Z is for Zeals

For the last time, here are the local dialect words.  Do you know what a zammy is?  What does zam-zodden mean? Who would be described as zaad-paul?  The answers are at the end of this post.

********************* 

I'm finishing the A to Z Challenge with a trip to Zeals, chosen because it is the only place in Wiltshire starting with the letter Z.  Luckily it has some (tenuous!) connections with major historical events otherwise it would be a bit of a damp squib to finish with!

Zeals is a small village about 21 miles south of Trowbridge. It is on the edge of Salisbury Plain, about 23 miles from Stonehenge and there is evidence of human activity in Zeals as far back as the Neolithic Period. 

We're not going back that far ... only to 1651 and the escape of King Charles II after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. The escape route he followed is now a signposted 615 mile footpath from Worcester to Brighton.  'The Monarch's Way', as the route is called, passes by Zeals House.  I told you it was a tenuous link!

Zeals House
© Copyright Shazz and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

  

But that's not all!  Let's move on to 1688 and the arrival at Brixham in Devon of William of Orange, soon to be King William III.  The 350 mile route which he followed to St James' Palace in London, known as 'The Orange Way', also passed through the village of Zeals.   The route led past the site of these almshouses, although they weren't there at that time as they weren't built until the 1860s!

These almshouses are called Chafyn Grove Cottages after the founder.
© Copyright Shazz and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

That's it for Zeals, although it is quite a pretty village so here are a couple more photographs for you to enjoy.

The village green, Zeals
© Copyright Miss Steel and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence



St Martin's Church, Zeals
© Copyright Miss Steel and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

All the images in this post were taken from www.geograph.org.uk.

*********************

Here are the answers to the dialect words:

• zammy - a simpleton
• zam-zodden - half spoilt, heated for too long over a slow fire
• zaad-paul - to describe someone who is 'good for nothing'

Well that's the end of the A to Z Challenge for this year.  I hope you've enjoyed my local history posts - I've definitely enjoyed writing them, so much so, that I may carry on with more of the same, although not as daily posts!  Thanks for your support during this challenge.