with a 10th Century battle, but according to legend they were thrown here in a contest between the Devil and a giant as mentioned in Rhiannon's post. On the leaning stone the Devil’s handprint can apparently be seen but I've not yet been to this site....
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Dunkery Hill was supposedly formed when the Devil was digging out the Punchbowl on Winsford Hill - he dumped the rock and soil to form Dunkery Hill. On the north-east promontory are several large Bronze Age stone Cairns. Two of them are called Joaney How and Robin How, but there is no surviving folklore to explain these names. One suggestion is that they derive from Robin Hood and Little John.
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When the Devil first say the Mendip Hills they were smooth in outline, and legend has it that he decided to spoil them by digging out a deep channel which became the Gorge. His first spadeful of rock and soil was thrown out to sea to become the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm (off of Weston Super Mare). The next load became Brent Knoll. He also meant to destroy the Minehead and Watchet area but when he jumped over the River Parrett the basketload of soil he was carrying flew off in several directions.
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Robin Hood was said to have used these three barrows for target practice, but it was also believed that the bodies of warriors killed in battles between the Danes and Saxons (or in the Civil War) were buried there. Another tradition is that they were formed by giants throwing clods of earth at one another. The largest mound is supposed to conceal a hoard of gold but no one could reach it because however much they dug, the holes would fill up again overnight.
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I've read similar things, re an underground passages and snakes. It was also believed that fairies could be seen dancing on Cissbury at midnight on Midsummer Eve.
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Fairies are believed to dance in a stone circle near to Huccaby Tor - I guess it’s this one??
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Folklore says it was thrown here by the Devil and now cannot be moved; it has proved impossible to shift, even when using horses.
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My real name is Martin, but there is already a Martin vigorously posting on this fantastic web site so I decided to use 'Pure Joy'; which was the title of the Teardrop Explodes and Julian Cope fanzine that I set up in 1988 and ran until 1991/2. Strangely my interest in ancient sites pre-dates the knowledge that Julian was also into them. However Julian's book has certainly led me to visit more, and plan holidays and pit-stops around places to visit! Studying History (and International Relations) at Uni and coming from the West Country led to a healthy fascination with ancient sites and the countryside.
I was born in 1970 in Colerne, a historic village between Bath and Chippenham (mentioned in the Domesday Book) and have spent time in Bath, Reading, Manchester, West Africa, and Ethiopia. I'm currently living near London, but itching to live in the countryside, preferably Cornwall, or Africa. Reality check! little money and inertia creep.
Most of my working life has been in the voluntary sector, usually by supporting voluntary and community groups with advice and information. I enjoy doing quite a bit of voluntary work with our Credit Union, and as an elected Council member of the National Trust.
I'm no photography expert but I like to take photos (nearly always black and white) of places I visit. Some of the earlier ones looked good but it was only with a £25 point and shoot camera that was amazing unreliable. I've now got an old Pentax SLR, but at the moment I refuse to use filters and special effects. You get what you see.
Up side of ancient site = the sense of history, the countryside, the walk, the sense of adventure, the tranquillity, and the weird things that sometimes happen.
Downside = the loneliness, territorial cows, and the cravings to get back to the countryside
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