Athelney

Athelney, ISLE OF, a marsh at the junction of the rivers Tone and Parret, in the middle of Somersetshire, about 7 miles from Taunton. Here Alfred hid himself for nearly a year when driven from his throne by the Danes in 878, and here he founded, in 888, a Benedictine abbey, now entirely gone. Among the many relics found in this spot is a ring of Alfred's, preserved in the Oxford Museum. The name Athelney means 'island of the nobles,' or 'royal island.'