Winter Hill - the Setantii's Blessed Hill...
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| View from the Two Lads to The Pike Tower at sunset in August (2014) |
This blog entry discusses some of the possible explanations why the inhabitants of prehistoric Lancashire considered this hill to be blessed...
It is my hypothesis that Winter Hill was such a site of cult pagan worship in the pre-Roman period due to the attributes of its geography, an explanation of which I will now discuss.
From the top of Winter Hill the Irish Sea is clearly visible to the West, looking over the Lancashire plain. Also visible is the mouth of the River Ribble, being released into the Irish Sea (see image to the right).
During the pre-Roman period, the River Ribble was held in high regard by the local prehistoric inhabitants as being a divine river.
Around 150 AD, Claudius Ptolemy wrote his famous Geographia, compiling the geographical knowledge of the 2nd Century Roman Empire. On his “Mappus Britanicae”, Ptolemy names (in order along the Lancashire Coast, from north to south):
In pre-Roman times, the Brigante Tribe was the most powerful tribe in the British Isles, controlling the present day North of England, from the Southern Scottish Borders, to the river Dee in Cheshire and over the Pennines to Yorkshire. Their capital was at "Isurium Brigantum", modern day Aldborough in Yorkshire.
"Portus Setantiorum" or "Sea Port of the Setantii" comes from the Setantii Tribe, a sub-tribe of the Brigantes who occupied modern day central-Lancashire and the Fylde Coast. The exact location of the sea-port noted by Ptolemy still remains a mystery, but many place it on the Fleetwood peninsula. An interesting read in these regards is William Ashton's book, The Evolution of a Coast-line, Barrow to Aberystwyth and the Isle of Man, with notes on Lost Towns, Submarine Discoveries, &c (1920).
The name "Setantii" is claimed to mean “the dwellers in the country of water”. The capital of the Setantii tribe is unknown; however, it could be assumed that their capital was in close proximity to water (as their name suggests), perhaps being a sea port or close to a river, matching the location of the Fleetwood peninsula, as described by Ptolemy.
The River Douglas is a primary tributary of the River Ribble, being the closest tributary to its mouth. The course of the River Douglas (“Douglas” from Old Welsh “bubh”, meaning “black”, and “glas” meaning “stream”) can be traced to its source "Douglas Springs", which happens to be at the top of Winter Hill!
As already noted, the Pagan inhabitants of pre-Roman Lancashire would have considered this spring to be sacred, as being the birth place of their goddess Bellisama.
As noted by Anne Ross (1967):
It is not difficult to appreciate the psychology underlying the veneration of the source of a great river or of a powerful spring. The obvious and visible link with fertility and life itself would cause these natural features to become… tangible manifestations of the invisible powers they worshiped.”
Accordingly, I surmise that Winter Hill would have been a place of great importance in pre-roman times, being regarded as an important and deeply sacred place to the Setantii Tribe (possibly also the Brigante Tribe), as the location of the sacred springs that gave birth to their beloved and most high goddess Bellisama (or Brigantia).
I believe that this justifies my suggested etymology of the potential original name of the hill, being “Blessed-God-Hill”.
Let me know know what you think about his blog - post your comments below.
In the Pagan religion, a great emphasis was placed on boundaries between the earth and water; being a symbolic threshold between two worlds, having sacred and magical properties.
Water itself was divine, it inexplicably fell from the skies or rose from a spring in the earth, pure and clear. It gathered in brooks and becks high up in the hills, formed rivers that deepened and widened as it made its way through valley and over dale, finally being released into the seemingly endless streams of Ocean. It's course represented that of a life's journey; starting young, pure and fragile, ending-up old and great before passing into infinity - then being reincarnated at its source, to begin over again.
Anne Ross noted in her book Pagan Celtic Britain (1967), Chapter 1. Sanctuaries, Temples and Cult Sites:
“Springs, wells and rivers are of first and enduring importance as a focal point of Celtic cult practice and ritual. Rivers are important in themselves, being associated… with fertility and with deities such as the divine mothers and the sacred bulls...
Water itself was divine, it inexplicably fell from the skies or rose from a spring in the earth, pure and clear. It gathered in brooks and becks high up in the hills, formed rivers that deepened and widened as it made its way through valley and over dale, finally being released into the seemingly endless streams of Ocean. It's course represented that of a life's journey; starting young, pure and fragile, ending-up old and great before passing into infinity - then being reincarnated at its source, to begin over again.
Anne Ross noted in her book Pagan Celtic Britain (1967), Chapter 1. Sanctuaries, Temples and Cult Sites:
“Springs, wells and rivers are of first and enduring importance as a focal point of Celtic cult practice and ritual. Rivers are important in themselves, being associated… with fertility and with deities such as the divine mothers and the sacred bulls...
That springs served as shrines in the northern region [of Britain] is evidenced not only by the cult of Coventia and of the local nymphs at Carrawbrough, but also by the reliefs depicting nymphs from High Rochester, and by the dedications to such local Cumbrian goddesses as Latis, goddess of the bog or pool...
The evidence, taken in its entirety, suggests that certain natural or prominent artificial features formed the [focus] of ritual practice...
For example, a certain well or spring… over which a… cult legend evolved, dealing with the patron deity of the well, or the source of a river, worship extending beyond the spring to embrace the flowing water itself"
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| Westerly view of a mid-summer sunset (August 2014) from Wilder's Moor, looking over the Irish Sea in the distance with the Pike Tower silhouetted in the foreground - note, the glinting reflection of the sunset off the water, being the mouth of the River Ribble (Bellisama Fluivis) |
From the top of Winter Hill the Irish Sea is clearly visible to the West, looking over the Lancashire plain. Also visible is the mouth of the River Ribble, being released into the Irish Sea (see image to the right).
During the pre-Roman period, the River Ribble was held in high regard by the local prehistoric inhabitants as being a divine river.
Around 150 AD, Claudius Ptolemy wrote his famous Geographia, compiling the geographical knowledge of the 2nd Century Roman Empire. On his “Mappus Britanicae”, Ptolemy names (in order along the Lancashire Coast, from north to south):
- “Moricambe Aestuarium” - referring to Morecambe Bay;
- "Portus Setantiorum" - meaning “Seaport of the Setantii";
- “Bellisama Fluivis” - identified as the hydronym for the River Ribble; and
- “Seteia Fluivis” - identified as the hydronym for the River Mersey.
In pre-Roman times, the Brigante Tribe was the most powerful tribe in the British Isles, controlling the present day North of England, from the Southern Scottish Borders, to the river Dee in Cheshire and over the Pennines to Yorkshire. Their capital was at "Isurium Brigantum", modern day Aldborough in Yorkshire.
"Portus Setantiorum" or "Sea Port of the Setantii" comes from the Setantii Tribe, a sub-tribe of the Brigantes who occupied modern day central-Lancashire and the Fylde Coast. The exact location of the sea-port noted by Ptolemy still remains a mystery, but many place it on the Fleetwood peninsula. An interesting read in these regards is William Ashton's book, The Evolution of a Coast-line, Barrow to Aberystwyth and the Isle of Man, with notes on Lost Towns, Submarine Discoveries, &c (1920).
The name "Setantii" is claimed to mean “the dwellers in the country of water”. The capital of the Setantii tribe is unknown; however, it could be assumed that their capital was in close proximity to water (as their name suggests), perhaps being a sea port or close to a river, matching the location of the Fleetwood peninsula, as described by Ptolemy.
Interestingly, Hampson in his book Horwich: Its History, Legends and Church (1894) notes that the forest of Horwich was: "safely in the possession of the capital of the Setantii (Blackrod)". I do not
know where he got this information from, as he does not reference it, but it intrigues me! If anyone
can shed any light on this I would be much appreciated...
It is safe to assume that the pre-Roman inhabitants of Lancashire regarded the River Ribble as the embodiment of a mother-deity; a most sacred object of worship... now lets see how this links to Winter Hill...
It is safe to assume that the pre-Roman inhabitants of Lancashire regarded the River Ribble as the embodiment of a mother-deity; a most sacred object of worship... now lets see how this links to Winter Hill...
The River Douglas is a primary tributary of the River Ribble, being the closest tributary to its mouth. The course of the River Douglas (“Douglas” from Old Welsh “bubh”, meaning “black”, and “glas” meaning “stream”) can be traced to its source "Douglas Springs", which happens to be at the top of Winter Hill!
As already noted, the Pagan inhabitants of pre-Roman Lancashire would have considered this spring to be sacred, as being the birth place of their goddess Bellisama.
As noted by Anne Ross (1967):
It is not difficult to appreciate the psychology underlying the veneration of the source of a great river or of a powerful spring. The obvious and visible link with fertility and life itself would cause these natural features to become… tangible manifestations of the invisible powers they worshiped.”
Accordingly, I surmise that Winter Hill would have been a place of great importance in pre-roman times, being regarded as an important and deeply sacred place to the Setantii Tribe (possibly also the Brigante Tribe), as the location of the sacred springs that gave birth to their beloved and most high goddess Bellisama (or Brigantia).
I believe that this justifies my suggested etymology of the potential original name of the hill, being “Blessed-God-Hill”.
Let me know know what you think about his blog - post your comments below.
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