Michael’s Tower were restored in modern times. It is possible that the shape of the tor led to a local amplification of the seismic waves where the church was situated.Ī second church, built in the 1360s, survived until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 when the Tor was the place of execution where Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, was hanged, drawn and quartered along with two of his monks. According to the British Geological Survey, an earthquake was recorded on 11 September 1275, which was felt in London, Canterbury and Wales and this quake destroyed the church. The quake was also reported to have destroyed many houses and churches in England, suggesting intensities greater than 7 MSK and an epicentre in the area around Portsmouth or Chichester, South England. Michael’s church that remained until 1275. Remains of a 5th century fort have been found on the Tor. At this time the plain was flooded, the isle becoming a peninsula at low tide. The Celtic name of the Tor was “Ynys Wydryn”, or sometimes “Ynys Gutrin”, meaning “Isle of Glass”. Michael: postholes, two hearths including a metalworker’s forge, two burialsoriented north-south (thus unlikely to be Christian), fragments of 6th century Mediterranean amphorae (vases for wine or cooking oil), and a worn hollow bronze head which may have topped a Saxon staff. Some Neolithic flint tools recovered from the top of the Tor show that the site has been visited and perhaps occupied throughout human prehistory. Excavations on Glastonbury Tor, undertaken by a team led by Philip Rahtz between 19, revealed evidence of Dark Age occupation around the later medieval church of St. The spot seems to have been called Ynys yr Afalon (meaning “The Isle of Avalon”) by the Britons, and it is believed by some to be the Avalon of Arthurian legend. The remains of Glastonbury Lake Village nearby were identified in 1892, showing that there was an Iron Age settlement about 300–200 BC on what was an easily defended island in the fens. Earthworks and Roman remains prove later occupation. The plain is actually reclaimed fenland out of which the Tor once rose like an island, but now, with the surrounding flats, is a peninsula washed on three sides by the River Brue. The Tor has a striking location in the middle of a plain called the Summerland Meadows, part of the Somerset Levels. Tor is a local word of Celtic origin meaning ‘rock outcropping’ or ‘hill’. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The site is managed by the National Trust. It's a strange presence in an otherwise pan-flat landscape, and in ancient times (when the area around Glastonbury was covered by water for much of the year), the tor would indeed have appeared as an island, wreathed in mists and cut off by rivers, marshes and bogs.Glastonbury Tor is a hill at Glastonbury, Somerset, England, which features the roofless St. It's easy to see why the tor has inspired so many myths. Others believe that the tor marks an ancient mystical node where invisible lines of energy, known as ley lines, converge. A more famous legend identifies the tor as the mythic Isle of Avalon, where King Arthur was taken after being mortally wounded in battle, and where Britain's "once and future king" sleeps until his country calls again. According to Celtic legend, it is the home of Arawn or Gwyn ap Nudd, king of the underworld and lord of the faeries. The tor is the focal point for a wealth of local lore. Whatever the truth, one thing's for certain – watching the sunrise from the top of the tor is an experience you won't forget in a hurry. This hill was an important pagan site and is now surrounded by various myths and legends. Topped by the ruined medieval Chapel of St Michael, the iconic hump of Glastonbury Tor is visible for miles around, and provides Somerset with one of its most unmistakable landmarks.
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