The Bussex Rhine was a rhyne, or sizeable ditch, running outside the village of Westonzoyland in Somerset, England. A rhyne or rhine (rhymes with ‘seen’) is a southern English dialect word for a "large open ditch or drain".[1] In the 17th century many rhines were used in Somerset to drain marshy ground.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Bussex_Rhine.jpg/220px-Bussex_Rhine.jpg)
During the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion the king's forces were camped at the rhyne. The rebels under the Duke of Monmouth attempted a surprise night attack but were fatally delayed by the difficulty of crossing the rhyne. With the element of surprise lost the better-trained royal forces, ably commanded by John Churchill and armed with cannon, cut the rebels to pieces at what became known as the Battle of Sedgemoor.
References
edit- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd. edition, 1989