Welcome to the British History Podcast. My name is Jamie and this is Episode 225, Alfred

in Somerset. This show is ad-free due to member support and as a way of thanking members

for keeping the show independent, I offer members only content including extra episodes

and rough transcripts. You can get instant access to all the members episodes by signing

up for membership at the British History Podcast.com for only about the price of a latte per

month and thank you very much to Megan, Taylor and Charlene for signing up already. Also,

a big congrats to our youngest listener, Alia, who spent the first 18 months of her life

in hospital but is now healthy and with her parents. We're all really glad you found

your way home, Alia. It was January of 878, the dead of British

winter and Alfred was running. Through fields, past hamlets, keeping out of sight wherever

he could, he ran. He was headed west for the Somerset levels. This was a coastal plain

during the 9th century, a dense network of impassable marshes. It wasn't ideal, but

at least Alfred would be difficult to find there. Much like the fence had protected East

Anglia from numerous overland invasions, Alfred hoped the nigh impenetrable swamps of

Somerset would grant him safety. And so he ran. With him was only a small number of supporters,

probably only as close as companions, just a few nobles and maybe as hearth were odd.

That was all. His family wasn't with him. They likely have been left behind at Chippenham.

We don't know if that was his plan or whether they were unable to be reached during the

chaos that followed Guthram's attack. Perhaps as the Danes approached, Alfred had dispatched

them to another safe harbor under the care of a small group of supporters. Perhaps they

were captured before anyone knew what was happening. We don't know. And Alfred might not have

known either. We just know that Alfred ran. He was leaving everything behind. Only this

...