Battlefields›Armada Beacon Chain — Somerset Beacons Lit 1588
Tudor

Armada Beacon Chain — Somerset Beacons Lit 1588

1588
Somerset, England
Also known as: Armada beacon fired Somerset 1588 · Somerset beacon chain Armada 1588
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Somerset, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Spain (Armada)
VS
Victor
England
Outcome
Somerset coastal beacons fired relaying the Armada alarm; county militia assembled at Minehead, Watchet, and Bridgwater
The Battle

History & Significance

The Somerset beacon chain relayed the Armada alarm along the Bristol Channel coast in 1588. Though Somerset faced a Bristol Channel shore rather than the open Channel, the beacon system ensured that county forces were mobilised in case the Armada attempted to sail around Ireland and attack from the north-west — a route that the storm-damaged Armada ultimately did take on its return.

Casualties & Losses

None

Forces Involved

Somerset beacon keepers; county militia at Bristol Channel assembly points

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Armada Beacon Chain — Somerset Beacons Lit 1588

Churchyard cross 5.6m south east of the porch of St Martin's Church
Scheduled monument · ~1.9 miles
Churchyard cross in St Mary's churchyard
Scheduled monument · ~2.1 miles
Stowey Castle, the site of St Michael's Chapel and a medieval kiln site
Scheduled monument · ~2.2 miles
Chapel E of Adscombe Farm
Scheduled monument · ~3.3 miles
Dowsborough hillfort and associated round barrow
Scheduled monument · ~3.3 miles
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Henry Tudor's March — Dale to Bosworth
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Skirmish at Welshpool during Henry Tudor March 1485
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