Vale of White Horse being removed to show the white chalky soil beneath. This figure gives name to the hill, the range and the Vale. It is 114 m (374 ft) long and highly stylised, the neck, body and tail varying little in width. The origin of the figure is unknown. Tradition asserted it to be the monument of a victory over the Danes by King Alfred, who was born at Wantage, but the site of the Battle of Ashdown (871 CE), has been variously located. Moreover, the figure has been dated to the Bronze Age, so it pre-dates the battle by many centuries.
Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits The Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits took place in County Fermanagh, Ireland on 7 August 1594 when a force of Irish Army soldiers led by Sir Henry Duke was ambushed and defeated by an Irish force under Hugh Maguire and Cormac MacBaron O'Neill in the region of the fords of the Arney River on the approaches to Enniskillen. Duke's men were a relief column for the town which had been under siege since May. The battle acquired its distinctive name due to the supplies of the Crown forces, largely hard biscuits,