Battle of Peonnum
Who Fought
West Saxons under King Cenwalh versus the Britons of Somerset
History & Significance
The Battle of Peonnum was fought about AD 660 between the West Saxons under Cenwalh and the Britons of what is now Somerset in England. It was a decisive victory for the Saxons, who gained control of Somerset as far west as the River Parrett. The location of the battle is uncertain.
The border between the West Saxons and the Britons of Somerset had been set at the Wansdyke along the ridge of the Mendip Hills following the Battle of Deorham and the Saxon occupation of Bath in 577. Then, in 652, Cenwalh broke through at the Battle of Bradford on Avon.
Relief for the Britons came when Cenwalh was exiled to East Anglia after a squabble with Penda of Mercia. Some time after his return he renewed the attack on the British tribes and in 658 his army met the Britons for a climactic battle at Peonnum. The Saxons were victorious, and Cenwalh advanced west through the Polden Hills to the River Parrett, annexing eastern and central Somerset. The territory gained was modest in size; Geoffrey Ashe suggests that Cenwalh's ultimate goal may have been gaining control over the valuable Glastonbury Abbey within it.
The border remained at the Parrett until 681–685, when Centwine of Wessex defeated King Cadwaladr of Gwynedd and his local allies, allowing them to occupy the rest of Somerset west and north to the Bristol Channel. West Saxon rule was consolidated and extended into Devon by King Ina.
The battle is said to have happened æt peonnum, which means "at the penns". Penn is the Brittonic Celtic word for "head" or "top", widely used for "hill" or "peak". An element 'Pen' in modern place-names in this area is found in Penselwood (Pen Selwood), near Wincanton which is called Penna in the Domesday Book, Pinhoe or Pen Beacon in Devon, and Penn (near Yeovil). One of the highest points of the Mendip Hills is named Pen Hill.
Ashe, Geoffrey, From Caesar to Arthur, University of Michigan, 1960.
Yorke, Barbara Wessex in the Early Middle Ages Leicester University Press (31 Aug 1995) ISBN 978-0-7185-1856-1
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Peonnum lies on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.
The precise location of the battle remains uncertain, though it is said to have taken place 'æt peonnum', meaning 'at the penns'. Penn is the Brittonic Celtic word for 'head' or 'top', commonly used to mean 'hill' or 'peak', and possible sites bearing that element include Penselwood near Wincanton, Pinhoe in Devon, Penn near Yeovil, and Pen Hill on the Mendip Hills.
Frequently Asked Questions
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