Editing South West England (section)

==History==

===Pre-Roman===
[[File:Stonehenge-Green.jpg|thumb|[[Stonehenge]]]]
There is evidence from [[flint]] [[Artifact (archaeology)|artefacts]] in a quarry at [[Westbury-sub-Mendip]] that an ancestor of modern man, possibly [[Homo heidelbergensis]], was present in the future Somerset from around 500,000 years ago.<ref name="somerset.gov.uk">{{cite web | title=Mendip Hills An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | work=Somerset County Council Archeological Projects | url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/HES_MendipAONB.pdf | access-date=8 November 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516154619/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/HES_MendipAONB.pdf | archive-date=16 May 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref> There is some evidence of human occupation of southern England before the [[Last glacial period|last ice age]], such as at [[Kents Cavern]] in Devon, but largely in the [[South East England|south east]]. The British mainland was connected to the continent during the ice age and humans may have repeatedly migrated into and out of the region as the climate fluctuated. There is evidence of human habitation in the caves at [[Cheddar Gorge]] 11,000–10,000 years BC, during a partial thaw in the ice age. The earliest scientifically dated cemetery in [[Great Britain]] was found at [[Aveline's Hole]] in the [[Mendip Hills]]. The human bone fragments it contained, from about 21 different individuals, are thought to be roughly between 10,200 and 10,400 years old.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/media/896B4/MendipAONB.pdf |title=Earliest British cemetery dated |access-date=27 January 2007 |work=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206032722/http://www.somerset.gov.uk/media/896B4/MendipAONB.pdf |archive-date=6 February 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> During this time the tundra gave way to [[birch]] forests and [[grassland]] and evidence for human settlement appears at [[Salisbury Plain]], Wiltshire and [[Hengistbury Head]], Dorset.

At the end of the [[Last Glacial Period|last Ice Age]] the [[Bristol Channel]] was dry land, but subsequently the sea level rose, resulting in major coastal changes. The [[Somerset Levels]] were flooded, but the [[dry point]]s such as [[Glastonbury]] and [[Brent Knoll]] are known to have been occupied by [[Mesolithic]] hunters.<ref name="Dunning">{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=Robert |title=A History of Somerset |year=1983 |publisher=Phillimore & Co |location=Chichester |isbn= 0-85033-461-6 }}</ref> The landscape at this time was [[tundra]]. Britain's oldest complete skeleton, [[Cheddar Man]], lived at Cheddar Gorge around 7150 BC (in the [[Upper Palaeolithic]] or Old Stone Age), shortly after the end of the ice age;<ref>{{cite web | title=Cheddar Man | work=RN-DS Partnership| url=http://www.rn-ds-partnership.com/reconstruction/cheddarman.html | access-date=18 April 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080611054000/http://www.rn-ds-partnership.com/reconstruction/cheddarman.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 11 June 2008}}</ref> however, it is unclear whether the region was continuously inhabited during the previous 4000 years, or if humans returned to the gorge after a final cold spell. A [[Palaeolithic]] flint tool found in West Sedgemoor is the earliest indication of human presence on the Somerset Levels.<ref name="somhist">{{cite web|url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/pdfs/esaspdfs/stage1/SOMHIST.pdf |title=Historical Monitoring in the Somerset Levels and Moors ESA 1987–1994 |access-date=10 June 2007 |work=DEFRA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926223213/http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/pdfs/esaspdfs/stage1/SOMHIST.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2007 }}</ref> During the 7th millennium BC the sea level rose and flooded the valleys, so the [[Mesolithic]] people occupied seasonal camps on the higher ground, indicated by scatters of flints.<ref name="somhist" /> The [[Neolithic]] people continued to exploit the reed swamps for their natural resources and started to construct wooden trackways. These included the [[Post Track]] and the [[Sweet Track]]. The Sweet Track, dating from the 39th century BC, is thought to be the world's oldest [[timber trackway]] and was once thought to be the world's oldest engineered roadway.<ref name="robinwilliams"/> The Levels were also the location of the [[Glastonbury Lake Village]] as well as two lake villages at [[Meare]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Adkins |first1=Lesley |first2=Roy |last2=Adkins |title=A field guide to Somerset archeology |year=1992 |publisher=Dovecote Press |location=Wimborne |isbn=978-0-946159-94-9 |pages=69–70 }}</ref> [[Stonehenge]], [[Avebury]] and [[Stanton Drew stone circles|Stanton Drew]] are perhaps the most famous Neolithic sites in the UK.

The region was heavily populated during the Neolithic, [[Bronze Age]] and [[Iron Age]] periods. Many monuments, barrows and trackways exist. Coin evidence shows that the region was split between the [[Durotriges]], [[Dobunni]] and [[Dumnonii]]. The Iron Age tribe in Dorset were the Durotriges, "water dwellers", whose main settlement is represented by [[Maiden Castle, Dorset|Maiden Castle]]. [[Ptolemy]] stated that [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] was in the territory of the [[Belgae]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dot-domesday.me.uk/tribes.htm |title=British Tribes |access-date=2 December 2007 |work=From Dot to Domesday |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122144457/http://www.dot-domesday.me.uk/tribes.htm |archive-date=22 January 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> but this may be a mistake.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kmatthews.org.uk/Ravenna_Cosmography/group12.html |title=Britannia in the Ravenna Cosmography |access-date=2 December 2007 |work=cyberhome of Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315165719/http://www.kmatthews.org.uk/Ravenna_Cosmography/group12.html |archive-date=15 March 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Celtic gods were worshipped at the temple of [[Sulis]] at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and possibly the temple on [[Brean Down]]. Iron Age sites on the [[Quantock Hills]] include major [[hill fort]]s at [[Dowsborough]] and [[Ruborough]], as well as smaller earthwork enclosures, such as [[Trendle Ring]], [[Elworthy Barrows]] and [[Plainsfield Camp]].

At the time of the [[Roman invasion of Britain|Roman invasion]], the inhabitants of the entire area spoke a [[Brythonic Languages|Brythonic Celtic]] language. Its descendant languages are still spoken to a greater or lesser extent in [[Cornwall]], Wales, and [[Brittany]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=liY4AAAAIAAJ&dq=language+and+history+in+the+british+isles&pg=PA241] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217084301/https://books.google.com/books?id=liY4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=language+and+history+in+the+british+isles&hl=en&ei=Lmz2Tc3zN8yGhQe4-7ngBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA|date=17 February 2017}} Language in the British Isles, Peter Trudgill, 1984</ref>

===Roman period===
[[File:Silbury Hill - geograph.org.uk - 776.jpg|thumb|right|[[Silbury Hill]] – Europe's largest man-made earthwork]]
During the [[Roman Britain|Roman era]], the east of the region, particularly the Cotswolds and eastern Somerset, was heavily Romanised but Devon and Cornwall were much less so, though Exeter was a regional capital. There are villas, farms and temples dating from the period, including the remains at Bath.

The area of [[Somerset]] was part of the [[Roman Empire]] from AD 47 to about AD 409.<ref name="rajan">{{cite news |first=Amal |last=Rajan |title=Around a county in 40 facts: A (very) brief history of Somerset |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/around-a-county-in-40-facts-a-very-brief-history-of-somerset-462828.html |work=Independent on Sunday |date=24 August 2007 |access-date=21 October 2007 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214141911/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/around-a-county-in-40-facts-a-very-brief-history-of-somerset-462828.html |archive-date=14 February 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The empire disintegrated gradually, and elements of [[Romanitas]] lingered on for perhaps a century. In AD 47, Somerset was invaded from the south-east by the [[Legio II Augusta|Second Legion]] ''Augusta'', under the future emperor [[Vespasian]]. The [[hillfort]]s of the [[Durotriges]] at [[Ham Hill Country Park|Ham Hill]] and [[Cadbury Castle, Somerset|Cadbury Castle]] were captured. Ham Hill probably had a temporary Roman occupation. The massacre at Cadbury Castle seems to have been associated with the later [[Boudicca|Boudiccan Revolt]] of AD 60–61.<ref name="Dunning"/>

[[File:Roman Baths c1900 2.jpg|thumb|left|A 19th-century [[Photochrom]] of the Roman Baths in Bath, Somerset]]
The Roman invasion, and possibly the preceding period of involvement in the internal affairs of the south of England, was inspired in part by the lead mines of the [[Mendip Hills]], which also offered the potential for the extraction of silver.<ref name="havinden">{{cite book|last=Havinden|first=Michael|title=The Somerset Landscape|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|location=London|series=The making of the English landscape|page=979|isbn=0-340-20116-9|year=1981}}</ref><ref name="RBSomerset">{{cite web | title=Romano-British Somerset | work=Somerset County Council: History of Somerset | url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Romano-brit.htm | access-date=29 October 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017030550/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Romano-brit.htm | archive-date=17 October 2012 | df=dmy-all }}</ref> Forts were set up at [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Ilchester]]. The lead and silver [[mining|mines]] at [[Charterhouse Roman Town|Charterhouse]] in the Mendip Hills were run by the military. The Romans established a defensive boundary along the new military road known the [[Fosse Way]] (from the Latin ''fossa'' meaning "ditch"). The Fosse Way ran through [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Shepton Mallet]], [[Ilchester]] and south-west towards [[Axminster]]. The road from [[Dorchester, Dorset|Dorchester]] ran through [[Yeovil]] to meet the Fosse Way at Ilchester. Salt was produced on the [[Somerset Levels]] near [[Highbridge, Somerset|Highbridge]] and [[quarry]]ing took place near Bath, named after the [[Roman Baths (Bath)|Roman baths]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Roman Baths Treatment Centre |work=Images of England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=442194 |access-date=15 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615202319/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=442194 |archive-date=15 June 2009 }}</ref>

Excavations carried out before the flooding of [[Chew Valley Lake]] also uncovered Roman remains, indicating agricultural and industrial activity from the second half of the 1st century until the 3rd century AD. The finds included a moderately large [[Roman villa|villa]] at Chew Park,<ref name="ross">{{cite book | editor = Ross, Lesley| year = 2004 | title = Before the Lake: Memories of the Chew Valley | publisher = The Harptree Historic Society | isbn=0-9548832-0-9 }}</ref> where wooden writing tablets (the first in the UK) with ink writing were found. There is also evidence from the [[Pagans Hill Roman Temple]] at [[Chew Stoke]].<ref name="ross"/><ref name="hucker">{{cite book | author = Hucker, Ernest| year = 1997 | title = Chew Stoke Recalled in Old Photographs | publisher = Ernest Hucker  }}</ref> In October 2001 the [[West Bagborough Hoard]] of 4th-century Roman silver was discovered in [[West Bagborough]]. The 681 coins included two [[denarius|denarii]] from the early 2nd century and 8 [[miliarense|miliarensia]] and 671 [[siliqua]]e all dating from AD 337 to 367. The majority were struck in the reigns of emperors [[Constantius II]] and [[Didius Julianus|Julian]] and derive from a range of mints including [[Arles]] and [[Lyon]]s in France, [[Trier]] in Germany, and Rome.<ref>{{cite web|title=The West Bagborough Hoard |url=http://www.sanhs.org/Newsletter67.htm#WestBag |work=Newsletter Spring/Summer 2003 |publisher=[[Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society]] |access-date=10 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717174526/http://www.sanhs.org/Newsletter67.htm |archive-date=17 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In April 2010, the [[Frome Hoard]], one of the largest ever hoards of Roman coins discovered in Britain, was found by a metal detectorist. The hoard of 52,500 coins dated from the 3rd century AD and was found buried in a field near [[Frome]], in a jar {{convert|14|in|cm}} below the surface.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10546960.stm|title=Huge Roman coin find for hobbyist|work=BBC News|date=8 July 2010|access-date=8 July 2010}}</ref> The coins were excavated by archaeologists from the [[Portable Antiquities Scheme]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://finds.org.uk/blogs/fromehoard/ |title=The Frome Hoard |date=8 July 2010 |first=Anna |last=Booth |publisher=[[Portable Antiquities Scheme]] |access-date=8 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712200444/http://finds.org.uk/blogs/fromehoard/ |archive-date=12 July 2010 }}</ref>

===British kingdoms and the arrival of the Saxons===
[[File:Maes Knoll Tump.jpg|thumb|[[Maes Knoll]] the western end of [[Wansdyke (earthwork)|Wansdyke]]]]
{{Main|Wessex|Constitutional status of Cornwall}}
After the Romans left at the start of the 5th century AD, the region split into several Brittonic kingdoms, including [[Dumnonia]], centred around the old tribal territory of the [[Dumnonii]].<ref name=pearce>Pearce, Susan M. (1978), ''The Kingdom of Dumnonia: Studies in History and Tradition in South-Western Britain A.D. 350–1150'' Padstow: Lodenek Press.</ref> The upper Thames area soon came under [[Anglo-Saxon England|Anglo-Saxon]] control but the remainder of the region was in British control until the 6th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=	Stenton|first= F. M.|year=1971|title=Anglo-Saxon England |edition= 3rd|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-280139-5| page=30}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Morris|first=John |author-link=John Morris (historian)|year=1973 |title=The Age of Arthur|publisher=Phoenix|isbn=1-84212-477-3|location=London | page=299}}</ref>  [[Bokerley Dyke]], a large defensive ditch on [[Cranborne Chase]] dated to 367, delayed the [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] conquest of Dorset, with the Romano-British remaining in Dorset for 200 years after the withdrawal of the Roman legions. The Western [[Wansdyke (earthwork)|Wandsdyke]] earthwork was probably built during the 5th or 6th century. This area became the border between the [[Romano-British]] [[Celt]]s and the [[Anglo-Saxons|West Saxons]] following the [[Battle of Deorham]] in 577.<ref name="ASC577">''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', [http://britannia.com/history/docs/501-97.html 501–97 AD] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110114415/http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/501-97.html |date=10 November 2006 }}.</ref>

The Anglo-Saxons then gained control of the Cotswold area; but most of Somerset, Dorset and Devon (as well as Cornwall) remained in British hands until the late 7th century. According to the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'', the Saxon [[Cenwalh of Wessex|Cenwalh]] achieved a breakthrough against the [[Brython|British]] Celtic tribes, with victories at [[Bradford-on-Avon]] (in the ''Avon Gap'' in the Wansdyke) in 652,<ref name="ASC652">''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', [http://britannia.com/history/docs/645-56.html 645–56 AD] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212033046/http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/645-56.html |date=12 December 2007 }}</ref> and further south at the [[Battle of Peonnum]] (at [[Penselwood]]) in 658,<ref name="ASC658">''The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'', [http://britannia.com/history/docs/658-75.html 658–75 AD] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212065210/http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/658-75.html |date=12 December 2007 }}</ref> followed by an advance west through the [[Polden Hills]] to the [[River Parrett]].<ref name="VCH">''The Victoria History of the County of Somerset'', Vol 1 (1906){{page}}</ref> The Saxon advance from the east seems to have been halted by battles between the British and Saxons, for example at the siege of Badon [[Mons Badonicus]] (which may have been in the Bath district, perhaps at [[Solsbury Hill]]),<ref>{{cite web | title=Roman Times | work=Britannia | url=http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/somhist3.html | access-date=29 October 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112073000/http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/somhist3.html | archive-date=12 November 2006 | url-status=dead }}</ref> or [[Bathampton Down]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The hidden places of Somerset |last=Scott |first=Shane |year=1995 |publisher=Travel Publishing Ltd |location=Aldermaston |isbn=1-902007-01-8 |page=16 }}</ref> The Battle of [[Bedwyn]] was fought in 675 between [[Aescwine of Wessex|Escuin]], a [[Wessex|West Saxon]] nobleman who had seized the throne of [[Seaxburh of Wessex|Queen Saxburga]], and [[King Wulfhere]] of [[Mercia]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Pearson |first=Michael |title=Kennet & Avon Middle Thames: Pearson's Canal Companion |year=2003 |publisher=Central Waterways Supplies|location=Rugby |isbn=0-907864-97-X}}</ref> The earliest fortification of [[Taunton]] started for King [[Ine of Wessex]] and [[Æthelburg of Wessex|Æthelburg]], in or about the year 710. However, according to the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' this was destroyed 12 years later.<ref name="britannia">{{cite web |url=http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/castles/tauntoncast.html |title=History of Taunton Castle in Somerset |author=Charles Oman |access-date=21 November 2007 |work=Britannia castles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531115627/http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/castles/tauntoncast.html |archive-date=31 May 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Alfred the Great]] refortified Exeter as a defensive [[burh]], followed by new erections at [[Lydford]], [[Halwell]] and [[Pilton, Devon|Pilton]], although these fortifications were small compared to [[burh]]s further east, suggesting that they were protection for the elite only.

===9th century and the arrival of the Danes===
The English defeated a combined Cornish and Danish force at [[Hingston Down]] (near Gunnislake) in 838.<ref>The Cornish hill is usually accepted as the location mentioned in an entry in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' for 835 (corrected by scholars to 838) which says that [[Egbert of Wessex|Egbert]] king of the [[Kingdom of the West Saxons|West Saxon]]s defeated an army of [[Viking]]s and [[Cornish people|Cornish]] at ''Hengestdun'' = "Stallion Hill". See, for example: {{cite book| last=Higham| first=Robert | title=Making Anglo-Saxon Devon | publisher=The Mint Press| location=Exeter| year=2008 | page=64 | isbn=978-1-903356-57-9}}. However, Hingston Down in Devon has also been proposed as the site.</ref> [[Edward the Elder]] built similarly at [[Barnstaple]] and [[Totnes]]. But sporadic Viking incursions continued until the [[Norman conquest of England|Norman Conquest]], including the disastrous defeat of the Devonians at the [[Battle of Pinhoe]]. In 876 King Alfred the Great trapped a Danish fleet at [[Arne, Dorset|Arne]] and then drove it out; 120 ships were wrecked at [[Studland]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Shipley Duckett | first = Eleanor | title = Alfred the Great: The King and His England | publisher = [[University of Chicago Press]] | year = 1956 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/alfredgreatkingh00duck/page/73 73–74] | isbn = 0-226-16779-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/alfredgreatkingh00duck/page/73 }}</ref> Although King Alfred had lands in Cornwall, it continued to have a British king. It is generally considered that Cornwall came fully under the dominion of the English Crown in the time of [[Athelstan of England|Athelstan]]'s rule, i.e. 924–939.<ref name="Payton 1996">[[Philip Payton|Payton, Philip]] (1996). ''Cornwall''. Fowey: Alexander Associates</ref> In the absence of any specific documentation to record this event, supporters of Cornwall's English status presume that it then became part of England. However, in 944, within a mere five years of Athelstan's death, [[Edmund I of England|King Edmund]] issued a charter styling himself "King of the English ''and ruler of this province of the Britons''". Thus we can see that then the "province" was a territorial possession, which has long claimed a special relationship to the English Crown.<ref>[[Malcolm Todd|Todd, Malcolm]] ''The South West to AD 1000''. London, 1987; p. 289</ref>

[[File:Corfe Castle2.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|[[Corfe Castle]]]]
[[Corfe Castle]] in 978 saw the murder of King [[Edward the Martyr]], whose body was taken first to [[Wareham, Dorset|Wareham]] and then to [[Shaftesbury]]. Somerset played an important part in stopping the spread of the Danes in the 9th century. [[Viking]] raids took place for instance in 987 and 997 at [[Watchet]]<ref name="somharbours">{{cite book |title=Somerset Harbours |last=Farr |first=Grahame |year=1954 |publisher=Christopher Johnson |location=London |pages=125–137 }}</ref> and the [[Battle of Cynwit]].

King Alfred was driven to seek refuge from the Danes at [[Athelney]] before defeating them in 878 at the [[Battle of Ethandun]], usually considered to be near [[Edington, Wiltshire]], but possibly the village of [[Edington, Somerset|Edington]] in Somerset. Alfred established a series of forts and lookout posts linked by a military road, or [[Herepath]], to allow his army to cover Viking movements at sea. The Herepath has a characteristic form which is familiar on the Quantocks: a regulation 20&nbsp;m wide track between avenues of trees growing from [[hedge laying]] embankments. A peace treaty with the Danes was signed at [[Treaty of Wedmore|Wedmore]] and the Danish king [[Guthrum the Old]] was baptised at [[Aller, Somerset|Aller]]. ''[[Burh]]s'' (fortified places) had been set up by 919, such as [[Lyng, Somerset|Lyng]]. The [[Alfred Jewel]], an object about {{convert|2.5|in|mm|adj=on}} long, made of filigree gold, [[cloisonné]]-enamelled and with a rock crystal covering, was found in 1693 at [[Petherton Park]], [[North Petherton]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/sdk13/AlfJewel.html |work=The Anglo Saxon Index, Trinity College, Cambridge |title=Replicas of the Alfred Jewel |access-date=18 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102043417/http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/sdk13/AlfJewel.html |archive-date= 2 November 2007 }}</ref> This is believed to have been owned by King Alfred.<ref name="localhist">{{cite web |url=http://www.nthpetherton.co.uk/history.htm |title=Local History |access-date=19 November 2007 |work=North Petherton |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630113826/http://www.nthpetherton.co.uk/history.htm |archive-date=30 June 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Monasteries]] and [[Minster (cathedral)|minster]] churches were set up all over Somerset, with daughter churches of the minsters in manors. There was a royal palace at [[Cheddar, Somerset|Cheddar]], which was used at times in the 10th century to host the [[Witenagemot]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-769-1/ahds/dissemination/pdf/vol06-07/6_053_066.pdf | last= Rahtz | first= Philip | publisher= Archaeology Data Service | title= The Saxon and Medieval Palaces at Cheddar, Somerset-an Interim Report of Excavations in I 960-62 | access-date= 31 March 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080410225720/http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-769-1/ahds/dissemination/pdf/vol06-07/6_053_066.pdf | archive-date= 10 April 2008 | url-status= live }}</ref>
[[File:Sweyn Forkbeard.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[Sweyn Forkbeard]]]]

===11th century===
In the late pre-Norman period, the east coast of modern-day England came under the growing sway of the [[Norsemen]]. Eventually England came to be ruled by Norse monarchs, and the [[Anglo-Saxon]] kingdoms fell one by one, [[Wessex]] being conquered in 1013 by King [[Sweyn Forkbeard]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blair |first=Peter Hunter |title=An Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2003 |edition=3rd |page=98 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9eN87VsPaw0C |isbn=0-521-53777-0 |access-date=17 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218054049/https://books.google.com/books?id=9eN87VsPaw0C&printsec=frontcover&cad=0 |archive-date=18 February 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="asc">[http://mcllibrary.org/Anglo/ The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320043920/http://mcllibrary.org/Anglo/ |date=20 March 2018 }}. LondonL J. M. Dent, 1912. Translation by [[James Ingram (antiquary)|James Ingram]] (London, 1823) and [[J. A. Giles]] (London, 1847). Medieval and Classical Literature Library Release #17. Retrieved 4 May 2018.</ref><ref name="Blackwell">Lapidge, Michael (2001). "Swein Forkbeard", ''The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England''. Ed. Michael Lapidge, John Blair, et al. London: Blackwell Publishing; p. 437. {{ISBN|0-631-15565-1}}.</ref> Sweyn's realms included [[Denmark]] and [[Norway]], and parts of England such as [[Mercia]] (an Anglian kingdom roughly coinciding with the [[English Midlands]]), much of which, along with northern England, fell under the [[Danelaw]]. Sweyn ruled Wessex, along with his other realms, from 1013 onwards, followed by his son [[Canute the Great]]. But Cornwall was ''not'' part of his realm of Wessex. A map by the American historian called "The Dominions of Canute" (pictured just above) shows that Cornwall, like Wales and Scotland, was part neither of Sweyn Forkbeard's nor of Canute's Danish empire. Neither Sweyn Forkbeard nor Canute conquered or controlled Scotland, Wales or Cornwall; but these areas were "client nations": subject to payment of a yearly tribute or ''[[danegeld]]'' to Sweyn and later Canute, all three areas retained their autonomy from the Danes. Ultimately, the Danes lost control of Wessex in 1042 on the death of both of Canute's sons. [[Edward the Confessor]] retook Wessex for the Saxons.<ref>{{cite book | last = Barlow | first = Frank | author-link = Frank Barlow (historian) | title = Edward the Confessor | year = 1970 | publisher = University of California Press | location = Berkeley, CA | pages = [https://archive.org/details/edwardconfessor00barl/page/29 29–36] | isbn = 0-520-01671-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/edwardconfessor00barl/page/29 }}</ref> In 1016 [[Edmund Ironside]] was crowned king at Glastonbury.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eadmund|url=http://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/england/anglosaxon/edmund2.php|publisher=Archontology.org|access-date=5 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927054621/http://www.archontology.org/nations/uk/england/anglosaxon/edmund2.php|archive-date=27 September 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Middle Ages===
[[File:Plymouth Drake.jpg|thumb|left|The statue of Sir [[Francis Drake]] (1540–1596) on [[Plymouth Hoe]]]]
After the Norman Conquest the region was controlled by various Norman as well as [[Breton people|Breton]] lords and later by local gentry, a few of whom appear to have been descended from pre-Conquest families. In 1140, during the [[The Anarchy|civil war]] of [[Stephen of England|King Stephen]]'s reign, the castles of Plympton and [[Rougemont Castle|Exeter]] were held against the king by [[Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon|Baldwin de Redvers]] and this gave rise to the defensive castles at [[Corfe Castle]], [[Powerstock]], [[Wareham, Dorset|Wareham]] and [[Shaftesbury]]. The period saw the growth of towns such as [[Truro]], [[Totnes]], [[Okehampton]] and [[Plympton]] in the west of the region, but these were small compared with the established wealth of ancient [[cathedral city|cathedral cities]] in the east of the region such as [[Exeter]], [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]]. Wealth grew from sheep farming in the east of the region: church controlled estates such as [[Glastonbury Abbey]] and [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] became among the richest in England, while [[tin]] and silver mining was important in Devon and Cornwall; [[Stannary Parliament]]s with semi-autonomous powers were established. Farming prospered until it was severely hit by the [[Black Death]] which arrived in [[Dorset]] in 1348 and quickly spread through Somerset, causing widespread death, with mortality rates perhaps as high as 50% in places. The resulting labour shortage led to changes in feudal practices. Crafts and industries also flourished; the Somerset woollen industry was then one of the largest in England.<ref>{{cite web | title=Saxon Times | work=Britannia | url=http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/somhist6.html | access-date=29 October 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112073026/http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/somhist6.html | archive-date=12 November 2006 | url-status=live }}</ref> Coal mining in the [[Mendip Hills|Mendips]] was an important source of wealth while [[quarry]]ing also took place.

Many parish churches were rebuilt in this period. Between 1107 and 1129 [[William Giffard]], the Chancellor of King [[Henry I of England|Henry I]], converted the bishop's hall in Taunton into [[Taunton Castle]]. It passed to the king in 1233<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/12419|title=Bridgwater Castle, Bridgwater|work=Somerset Historic Environment Record|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=12 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003110458/http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/12419|archive-date=3 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and in 1245 repairs were ordered to its [[motte and bailey|motte]] and towers. During the 11th-century [[Second Barons' War]] against [[Henry III of England|Henry III]], Bridgwater was held by the barons against the King. During the [[Middle Ages]] sheep farming for the wool trade came to dominate the economy of [[Exmoor]]. The wool was spun into thread on isolated farms and collected by merchants to be woven, fulled, dyed and finished in thriving towns such as [[Dunster]]. The land started to be enclosed and from the 17th century onwards larger estates developed, leading to establishment of areas of large regular shaped fields. During this period a [[royal forest]] and hunting ground was established, administered by the Warden. The royal forest was sold off in 1818.<ref name="natparkhist">{{cite web|url=http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/environment/history/the-hiistory-of-exmoor |title=The history of Exmoor |access-date=29 November 2007 |work=Exmoor National Park |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729085614/http://www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/environment/history/the-hiistory-of-exmoor |archive-date=29 July 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:Fowey - geograph.org.uk - 2745.jpg|thumb|[[Fowey]] harbour]]
Where conditions were suitable, coastal villages and ports had an economy based on fishing. The larger ports such as [[Fowey]] contributed vessels to the naval enterprises of the King and were subject to attack from the French in return. Bridgwater was part of the [[Port of Bristol]] until the Port of Bridgwater was created in 1348,<ref name="somharbours"/> covering {{convert|80|mi|km}} of the Somerset coast line, from the [[Devon]] border to the mouth of the [[River Axe (Bristol Channel)|River Axe]].<ref name=lawrence-8>Lawrence, J.F. (revised and completed by Lawrence, J.C.) (2005). ''A History of Bridgwater''. Chichester: Phillimore. {{ISBN|1-86077-363-X}}. Chapter 8: "The Medieval Port of Bridgwater".</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Farr |first=Grahame |title=Somerset Harbours |publisher=Christopher Johnson |location=London |year=1954 |page=104|isbn=0-900131-15-2}}</ref> Historically, the main port on the river was at Bridgwater; the river being bridged at this point, with the first bridge being constructed in 1200.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=Robert |year=1992b |title=Bridgwater: History and Guide |location=Stroud |publisher=Alan Sutton |isbn=0-7509-0192-6 |page=193}}</ref> [[Quay]]s were built in 1424; with another quay, the ''Langport slip'', being built in 1488 upstream of the Town Bridge.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=Robert |year=1992b |title=Bridgwater: History and Guide |location=Stroud |publisher=Alan Sutton |isbn=0-7509-0192-6 |page=193 }}</ref>  In [[Bristol]] the port began to develop in the 11th century.<ref name="Brace">{{cite book |last=Brace |first=Keith |title=Portrait of Bristol |year=1996 |publisher=Robert Hale |pages=13–15|location=London |isbn=0-7091-5435-6}}</ref> By the 12th century Bristol was an important port, handling much of England's trade with Ireland. During this period Bristol also became a centre of shipbuilding and manufacturing. Bristol was the starting point for many important voyages, notably [[John Cabot]]'s 1497 voyage of exploration to North America.<ref name="croxton">{{cite journal|last=Croxton|first=Derek|date=1990–1991|title=The Cabot Dilemma: John Cabot's 1497 Voyage & the Limits of Historiography|journal=Essays in History|publisher=Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia|location=Virginia|volume=33|url=http://etext.virginia.edu/journals/EH/EH33/croxto33.html|access-date=16 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228081415/http://etext.virginia.edu/journals/EH/EH33/croxto33.html|archive-date=28 February 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> By the 14th century Bristol was one of England's three largest [[medieval]] towns after London, along with [[York]] and [[Norwich]], with perhaps 15,000–20,000 inhabitants on the eve of the [[Black Death]] of 1348–49.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lovemytown.co.uk/LocalHistory/LocalHistoryTable1.asp |title=Largest towns in England in 1334 |access-date=10 March 2007 |work=Love my town |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511064410/http://www.lovemytown.co.uk/LocalHistory/LocalHistoryTable1.asp |archive-date=11 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The plague resulted in a prolonged pause in the growth of Bristol's population, with numbers remaining at 10,000–12,000 through most of the 15th and 16th centuries.<ref name="Bristol">{{cite web | title=Bristol | work=Fortified Places | url=http://www.fortified-places.com/bristol.html | access-date=24 March 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320215022/http://www.fortified-places.com/bristol.html | archive-date=20 March 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Perkin Warbeck.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|[[Perkin Warbeck]]]]
During the [[Wars of the Roses]], there were frequent skirmishes between the [[House of Lancaster|Lancastrian]] [[Thomas de Courtenay, 5th/13th Earl of Devon|Thomas Courtenay, Earl of Devon]] and [[House of York|Yorkist]] [[William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville|William, Lord Bonville]]. In 1470, [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] pursued [[Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick|Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick]] and [[George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence|George, Duke of Clarence]] as far as Exeter after the [[Battle of Lose-coat Field]]. The organisation of the region remained based on the shires and Church estates, which were largely unchanged throughout the period. Some of the most important nobles in the South West included the Courtenays Earl of Devon, [[William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville]], and [[Humphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of Devon|Humphrey Stafford, earl of Devon]] whose wider influence stretched from Cornwall to Wiltshire. After 1485, the Earl of Devon, Henry VII's chamberlain, [[Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney]] and [[Robert Willoughby, 1st Baron Willoughby de Broke]] were also influential.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stansfield-Cudworth|first=R.E.|title=Political Elites in South-West England, 1450–1500: Politics, Governance and the Wars of the Roses|publisher=[[Edwin Mellen Press]]|year=2009|isbn=978-0-77344-714-1|location=[[Lewiston, New York]]|pages=149–89, 191–225, 303–45|language=English}}</ref> In 1497, early in [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]]'s reign, the royal pretender [[Perkin Warbeck]], besieged Exeter. The [[Cornish Rebellion of 1497]] led by [[An Gof]] and [[Thomas Flamank]] ended in a march to [[Blackheath, London|Blackheath]] in London where the [[Cornish people|Cornish]] forces were massacred.

===16th century===
Great disturbances throughout both Cornwall and Devon followed the introduction of [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]]'s [[Book of Common Prayer]]. The day after [[Whit Sunday]] 1549, a priest at [[Sampford Courtenay]] was persuaded to read the old [[mass (liturgy)|mass]].<ref>Heal, Felicity (2003). ''Reformation in Britain and Ireland'', p. 225. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-826924-2}}.</ref> This insubordination spread swiftly into serious revolt. The Cornish quickly joined the men of Devon in the [[Prayer Book Rebellion]] and Exeter was besieged until relieved by Lord Russell.<ref>Secor, Philip Bruce (1999). ''Richard Hooker: Prophet of Anglicanism'', p. 13. Continuum International Publishing Group. {{ISBN|0-86012-289-1}}.</ref> The Cornish had a particular motivation for opposing the new English language prayer book, as there were still many monoglot [[Cornish language|Cornish]] speakers in West Cornwall. The [[Cornish language]] declined rapidly afterwards and the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] resulted in the eventual loss of the Cornish language as a primary language. By the end of the 18th century it was no longer a first language.

The [[Council of the West]] was a short-lived administrative body established by Henry VIII for the government of the western counties of England. It was analogous in form to the [[Council of the North]]. The council was established in March 1539, with [[John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford|Lord Russell]] as its Lord President. Members included Thomas Derby, Sir Piers Edgcumbe, Sir Richard Pollard and John Rowe. However, the fall of [[Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex|Thomas Cromwell]], the chief political supporter of government by Councils, and the tranquillity of the western counties made it largely superfluous. It last sat in summer 1540, although it was never formally abolished.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Willen | first=Diane |date=Autumn 1975 | title=Lord Russell and the Western Counties, 1539–1555 | journal=The Journal of British Studies | volume=15 | issue=1 | pages=26–45 | doi=10.1086/385677| s2cid=162954069 }}</ref>

===17th century===
The [[Bristol Channel floods, 1607|Bristol Channel floods of 1607]] are believed to have affected large parts of the [[Somerset Levels]], with flooding up to {{convert|8|ft|m|0}} above sea level.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bryant |first1=Edward |first2=Simon |last2=Haslett |year=2002 |title=Was the AD 1607 coastal flooding event in the Severn estuary and Bristol channel due to a Tsunami? |journal=Archaeology in the Severn Estuary |volume=13 |pages=163–167  }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bryant |first1=Edward |first2=Simon |last2=Haslett |year=2004 |title=The AD 1607 Coastal Flood in the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary: Historical Records from Devon and Cornwall (UK) |journal=Archaeology in the Severn Estuary |volume=15 |pages=81–89  }}</ref> In 1625, a House of Correction was established in [[Shepton Mallet]], and when it closed [[Shepton Mallet (HM Prison)|HMP Shepton Mallet]] was England's oldest prison still in use.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sheptonmallet.info/site/index.php?page_id=189 |work=Shepton Mallet Town Council |title=Historic Buildings of Shepton Mallet |access-date=30 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118052345/http://www.sheptonmallet.info/site/index.php?page_id=189 |archive-date=18 January 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Disney">{{cite book |last=Disney|first=Francis |title=Shepton Mallet Prison (2nd Ed) |year=1992 |publisher=Published by the Author|isbn=0-9511470-2-1}}</ref>

During the [[English Civil War]], Somerset was largely [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]], although [[Dunster]] was a Royalist stronghold. The county saw important battles between the [[Cavalier|Royalists]] and the Parliamentarians, notably at [[Battle of Lansdowne|Lansdowne]] in 1643 and [[Battle of Langport|Langport]] in 1645.<ref>{{cite book |title=Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars |last=Rodgers |first= Colonel H.C.B.|year=1968 |publisher=Seeley Service & Co. }}</ref> Bristol was occupied by Royalist military, after they overran [[Royal Fort]], the last Parliamentarian stronghold in the city.<ref name="Bristol"/> [[Taunton Castle]] had fallen into ruin by 1600 but it was repaired during the Civil War. The castle changed hands several times during 1642–45 along with the town.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tauntontowncentre.co.uk/about_taunton_history.htm |title=Taunton's History |access-date=21 November 2007 |work=Taunton Town Centre! |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070603195008/http://www.tauntontowncentre.co.uk/about_taunton_history.htm |archive-date = 3 June 2007}}</ref> During the [[Siege of Taunton]] it was defended by [[Robert Blake (admiral)|Robert Blake]], from July 1644 to July 1645. After the war, in 1662, the keep was demolished and only the base remains. This war resulted in castles being slighted (destroyed to prevent their re-use).<ref>{{cite web | title=The Civil War in Somerset | work=Somerset County Council: History of Somerset | url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Civilwar.htm | access-date=29 October 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925010243/http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Civilwar.htm | archive-date=25 September 2006 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

[[File:James Scott, Duke of Monmouth and Buccleuch by William Wissing.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|[[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth]]]]
In 1685, [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth|the Duke of Monmouth]] led the [[Monmouth Rebellion]] in which a force partly raised in Somerset fought against [[James II of England|James II]]. The rebels landed at [[Lyme Regis]] and travelled north hoping to capture [[Bristol]] and [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], Puritan soldiers damaged the west front of [[Wells Cathedral]], tore lead from the roof to make bullets, broke the windows, smashed the organ and the furnishings, and for a time stabled their horses in the nave.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Monmouthreb.htm |title=The Monmouth rebellion and the bloody assize |access-date=11 February 2008 |work=Somerset County Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829142340/http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Monmouthreb.htm |archive-date=29 August 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> They were defeated in the [[Battle of Sedgemoor]] at [[Westonzoyland]], the last battle fought on English soil.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~smedlo/history.htm |title=History of Bridgwater |access-date=21 October 2007 |work=Bridgwater |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112055456/http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~smedlo/history.htm |archive-date=12 November 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Bloody Assizes]] which followed saw the losers being sentenced to death or [[Penal transportation|transportation]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Tudor & Stuart Times | work=Britannia | url=http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/somhist7.html | access-date=29 October 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112072921/http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/somhist7.html | archive-date=12 November 2006 | url-status=live }}</ref> At the time of the [[Glorious Revolution]], [[James II of England|King James II]] gathered his main forces, altogether about 19,000 men, at [[Salisbury]], James himself arriving there on 19 November 1688. The first blood was shed at the [[Wincanton Skirmish]] in [[Somerset]]. In Salisbury, James heard that some of his officers, such as [[Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon|Edward Hyde]], had deserted, and he broke out in a nose-bleed which he took as a bad omen. His commander in chief, the [[Louis de Duras, 2nd Earl of Feversham|Earl of Feversham]], advised retreat on 23 November, and the next day [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|John Churchill]] deserted to William. On 26 November, James's daughter [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Princess Anne]] did the same, and James returned to London the same day, never again to be at the head of a serious military force in England.<ref>J. Childs, ''The Army, James II, and the Glorious Revolution'' (Manchester, 1980)</ref>

===Modern history===
Since 1650, the City of [[Plymouth]] has grown to become the largest city in Devon, mainly due to the naval base at [[Devonport, Devon|Devonport]]. [[HMNB Devonport|Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Devonport]] is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the [[Royal Navy]]. HMNB Devonport is now the largest naval base in Western Europe.<ref name=hmnbdevonport>{{cite web|title=Devonport|url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Naval-Bases/Devonport|publisher=Royal Navy|access-date=17 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922011842/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Naval-Bases/Devonport|archive-date=22 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>  The large [[Portland Harbour]], built at the end of the 19th century and protected by [[Nothe Fort]] and the [[Verne Citadel]], was for many years, including during the wars, another of the largest Royal Navy bases.

The 19th century saw improvements to roads in the region with the introduction of [[turnpike trust|turnpikes]] and the building of canals and railways. The usefulness of the canals was short-lived, though they have now been restored for recreation. [[Chard, Somerset|Chard]] claims to be the birthplace of [[powered flight]], in 1848 when the [[Victorian Age|Victorian]] aeronautical pioneer [[John Stringfellow]] first demonstrated that engine-powered flight was possible through his work on the [[Aerial Steam Carriage]].<ref>{{cite book | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qNp3JM35UMoC&q=john+stringfellow+chard&pg=RA1-PA678 | title= Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology | first1= Lance | last1= Day | last2= McNeil|first2= Ian | page= 678 | year= 1998 | publisher= Taylor & Francis | isbn= 0-415-19399-0}}</ref><ref name=ChardFirst>{{cite news | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/10/07/dl0703.xml | title= Chard was there first | work= Daily Telegraph | date= 7 October 2006 | access-date= 17 October 2008 | location= London | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061029142320/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fopinion%2F2006%2F10%2F07%2Fdl0703.xml | archive-date= 29 October 2006 | url-status= dead }}</ref> [[North Petherton]] was the first town in England (and one of the few ever) to be lit by [[acetylene]] gas lighting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18684 |title=North Petherton |access-date=19 November 2007 |work=British History Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525092236/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18684 |archive-date=25 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Portiishead power station.jpg|thumb|left|[[Portishead power station]]]]

Around the 1860s, at the height of the iron and steel era, a [[pier]] and a deep-water [[Dock (maritime)|dock]] were built, at [[Portishead, Somerset|Portishead]] to accommodate the large ships that had difficulty in reaching [[Bristol Harbour]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Awdry|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Awdry|title=Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies|publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |year=1990 |isbn=978-1-85260-049-5|page=19}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Martin|title=The Railways of Bristol & Somerset|publisher=Ian Allan Publishing |location=Sherton |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-7110-2063-4|page=96}}</ref> The [[Portishead power station]]s were coal-fed [[power station]]s built next to the dock. Industrial activities ceased in the dock with the closure of the power stations. The Port of Bristol Authority finally closed the dock in 1992,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/localact1992/ukla_19920021_en_1|title=City of Bristol (Portishead Docks) Act|year=1992|publisher=Office of Public Sector Information|access-date=1 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925100604/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/localact1992/ukla_19920021_en_1|archive-date=25 September 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> and it has now been developed into a marina and residential area.

During the [[First World War]] many soldiers from the South West were killed, and war memorials were put up in most of the towns and villages; only a few villages escaped casualties. There were also casualties&nbsp;– though much fewer&nbsp;– during the Second World War, who were added to the memorials. Several areas were bases for troops preparing for the 1944 [[D-Day]] landings. [[Exercise Tiger]], or Operation Tiger, was the code names for a full-scale rehearsal in 1944 for the [[Operation Overlord|D-Day]] invasion of [[Normandy]]. The British Government evacuated approximately 3,000 local residents in the area of [[Slapton, Devon|Slapton]], now [[South Hams|South Hams District]] of [[Devon]].<ref>[http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/environment/historic_environment/slapton-line/sl-monument_rededication.htm?textsize=1 Slapton Line: Slapton Monument Rededication] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531051958/http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/environment/historic_environment/slapton-line/sl-monument_rededication.htm?textsize=1 |date=31 May 2016 }}&nbsp;– Devon County Council&nbsp;– Devon.gov.uk&nbsp;– Updated 9 March 2007</ref> Some of them had never left their villages before.<ref name=stokes>Stokes, Paul. "Veterans honour 749 who died in D-Day rehearsal"&nbsp;– ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Daily Telegraph&nbsp;– London]]''&nbsp;– 29 April 1994</ref> Bristol's city centre suffered severe damage from [[Luftwaffe]] bombing during the [[Bristol Blitz]] of World War II.<ref>[http://fishponds.org.uk/luftbrim.html John Penny MA; The Luftwaffe over the Bristol area 1940–44] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511144048/http://fishponds.org.uk/luftbrim.html |date=11 May 2011 }} Retrieved 14 July 2008</ref> The [[Royal Ordnance Factory]] [[ROF Bridgwater]] was constructed early in [[World War II]] for the [[Ministry of Supply (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Supply]].<ref name=cocroft>Cocroft, Wayne D. (2000). ''Dangerous Energy: The archaeology of gunpowder and military explosives manufacture''. Swindon: English Heritage. {{ISBN|1-85074-718-0}}</ref> The [[Taunton Stop Line]] was set up to resist a potential German invasion, and the remains of its [[Bunker|pill boxes]] can still be seen, as well as others along the coast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pillboxes-somerset.com/taunton_stop_line.htm |title=Taunton Stop Line |access-date=25 October 2007 |work=Pillboxes Somerset |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028164855/http://www.pillboxes-somerset.com/taunton_stop_line.htm |archive-date=28 October 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:PorlockVale.jpg|thumb|[[Porlock]], [[Exmoor]]]]

[[Exmoor]] was one of the first British National Parks, designated in 1954, under the 1949 [[National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act]].<ref name="authority">{{cite web |url=http://www.everythingexmoor.org.uk/_E/Exmoor_National_Park_Authority.php |title=Exmoor National Park Authority |access-date=16 October 2007 |work=Everything Exmoor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010125203/http://everythingexmoor.org.uk/_E/Exmoor_National_Park_Authority.php |archive-date=10 October 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> and is named after its main river. It was expanded in 1991 and in 1993 Exmoor was designated as an [[Environmentally Sensitive Area]]. The [[Quantock Hills]] were designated as an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] (AONB) in 1956, the first such designation in England under the [[National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949]]. The [[Mendip Hills]] followed with AONB designation in 1972.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Mendip Society website | url=http://www.mendipsociety.org.uk/ | access-date=17 February 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205045607/http://www.mendipsociety.org.uk/ | archive-date=5 February 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===World War II===
[[File:BernardLovell.jpg|thumb|left|Bernard Lovell]]
Much of the [[Battle of the Beams]] was carried out at the [[Telecommunications Research Establishment]] at [[Worth Matravers]] in Dorset; the [[H2S (radar)|H2S]] radar was developed by Sir [[Bernard Lovell]] of Bristol. The [[Gloster Meteor]] at [[Classic Air Force|Newquay Air Museum]] is the oldest flying jet aircraft in the world. [[Long Ashton Research Station]] in Somerset invented [[Ribena]] (for population health in World War II) and improved cider.

===Scientific heritage===
[[William Herschel]], previously a clarinet player, of Bath discovered [[infrared]] radiation on 11 February 1800, and the planet [[Uranus]] in March 1781; he had made important improvements to the [[reflecting telescope]] by increasing the mirror diameter. Herschel then built a 20-ft reflecting telescope and invented the [[star count]], working out that the [[Milky Way]] is a disc, which he called a ''grindstone'', and that it is a galaxy. Sir [[Arthur C. Clarke]] of [[Minehead]] invented the idea of artificial [[satellite]]s; he sent a letter to [[Harry Wexler]] who then developed the first [[weather satellite]] [[TIROS-1]]. Sir [[Arthur Eddington]] of Weston-super-Mare was the first to realise that [[nuclear fusion]] powered the Sun; at the 1920 [[British Science Association|British Association]] meeting he said that the Sun converted hydrogen into helium, although the mechanism was not known until 1933. [[James Bradley]] was an important astronomer from Gloucestershire, who discovered the [[aberration of light]].

[[Jan Ingenhousz]], the Dutch biologist, discovered [[photosynthesis]] in 1779 at [[Bowood House]] in Wiltshire; on 1 August 1774, [[Joseph Priestley]] discovered oxygen there too. A fossil of the oldest ancestor of the [[Tyrannosaurus]] was found in Gloucestershire; [[Mary Anning]] was a famous fossil collector from [[Lyme Regis]]. [[Edward Jenner]], pioneer of vaccination, was from Gloucestershire.

===Industrial heritage===
Sir [[Benjamin Baker (engineer)|Benjamin Baker]] from Cheltenham jointly-designed the 1890 [[Forth Bridge]]. [[William Murdoch]] in 1792 lit his house in Redruth with gas, the first in Britain. [[Plasticine]] was invented 1897 in Bath by [[William Harbutt]]. [[Thomas Young (scientist)|Thomas Young]] of Somerset is known for his [[double-slit experiment]] in optics, and in [[solid mechanics]] for his famous [[Young's modulus]]. [[Henry Fox Talbot]], inventor of a [[Negative (photography)|negative-positive]] [[Calotype|process]] in 1841, from Wiltshire made the first photograph in August 1835; [[Nicéphore Niépce]] of France can claim the [[View from the Window at Le Gras|first photo]] in 1826; [[William Friese-Greene]] of Bristol is thought to be the ''father of cinematography'' after inventing his ''chronophotographic camera'' in 1889.

[[Hinkley Point A nuclear power station]] was a [[Magnox]] [[power station]] constructed between 1957 and 1962 and operating until ceasing generation in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2005/12/06/pwaod_hinkley_feature.shtml|title=Hinkley A: 1965|work=BBC Somerset|publisher=BBC|access-date=5 July 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060718151110/http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2005/12/06/pwaod_hinkley_feature.shtml|archive-date=18 July 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Hinkley Point B nuclear power station|Hinkley Point B]] is an [[Advanced gas cooled reactor|Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor]] (AGR) which was designed to generate 1250&nbsp;MW of electricity ([[MWe#Electrical and thermal|MWe]]). Construction of Hinkley Point B started in 1967. In September 2008 it was announced, by [[Électricité de France]] (EDF), that a third, twin-unit [[EPR (nuclear reactor)|European Pressurised Reactor]] (EPR) power station known as [[Hinkley Point C nuclear power station|Hinkley Point C]] is planned,<ref name="new dawn for Uk nuclear power">{{cite news | url=http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN_New_dawn_for_UK_nuclear_power_2409081.html | title=New dawn for UK nuclear power | publisher=World Nuclear News | date=24 September 2008 | access-date=25 September 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925133549/http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN_New_dawn_for_UK_nuclear_power_2409081.html | archive-date=25 September 2008 | url-status=live }}</ref> to replace Hinkley Point B which was due for closure in 2016,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/3073749/Nuclear-energy-British-Energy-facts.html |title=Nuclear energy: British Energy facts |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=25 September 2008 |location=London |date=24 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927074509/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/3073749/Nuclear-energy-British-Energy-facts.html |archive-date=27 September 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> now extended until 2022.
In 1989 the [[Berkeley nuclear power station]] was the first in the UK to be decommissioned. The [[steam-generating heavy water reactor]] was developed at [[Winfrith]] in Dorset.

[[Edgar F. Codd|Ted Codd]], inventor of databases and [[SQL]], was from Poole. [[Campden BRI]] at [[Ebrington]] in north-east Gloucestershire was an important research centre for [[Canning|canned food]]; [[J. S. Fry & Sons]] of Bristol made world's first chocolate bar in 1847.

The first [[carpet]]s were made in Britain in 1741 at [[Wilton, Wiltshire]]. In 1698, [[Thomas Savery]] of Devon developed an early [[steam engine]]; [[Thomas Newcomen]] from Dartmouth made another early steam engine in 1710. [[Edward Butler (inventor)|Edward Butler]], a farmer from Devon born in [[Bickington]] in 1862, invented the petrol engine.