Penselwood

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Penselwood
Penselwood shown within Somerset
OS grid reference	ST755315
District	South Somerset
Shire county	Somerset
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	BA9
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
European Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

Coordinates: 51°04′56″N 2°21′04″W / 51.0822, -2.3511

Penselwood is a village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset. It is located four miles north east of Wincanton, four miles south east of Bruton, four miles west of Mere, and 5 miles north west of Gillingham. The south east of the parish borders Zeals and Stourhead in Wiltshire, and Bourton in Dorset. In 1991 the parish occupied 523 hectares (1,292 acres)^[1].

In the village is Kenwalch's Castle, an Iron Age hill fort.

Just outside the village is the site of the medieval motte and bailey castle known as Ballards Castle.^[2]

Contents 1 Etymology 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Etymology

The name came from early mediaeval "Penn in Selwood": "Penn" came from Celtic penn = "head", likely referring to a hill; and "Selwood" referring to the Selwood Forest which once surrounded the area.

It may be the location of the Battle of Peonnum in 658, mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

[edit] See also

• King Alfred's Tower

[edit] References

1. ^ British History Online (1999). 'Penselwood', A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 7: Bruton, Horethorne and Norton Ferris Hundreds. 184-192. Retrieved on 2006-08-16.
2. ^ Adkins, Lesley and Roy (1992). A field Guide to Somerset Archeology. Stanbridge: Dovecote press. ISBN 0946159947. 

[edit] External links

• http://www.genuki.org.uk:8080/big/eng/SOM/Penselwood/
• Images of buildings in Penselwood
• Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Oustanding Natural Beaty (AONB) Partnership (June 2003). Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs, Land Character Assessment, Type 7: Greensand Hills, 7B Penselwood – Longleat Hills. (PDF) 183-189. Retrieved on 2006-08-16.