31/01/2023

Calne Curiosities: The Morgan's Hill Hanging

It is said that the hill known as Morgan's is named so for the man that was hung for murdering is uncle in the 1700s.

Could this event, shocking as it would be to us today, be the origin for the name of this tranquil hill? 

If so, is there more to this story and what of the history in between then and now?

We must understand the activities and progress that happened over thousands of years at Morgan's Hill. Only then can we hope to understand why this site was chosen to host an execution by hanging.

Down the hill, at Horsecombe Bottom, a small assemblage of Neolithic flint as discovered in 1973. But it was in the Bronze Age that activity in the area increased. There are many barrows, including bell and bowl barrows in the area. Flint and spearhead discoveries indicate potential quarrying in the area, with the hill made of successive layers of chalk, the upper chalk being rich in flint[1].

Following this there is a Roman road to the north of the hill, with a medieval quarry identified by Royal Air Force aerial photography between the 1940-50s. Then c. 400-500 CE the southern section of the hill witnessed the construction of the East Wansdyke.

Numerous pits and larger linear quarries cover an area 1600 metres by 1000 metres, dating as early as 1540. Much has been ploughed level, although some parts show as cropmarks.

All this is to say: Morgan's Hill is a site of long history.

So it was, perhaps, no surprise, that when one Mr. John Morgan of Heddington robbed and murdered his uncle in 1720, that this prominent hill was chosen as the location for his execution. 

One may expect that wood from nearby Furze Knoll may have been used, however there is no mention of this copse until the late 1800s. Either way, we must not under-estimate the effort required to transport the wood and other materials required to erect a short drop.

The short drop was most common method of hanging before the 1850s. The prisoner would stand on a raised support, in our case John Morgan, who we can hope was suitably remorseful by this stage. With the noose around the neck, the support is then moved away, leaving the prisoner to drop and dangle from the rope.

Morgan may have received a quick death by cervical fracture. However, if the neck did not break, the short drop would typically take 10 to 20 minutes to strangle the prisoner to death.

And so, that's how the story of John Morgan goes. Assuming that this is true, then the name of the hill eventually changed to Morgan's Hill. However, this may have been a long process with antiquarian William Stukeley using the name Runway Hill in this book on Avebury in 1743.

It is likely that life continued on as normal for Morgan's Hill. 


The Wansdyke was used as a drove road, with a junction leading off to join the trackways and roads south to Bishop's Cannings. From the 1880s, the copse known as Furze Knoll was mapped, perhaps from this period the trees had either been planted or had established themselves with the protection of the gorse that grew here. Furze meaning land where gorse grew, knoll meaning hillocks.

The hill has a long history of communication being home to a Marconi Imperial Wireless Chain receiving station from 1913 to 1935, seeing some conversions along the way to enable different uses. 

In 1981 Wiltshire Constabulary erected the current masts, with microwave dishes added in 1998, by Mercury Communications, a mobile phone network provider. 

In 1990 the MoD applied to site a mobile prefabricated building with a 2700 litre fuel storage tank and satellite dishes, however their current involvement is unknown. It is currently thought that Arqiva, a telecommunications company providing infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities, manages the site. Yet another mystery...

In 1951, well before the masts that allow identification of Morgan's Hill from a great distance were erected in 1981, the 12.6-hectare site was recognised as a SSSI. This designation recognises the importance of the orchids and butterflies that thrive here and the general quality of chalk grassland and wildflowers.

These days much of the hill is carefully managed by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. There is a memorial stone to Beatrice Gillam MBE (1920-2016) within Morgan's Hill. Beatrice Gillam received her MBE in 1983, for work done for the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, of which, she was a founder member. 

Gillam seems to have been very active over decades in surveying wildlife and campaigning, including being a voluntary warden for the precursor to Natural England. Her research notes and notebooks are held by the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre.

While the site has the name Morgan's Hill as a reminder of the likely the outcome for thieves and murders in the area; it feels more important that a memorial is present for Beatrice Gillam a power for the good in the world, particularly highlighting the importance of the wildlife of this special place.

Whenever you can, head to the carpark at Smallgrain Picnic Area and allow yourself to bathe in the glory of the history, and especially, the nature of this site.


References:

[1] Jukes-Browne, BA, FGS., A., 1891. 'The Geology of Devizes', The Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, vol. XXV, no. NA, pp. 317-335.