Coombe Bissett Down Story Quest

Jack’s keen eyesight and steady hand brings him to the attention of King Henry VIII himself!

History: Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn visited Salisbury for a few days on their Royal Progress. Both loved hunting and it’s easy to imagine they took opportunities to hunt. The King founded a hunting lodge in nearby Cranborne. Historically spoons have often been given as christening presents.

On a night when the veil is thin between the living and the dead and magic is all around, Jack has an eventful night on the downs.

History: Mrs Ridout and her two donkeys Jack and Jane are a well-known characters of Coombe Bissett local history. A painting of them done in 1872 by Frank Brooks is in the Salisbury Museum collection. Known as the Coombe Express they carried goods between Salisbury, Coombe Bissett and other local villages. October 31 1868 was one of those rare times a blue moons (a second full moon in the same month) coincides with Halloween night.

Jack faces fang and fire.

History: Goivan’s dress is inspired by the ‘Upton Lovell Shaman’, barrow grave goods of a Bronze Age metal worker on display at Wiltshire Museum, Devizes. Darra’s sheep would have looked like Soay Sheep we still have today.

Jack helps the Gladiators in unexpected ways.

History: The roman road – the Ackling Dyke – runs from Sorviodunum (Old Sarum) to Vinocladia (Badbury Rings) and on to Durnovaria (Dorchester). It passes through the north-western part of Coombe Bissett. In Durnovaria an old neolithic henge was re modeled by the Romans and used as an ampitheatre, including an area to hold wild beasts I imagine Cassia to live at Rockbourne Villa. Many rich Roman children had pets.

Secrets, Spitfires and Surprises! It’s a busy time for Jack on the day before D-Day.

Attagirls – a nickname for the female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary, allowed to fly planes during and after WW2. There was a female only squadron based at Hamble, Southampton. Spitfires were assembled in sections in Southampton and Salisbury, often in converted garages and warehouses to avoid detection and the bombing raids of the Germans. There were RAF airfields at Tarrant Rushton and Old Sarum. A horsa glider nicknamed Lady Irene, left Tarrant Rushton on the eve of D-Day and was the first plane to touch down on French soil for the D-Day operations.

Is King Alfred’s ‘greatness’ due to Jack?

History: In 871 Alfred newly crown fought a number of battles with the Viking armies, including Wilton and ‘Meretun’ which some have proposed is Martin, a village a few miles south of Coombe Bissett.