Sedgemoor Battlefield

The Duke of Monmouth - illegitimate son of King Charles II - was seen by many as the true Protestant successor to the throne, rather than the actual successor, Charles's brother James, who was both Catholic and widely unpopular. In 1685, Monmouth landed in the West Country with the aim of raising an army and marching on London to claim the crown. However, his army was made up of poorly armed agricultural workers who were out-matched by the professional army James sent to stop them. Monmouth realized that his men would be defeated in a regular field battle and decided to ambush his opponents while they were camped outside the village of Westonzoyland on the edge of Sedgemoor. He hoped that under the cover of darkness, they would surprise the camp and overwhelm James's soldiers before they had time to organize themselves. Unfortunately, the night of the attack was very foggy and Sedgemoor proved much more difficult to navigate, especially as it was broken up by drainage ditches known locally as 'rhines', which could only be crossed at certain points. As Monmouth's army tried to find a way to cross the rhine in front of the camp, a shot was fired which alerted the Royal army that an attack was under way. With the element of surprise lost, Monmouth's army was defeated; many were killed on the battlefield and many more in the pursuit as they fled the fighting. Monmouth fled on horseback, but was discovered hiding in a ditch two days later. He was brought to London and executed - the executioner botching his beheading so badly that he was forced to complete it with a knife. The rebels were relentlessly pursued, and under the direction of the infamous 'hanging judge', Judge Jeffreys, hundreds of people were accused of assisting the rebellion - even in the smallest of ways, such as shaking Monmouth's hand - and sentenced to death or transportation for life. The extreme and brutal reprisals of Judge Jeffreys have secured his place as an infamous figure in both history and folklore. There are fairly standard reports of shadowy figures on the battlefield and the sound of phantom drums - which are a common feature of battlefield hauntings - but there are a couple of more unusual ones worth mentioning. In the 1930s, a London journalist was travelling late at night across Sedgemoor in foggy conditions. He was forced to brake sharply as a man riding a large horse loomed up directly in front of him. Slowing down to pass the horseman, the journalist wished him a 'good evening', but the rider stared directly ahead and did not appear to see him. It was at that point that the journalist realized he could not hear the horse's hooves striking the road, and was even more surprised when the horseman suddenly spurred his horse forward, jumped over a bridge and disappeared. Stopping his car, the journalist got out but could see no sign of horse or rider - or indeed a bridge! The anniversary of the battle is said to be particularly active in paranormal terms. Local people have reported seeing the ghostly figure of Monmouth, wearing a large cloak and desperately riding away from the battlefield. Likewise, phantom members of his army have also been seen fleeing from the site, dressed in 17th century clothing and carrying period weapons. Not just those who fought are said to return to the field, but also those who mourned them. The site of a grave-mound, under which the bodies of the rebels are believed to lie, is alleged to be haunted by a 'White Lady', wringing her hands and wailing, before raising her arms above her head and throwing herself onto the grave-mound and weeping bitterly. According to local legend, she was the lover of a champion runner who was captured and hanged by King James's soldiers; in her grief, she lost all reason and ended up dying on the grave-mound where her lover was buried. A little further away, on the Stogursey-Bridgwater road, a ghostly redcoat of the king's army was said to be seen appearing at a crossroads in a wandering, confused state. Thought to be a deserter hanged at the spot, the ghost was apparently laid when workmen discovered a skeleton buried in a shallow grave, wearing the apparent remnants of a red coat. The skeleton was removed and the ghost was seen no more. Another Somerset landmark - the Hoddon Oak, cut down in 1979 - was said to have had six rebels hanged in chains from its branches, and local people claimed to have heard moaning and the clanking of chains coming from the tree when passing. Some people refused to go near the tree at night, although the noises could also be heard in daylight.