by Kevin Ashman
Earliest reference to Madoc
In 1584, Dr David Powel published a document called, the history of Cambria. The following is an excerpt.
‘Madoc left the land in contention betwixt his brethern and prepared certain shipps with men and munitions and sought adventures by seas, sailing west. He came to a land unknown where he saw manie strange things. Of the viage and returne of this Madoc there be manie fables faimed, as the common people do use in distance of place and length of time, rather to augment than diminish but sure it is that there he was. And after he had returned home, and declared the pleasant and fruitfulle countries that he had seen without inhabitants, and upon the contrarie part, for what barren and wilde ground his brethern and nepheues did murther one another, he prepared a number of shipps, and got with him such men and women as were desirous to live in quietnesse, and taking leave of his freends tooke his journie thitherward againe. This Madoc arriving in the countrie, into which he came in the yeare 1170, left most of his people there, and returning back for more of his own nation, acquaintance, and friends, to inhabit that fayre and large countrie, went thither againe.’
The Mandan Indians
The Mandan Indians themselves claim to be descended from the Welsh Prince and later travellers found the tribe had many traits similar to the Welsh. Many were light skinned, had fair hair and blue eyes, traits that were not shared by any other native American tribes. In addition, where other tribes used dug-out or hide covered canoes, the Mandans used coracles, circular boats used across Wales at the time. Even the method of steering the coracles with single paddles was the same, itself an unlikely coincidence. Finally and the most telling evidence was the fact that these Mandans and their descendants are reported to have spoken Welsh.
Evidence of Medieval occupation in America
There are many stone built fortifications in the area but it is unlikely that Madoc had the time or resources to build castles during his lifetime. However evidence exists of several stone fortifications that not only predate Columbus but are totally alien to any methods of construction used by any native American tribes. Locations include, Lookout Mountain in Alabama, Ft Mountain state park in North Georgia and Manchester in modern day Tennessee. Many archaeologists agree that these forts predate Columbus by hundreds of years and are unlike any structure ever built by Native Americans. It has also been found that the construction and designs are closely similar to construction methods used in Europe at the time.
Capability of Medieval sailors
Although commonly known as the dark ages, historians increasingly believe the period of time between the Romans leaving Britain in the fourth century and the Norman invasion, was an era of culture and interaction with many other countries. The Welsh were famed for their sea going capabilities and even as far as back as Julius Caesar in the first century AD, were renowned for having a far superior fleet to the Romans. Therefore it is not too great a stretch of the imagination to think that Medieval sailors were capable of transatlantic crossings.
And finally….
In England there is a village called Stoke Dry. In the church, there is a mural on the wall that dates from the 10th century and is labelled as the Martyrdom of St Edmund which is supposedly the killing of St Edmund by Danish soldiers. Though this is accepted by many, experts remain unsure due to the specific dress of the attackers. Some say the designs have been influenced by the voyages of the Vikings who may have encountered similarly dressed people in Newfoundland hundreds of years earlier but nobody is actually sure who the drawings depict. I will leave it for you to decide.
The Martyrdom of St Edmund
More Books by K. M. Ashman
The India Sommers Mysteries
The Dead Virgins
The Treasures of Suleiman
The Mummies of the Reich
The Roman Trilogy
Roman I – The Fall of Britannia
Roman II – The Rise of Caratacus
Roman III – The Wrath of Boudicca
The Medieval Trilogy
Medieval I – Blood of the Cross
Medieval II – In Shadows of Kings
Medieval III – Ring of Steel
Novels
Savage Eden
The Last Citadel
Vampire
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