Glastonbury Tor: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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'''Glastonbury Tor''' is a ~~hill~~[[tor (rock formation)|tor]] near [[Glastonbury]] in the English county of [[Somerset]], topped by the roofless St Michael's Tower, a Grade I [[Listed building (United Kingdom)|listed building]].<ref name=nhlelb>{{NHLE|desc=St Michael's Church Tower|num=1345475|access-date=26 October 2013}}</ref> The ~~entire~~ site is managed by the [[National Trust]] and has been designated a [[scheduled monument]].<ref name=nhlesm>{{NHLE|desc=St Michael's Church, monastic remains, and other settlement remains on Glastonbury Tor|num=1019390|access-date=26 October 2013}}</ref><ref>{{PastScape|mname=Earthworks Glastonbury Tor|mnumber=196702|access-date=23 March 2011}}</ref> The Tor is mentioned in [[Celtic mythology]], particularly in myths linked to [[King Arthur]], and has several other enduring mythological and spiritual associations.

The conical hill of clay and [[Blue Lias]] rises from the [[Somerset Levels]]. It was formed when surrounding softer deposits were eroded, leaving ~~the~~a hard cap of [[sandstone]] exposed. The slopes of the hill are terraced, but the method by which they were formed remains unexplained.

Archaeological excavations during the 20th century sought to clarify the background of the monument and church, but some aspects of their history remain unexplained. Artefacts from human visitation have been found, dating from the [[Iron Age]] to Roman eras. Several buildings were constructed on the summit during ~~the~~ [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] and [[Early Middle Ages|early medieval periods]]; they have been interpreted as an early church and monks' hermitage. The head of a [[wheel cross]] dating from the 10th or 11th century has been recovered. The original wooden church was destroyed by [[1275 British earthquake|an earthquake in 1275]], and the stone Church of St Michael was built on the site in the 14th century. Its tower remains, although it has been restored and partially rebuilt several times.

==Etymology==

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==Location and landscape==

The Tor is in the middle of the Summerland Meadows, part of the [[Somerset Levels]],{{sfn|Siraut|Thacker|Williamson|2006a|}} rising to an elevation of {{convert|518|ft}}.<ref name=nhlesm/> The plain is reclaimed [[fen]], above which the Tor is clearly visible for miles around. It has been described as an island, but actually sits at the western end of a [[peninsula]] washed on three sides by the [[River Brue]].{{sfn|Hawkins|1989|p=69}}

The Tor is formed from rocks dating from the early [[Jurassic]] Period, namely varied layers of [[Lias Group]] strata. The uppermost of these, forming the Tor itself, are a succession of rocks assigned to the [[Bridport Sand Formation]]. These rocks sit upon strata forming the broader hill on which the Tor stands; the various layers of the [[Beacon Limestone Formation]] and the [[Dyrham Formation]].<ref name="bgs2">{{cite web|url=http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/geologyOfBritain/viewer.html|title=Geology of Britain viewer | British Geological Survey (BGS)|publisher=bgs.ac.uk|access-date=6 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Engineering Geology of British Rocks and Soils — Lias Group|url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/17270/1/OR12032.pdf|publisher=British Geological Survey|access-date=16 November 2013|page=2}}</ref> The Bridport Sands have acted as a [[caprock]], protecting the lower layers from erosion.

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[[Image:Glastonbury Tor from north east showing terraces.jpg|thumb|Terraces on the Tor]]

The sides of the Tor have seven deep, roughly symmetrical terraces, or [[lynchet]]s. Their formation remains a mystery<ref>{{PastScape|mname=Earthworks Glastonbury Tor|mnumber=196702|access-date=27 October 2013}}</ref> with many possible explanations. They may have been formed as a result of natural differentiation of the layers of Lias stone and [[clay]] or used by farmers during the [[Middle Ages]] as [[Terrace (agriculture)|terraced hills]] to make ploughing for crops easier.{{sfn|Rahtz|Watts|2003|p=67}} Author Nicholas Mann questions this theory. If agriculture had been the reason for the creation of the terraces, it would be expected that the effort would be concentrated on the south side, where the sunny conditions would provide a good yield, but the terraces are equally deep on the northern side, which would provide little benefit. Additionally, none of the other slopes of the island ~~has~~have been terraced, even though the more sheltered locations would provide a greater return on the labour involved.{{sfn|Mann|1986|pp=32–33}}

[[File:Glastonbury-tor-ST5129638553.png|thumb|upright=1.0|LIDAR topography]]

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Another suggestion is that the terraces are the remains of a three-dimensional labyrinth,{{sfn|Ivakhiv|2001|p=135}} first proposed by Geoffrey Russell in 1968. He states that the classical [[labyrinth]] ([[Caerdroia]]), a design found all over the Neolithic world, can be easily transposed onto the Tor so that by walking around the terraces a person eventually reaches the top in the same pattern.{{sfn|Bowden-Pickstock|2009|p=107}}{{sfn|MacQueen|2005|p=106}} Evaluating this hypothesis is not easy. A labyrinth would very likely place the terraces in the Neolithic era,{{sfn|Mann|1986|p=24}} but given the amount of occupation since then, there may have been substantial modifications by farmers or monks, and conclusive excavations have not been carried out.{{sfn|Hutton|2006|p=79}} In a more recent book, Hutton writes that "the labyrinth does not seem to be an ancient sacred structure".{{sfn|Hutton|2013|p=354}}

[[File:Glastonbury_Tor,_View_From_Main_Path.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Imposing tower as viewed on the main approach|View from the main approach]]

==History==

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===Post-dissolution===

In 1786, [[Sir Richard Hoare, 2nd Baronet|Richard Colt Hoare]] of [[Stourhead]] bought the Tor and funded the repair of the tower in 1804, including the rebuilding of the north-east corner.<ref name=nhlesm/>{{sfn|Garner|2004|}} It was then sold to the [[George Neville-Grenville|Very Rev. Hon. George Neville-Grenville]] and included in the [[Butleigh|Butleigh Manor]] until the 20th century. The last owner of the Tor was Robert Neville-Grenville who wished to give the Tor to the National Trust along with the [[The Tribunal, Glastonbury|Glastonbury Tribunal]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1936-09-22 |title=Mr. Neville Grenville |language=English |pages=16 |work=The Times |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS269954870/TTDA?u=rtl_ttda&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=67f40ded |access-date=2023-05-09 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> After his death in 1936 it was sold to The [[National Trust]] who raised money by Public Subscription for its upkeep.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MISCELLANEOUS SOMERSET RECORDS, COMPILED BY ANN HEELEY OF BUTLEIGH [UNLISTED COLLECTION] |url=https://somerset-cat.swheritage.org.uk/records/A/COV |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=somerset-cat.swheritage.org.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1936 |title=Obituary of Robert Neville-Grenville |url=https://butleigh.org/Obituaries/RNGobit1.pdf }}</ref>

The [[National Trust]] took control of the Tor in 1933, but repairs were delayed until after the [[Second World War]].{{sfn|Garner|2004|}} During the 1960s, excavations identified cracks in the rock, suggesting the ground had moved in the past. This, combined with wind erosion, started to expose the footings of the tower, which were repaired with concrete. Erosion caused by the feet of the increasing number of visitors was also a problem and paths were laid to enable them to reach the summit without damaging the terraces. After 2000, enhancements to the access and repairs to the tower, including rebuilding of the parapet, were carried out. These included the replacement of some of the masonry damaged by earlier repairs with new stone from the [[Hadspen Quarry]].{{sfn|Garner|2004|}}▼

▲The [[National Trust]] took control of the Tor in ~~1933~~1937, but repairs were delayed until after the [[Second World War]].{{sfn|Garner|2004|}} During the 1960s, excavations identified cracks in the rock, suggesting the ground had moved in the past. This, combined with wind erosion, started to expose the footings of the tower, which were repaired with concrete. Erosion caused by the feet of the increasing number of visitors was also a problem and paths were laid to enable them to reach the summit without damaging the terraces. After 2000, enhancements to the access and repairs to the tower, including rebuilding of the parapet, were carried out. These included the replacement of some of the masonry damaged by earlier repairs with new stone from the [[Hadspen Quarry]].{{sfn|Garner|2004|}}

[[File:Somerset flag proposal (2013) - 3rd place, Roworth.svg|thumb|left|A proposed flag for Somerset (designed by Dil Roworth) featuring Glastonbury Tor and St Michael's Tower, which came third in the 2013 ''[[Somerset County Gazette]]'' competition to create a [[Flag of Somerset|county flag for Somerset.]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/10528387.winner-of-somerset-flag-competition-revealed/ |title=Winner of Somerset flag competition revealed |author= |date=4 July 2013 |work=Somerset County Gazette |access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref>]]

A model vaguely based on Glastonbury Tor (albeit with a tree instead of the tower) was incorporated into the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in London. As the athletes entered the stadium, their flags were displayed on the terraces of the model.<ref>{{cite web|title=Glastonbury Tor's starring role in London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony|url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Glastonbury-Tor-s-starring-role-London-2012/story-16609128-detail/story.html|publisher=This is Somerset|access-date=27 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207133345/http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Glastonbury-Tor-s-starring-role-London-2012/story-16609128-detail/story.html|archive-date=7 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Waite|first=Richard|title=Glastonbury Tor, a village green and a farmyard — Olympic opening ceremony plans revealed|url=http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/glastonbury-tor-a-village-green-and-a-farmyard-olympic-opening-ceremony-plans-revealed/8631595.article|magazine=Architects' Journal|access-date=27 October 2013}}</ref>

==Mythology and spirituality==

[[File:Glastonbury_Tor_Looking_Up,_General_View.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Front of the tower showing mythological iconography|Front of the tower showing mythological iconography]]

The Tor seems to have been called ''Ynys yr Afalon'' (meaning "The Isle of Avalon") by the [[Britons (Celtic people)|Britons]] and is believed by some, including the 12th and 13th century writer [[Gerald of Wales]], to be the [[Avalon]] of [[Matter of Britain|Arthurian legend]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Gerald of Wales|url=http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/debarri.html|work=Sources of British History|publisher=Britannia|access-date=2 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003182610/http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/debarri.html|archive-date=3 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Tor has been associated with the name Avalon, and identified with [[King Arthur]], since the alleged discovery of his and Queen Guinevere's neatly labelled coffins in 1191, recounted by [[Gerald of Wales]].{{sfn|Nitze|1934|pp=355–361}}{{sfn|Ditmas|1964|pp=19–33}} Author [[Christopher L. Hodapp]] asserts in his book ''The Templar Code for Dummies'' that Glastonbury Tor is one of the possible locations of the [[Holy Grail]], because it is close to the monastery that housed the [[Nanteos Cup]].{{sfn|Hodapp|Von Kannon|2007|}}

The Tor has been a place of Christian pilgrimage at least since the 11th-century and continues to be so, both because of the long-standing dedication to [[St. Michael the Archangel]] (the patron of many sacred mountains and hills) and more recently because of the martyrdoms of the three [[Beatification|beatified]] [[Benedictine]] [[monks]] on its summit in the 16th-century [[Richard Whiting (abbot)|Abbot Whiting]], [[John Thorne (Blessed)|John Thorne]] and [[Roger James (Blessed)|Roger James]]. {{sfn|Rahtz|Watts|2003|p=78}}{{sfn|Abrams|Carley|1991|p=33}}{{sfn|Koch|2006|p=816}} {{sfn|Stanton|1892|p=538}}

With the 19th century resurgence of interest in [[Celtic mythology]], the Tor became associated with [[Gwyn ap Nudd]], the first Lord of the Otherworld ([[Annwn]]) and later King of the [[fairy|Fairies]].{{sfn|Bowman|2005|p=178}}{{sfn|Bowman|2008|p=251}} The Tor came to be represented as an entrance to Annwn or to Avalon, the land of the fairies. The Tor is supposedly a gateway into "The Land of the Dead (Avalon)".<ref>{{cite book|last=Emick|first=Jennifer|title=The Everything Celtic Wisdom Book|year=2008|publisher=Adams Media|isbn=978-1-4405-2170-6|pages=96–97|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5skKKMRUHAMC&pg=PT109}}</ref>▼

▲With the 19th -century resurgence of interest in [[Celtic mythology]], the Tor became associated with [[Gwyn ap Nudd]], the first Lord of the Otherworld ([[Annwn]]) and later King of the [[fairy|Fairies]].{{sfn|Bowman|2005|p=178}}{{sfn|Bowman|2008|p=251}} The Tor came to be represented as an entrance to Annwn or to Avalon, the land of the fairies. The Tor is supposedly a gateway into "The Land of the Dead (Avalon)".<ref>{{cite book|last=Emick|first=Jennifer|title=The Everything Celtic Wisdom Book|year=2008|publisher=Adams Media|isbn=978-1-4405-2170-6|pages=96–97|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5skKKMRUHAMC&pg=PT109}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

A persistent myth of more recent origin is that of the [[Temple of the Stars|Glastonbury Zodiac]],{{sfn|Wylie|2002|pp=441–454}} a purported astrological [[zodiac]] of gargantuan proportions said to have been carved into the land along ancient [[hedge]]rows and trackways,<ref>{{cite web|last=Caine|first=Mary|title=The Glastonbury Giants|url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pardos/GGZodiac2.html|work= [[Gandalf's Garden]]|volume= 4|year=1969}}</ref> in which the Tor forms part of the figure representing Aquarius.{{sfn|Bowman|2005|p=180}} The theory was first put forward in 1927 by [[Katharine Emma Maltwood|Katherine Maltwood]],{{sfn|Rahtz|Watts|2003|pp=65–66}}{{sfn|Rahtz|1993|p=50}} an artist with interest in the occult, who thought the zodiac was constructed approximately 5,000 years ago.{{sfn|Maltwood|1987|}} But the vast majority of the land said by Maltwood to be covered by the zodiac was under several feet of water at the proposed time of its construction,{{sfn|Ivakhiv|2001|p=112}} and many of the features such as field boundaries and roads are recent.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Glastonbury Zodiac|url=http://www.badarchaeology.com/?page_id=889|publisher=Bad Archeology|author1=Fitzpatrick-Matthews, Keith |author2=Doeser, James |access-date=2 December 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Rahtz|Watts|2003|pp=65–66}}

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*{{cite book|last=Bowden-Pickstock|first=Susan|title=Quiet Gardens: The Roots of Faith?|year=2009|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-84706-341-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tznuhNOQ6EcC&pg=PA107}}

*{{cite journal|title= Procession and Possession in Glastonbury: Continuity, Change and the Manipulation of Tradition|last=Bowman|first=Marion|journal=Folklore|volume=115|issue=3|year=2004|pages= 273–85|jstor=30035212|doi= 10.1080/0015587042000284266|doi-access=free}}

*{{cite journal|last=Bowman|first=Marion|title=Ancient Avalon, New Jerusalem, Heart Chakra of Planet Earth: The Local and the Global in Glastonbury|journal=Numen: International Review for the History of Religions|year=2005|volume=52|issue=2|pages=157–190|url=http://oro.open.ac.uk/2909/|jstor=3270462|doi=10.1163/1568527054024722|access-date=8 December 2013|archive-date=13 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213054004/http://oro.open.ac.uk/2909/|url-status=dead}}

*{{cite book|editor-last=Margry|editor-first=Peter Jan|last=Bowman|first=Marion|title=Shrines and Pilgrimage in the Modern World: New Itineraries into the Sacred |url=https://archive.org/details/shrinespilgrimag00marg|url-access=limited|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|year=2008|pages=[https://archive.org/details/shrinespilgrimag00marg/page/n241 241]–280|chapter=Going with the flow: Contemporary pilgrimage in Glastonbury|isbn=978-90-8964-011-6}}

*{{cite book|last=Castleden|first=Rodney|title=King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend|year=1999|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-19575-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/kingarthurtruthb00cast}}

*{{cite journal|last=Ditmas|first=E.M.R.|author-link=Edith Ditmas|title=The Cult of Arthurian Relics|journal=Folklore|year=1964|volume=75|issue=1|doi=10.1080/0015587X.1964.9716942|pages=19–33}}

*{{cite book|last=Ekwall|first=Eilert|author-link=Eilert Ekwall|title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place Names|year=1960|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-869103-7}}

*{{cite journal|last=Garner|first=Keith|title=Survival of an ancient tower|journal=Building Conservation Journal |issue=35|year=2004|url=http://www.kgarch.co.uk/writing/glastonbury/index.htm|pages=18–21|access-date=27 October 2013|archive-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029212716/http://www.kgarch.co.uk/writing/glastonbury/index.htm|url-status=dead}}

*{{cite web |url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/Somerset_EUS_Glastonbury.pdf |title=Glastonbury |last=Gathercole |first=Clare |year=2003 |work=Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey |publisher=South West Heritage Trust |access-date=27 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202307/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/Somerset_EUS_Glastonbury.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2013 }}

*{{cite journal|doi=10.2307/2848235|last1=Gray|first1=Louis H.|title=The origin of the name of Glastonbury |journal=Speculum |date=January 1935 |volume=10|issue=1 |pages=46–53|jstor=2848235|s2cid=163603868}}

*{{cite book|last=Hawkins|first=Desmond|year=1989|title=Avalon and Sedgemoor|publisher=Tabb House|isbn=978-0-907018-72-8}}

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*{{cite book|last=Mann|first=Nicholas R.|title=Glastonbury Tor: A Guide to the History and Legends|year=2011|publisher=The Temple Publications|isbn=978-0-9557400-8-4}}

*{{cite book|last=Mann|first=Nicholas R.|title=Glastonbury Tor: A Guide to the History and Legends|year=1986|publisher=Annenterprise|isbn=978-1-85613-151-3}}

*{{cite journal|last=Musson|first=R.W.W|title=Fatalities in British earthquakes|journal=Astronomy and Geophysics|year=2003|volume=44|issue=1|~~page~~pages=1.14–1.16|doi=10.1046/j.1468-4004.2003.44114.x|doi-access=free}}

*{{cite journal|last=Nitze|first=W.A.|title=The exhumation of King Arthur at Glastonbury|journal=Speculum |year=1934|volume=19|issue=4|pages=355–361|jstor=2850219|doi=10.2307/2850219|s2cid=163005650}}

*{{cite book|last=Rahtz|first=Philip|author-link=Philip Rahtz|title=English Heritage Book of Glastonbury|year=1993|publisher=Batsford|isbn=978-0-7134-6866-3}}

*{{cite book|last1=Rahtz|first1=Phillip|author-link=Philip Rahtz|last2=Watts|first2=Lorna|title=Glastonbury: Myth and Archaeology|year=2003|publisher=Tempus Publishing|isbn=978-0-7524-2548-1}}

*{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Stephen|title=Somerset Place Names|publisher=Dovecote Press|year=1992|isbn=978-1-874336-03-7}}

*{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=117171 |title=Introduction |last1=Siraut |first1=M.C. |last2=Thacker |first2=A.T. |last3=Williamson |first3=Elizabeth |editor-last=Dunning |editor-first=R.W. |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |year=2006a |work=A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 9: Glastonbury and Street |access-date=26 October 2013 }}

*{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=117176 |title=Glastonbury: Parish |last1=Siraut |first1=M.C. |last2=Thacker |first2=A.T. |last3=Williamson |first3=Elizabeth |editor-last=Dunning |editor-first=R.W. |publisher=Institute of Historical Research |year=2006b |work=A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 9: Glastonbury and Street |access-date=26 October 2013 }}

*{{cite book|last=Stanton|first=Richard|title=A Menology of England and Wales|publisher=Burns & Oates|year=1892|url=https://archive.org/stream/menologyofenglan00stanrich#page/538/mode/2up}}

*{{cite news|last=Vallins|first=John|title=History and myth entangled around Somerset's most notable landmark|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/24/glastonbury-tor-history-myth-somerset|access-date=27 October 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 June 2013}}

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*{{cite journal|last=Wylie|first=John|title=An essay on ascending Glastonbury Tor|journal=Geoforum|year=2002|volume=33|issue=4|pages=441–454|doi=10.1016/S0016-7185(02)00033-7}}

*{{cite book|last=Young|first=Thomas|title=A Course of Lectures on Natural Philosophy and the Mechanical Arts|year=1807|publisher=Johnson|url=https://archive.org/details/lecturescourseof01younrich|page=[https://archive.org/details/lecturescourseof01younrich/page/302 302]|quote=Glastonbury Tor.}}