by Mike Ashley
Cam, the river that gave its name to the nearby towns of Queen Camel and West Camel near Sparkford. Camel Hill is to the north of the river whilst at Sparkford the Cam twists through a series of bends that might have earned the locale the name Camlann in Arthurian times. Cadbury Castle is little more than 1 km away.
Glastonbury. The purported Isle of Avalon and burial place of King Arthur. These and other associations connected with the Holy Grail, and the abduction of Guenevere by Melwas, did not appear until the late twelfth century. There is no earlier evidence for any Arthurian connections. See Chapter 11 for a full discussion.
Longport. One of the suggested sites of the battle of Llongborth. It is unlikely that an Anglo-British conflict would have happened here in Arthurian times, but it is certainly possible a century or two later. The stained glass in the east window of the parish church dates from the late fifteenth century, and it depicts a grail scene with Joseph of Arimathea carrying two cruets.
Queen Camel, see Cadbury.
Sussex (East and West)
Lewes. Just outside Lewes is Mount Caburn, a major British hill-fort. Below it is Glyndebourne, where the Glynde Reach may be the River Glen of Arthur’s first battle. It is also a likely site for the British defeat of the Saxons under Aelle at Mearcrædes burnam in 485.
Pevensey. Here was the great Roman fort of Anderitum, built as part of the new Saxon Shore defences in the mid 290s. It may not have been occupied by the British during the early sub-Roman period but it was used as a retreat against the Saxons, probably after 477, and fell to Aelle after a terrible massacre in 491.
Selsey. Probable first landing site of Aelle in 477.
Wiltshire
Amesbury. Originally Ambresbyrig, “Ambre’s stronghold”, it has long been associated with Ambrosius Aurelianus, who may have used it as a fort in his campaign against the Saxons. Geoffrey of Monmouth also associates it with Ambrius, a monk who may have founded the monastery here in 979. According to Geoffrey the monastery was built on the site of the slaughter of Vortigern’s nobles by the Saxons. Malory has Guenevere retire here as a nun and it is the site of her last meeting with Lancelot. Nearby is Stonehenge.
Badbury, see Liddington.
Liddington. Between here and Badbury is the significant Iron Age hill fort now called Liddington Castle but once called Badbury Castle. It is one of the more likely sites for Arthur’s decisive battle of Badon.
Marlborough. Local legend suggests that the town’s name is derived from Merlin’s Mount, the name still given to a prehistoric mound in the grounds of Marlborough College. In the Domesday Book the town is recorded as Merleberg and was apparently derived from a similar personal name, Mærla.
Salisbury Plain. By the time of the Vulgate Mort Artu and Malory’s Morte Darthur, this had become the site for Arthur’s final battle at Camlann. There is nothing in the earlier legends to suggest that what was essentially an internal struggle was fought out here, though the Plain is a likely site for later conflicts between the British and the Saxons.
Yorkshire, North
Catterick. Believed by many to be the original site for the Battle of Catraeth as described in Y Gododdin. Not all agree with this. See Chapter 8 for discussion.
Knaresborough. Knaresborough Castle is on a cliff overlooking the town, and may be the site described for Lancelot’s Dolorous Garde. It was built in the 1120s and became a favourite of King John, who used it as a base for hunting. He left it in the care of Brian de Lisle who may be the original of Brandin/Brian of the Isles in the Prose Lancelot.
Sutton on the Forest. Probably the centre of the old Royal Forest of Galtres. This may be the wood referred to by Geoffrey as the Forest of Calaterium, a name sufficiently close to Forest of Celidon to cause possible confusion. Arthur’s seventh battle may have happened here.
York. The military capital of northern Britain during the Roman period and probably remained so for as long as a form of military command remained in the north. It may have been the base for Coel and his successors, certainly Peredur and possibly his father Eliffer and grandfather Arthwys. York features heavily in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s story of Ambrosius and Uther. It is where Octa flees and is besieged, and where later Eosa defeats Uther. Geoffrey has Arthur’s battle on the River Douglas at York against the Saxons. It is also from York that Geoffrey has Arthur allocate territories to his vassal kings.
SCOTLAND
Borders
Drumelzier. This tiny village in Upper Tweeddale is supposed to be where Merlin met his death and was buried. The burial site was believed to be just below the church where a small side stream, the Pausayl, meets the Tweed. However, the Tweed is suppose to have changed its course over the years so the exact spot may well be under the river. The B712 heads west of the village through Merlindale. This story almost certainly applies to Myrddin Wyllt or Lailoken, who lived wild in the Caledonian Forest for years and met a “triple” death as he himself had prophesied.
Melrose. Although the Arthurian connections here are all circumstantial, the combination gives food for thought. South of the town are the Eildon Hills, one of the suggested sites for Arthur’s battle of Mount Agned. Several medieval romances refer to these hills as the Dolorous Mountains, which may also therefore link them to the Castle of the Maidens and to Lancelot’s castle called Dolorous Garde. Arthur and his knights are supposed to be sleeping under the Hills awaiting their call to save Britain again. The fort at the top of the Hills was reoccupied in the fifth century and may have formed the base for a fighting unit. Other nearby localities are linked to Arthur’s battles. Bowden Moor to the south-west is a suggested site for Badon (on name alone) whilst Stow in Wedale is linked to the battle of Fort Guinnion.
Stow, see Melrose.
Yarrow. Deep in the old Caledonian Forest the area of Hart Fell above Yarrow has been suggested as the possible site of Arthur’s seventh battle.
Central Scotland
Falkirk. The Roman fort of Caermawr or Camelon has been suggested as a site for Camelot. Further north, where the B902 crosses the River Carron into Stenhousemuir, at the site of the old Carron Ironworks, used to be a Roman building known colloquially as Arthur’s O’en or Arthur’s Furnace. It was identified as such as far back as 1293, but the building is long gone and its significance lost. To the west of the town are the Hills of Dunipace, a site suggested, rather weakly, as the location for Arthur’s sixth battle at Bassas.
Stirling. Stirling Castle was once believed to be Arthur’s Castle, mostly because of a misinterpretation by William of Worcester of a reference to Arthur’s court at Sinodun, which he took as a variance on Snowdon. Apparently Stirling was once known to the English as Snodun. In fact, in the twelfth century its name was recorded as Strevelin, an unlikely confusion with Sinodun. Below the castle heights, near the golf course, is an earthwork called the King’s Knot, known colloquially as the Round Table. It was probably designed in the fifteenth century or so for tournaments in the area known as the King’s Park.
The area around Stirling has some suggested sites for Arthur’s battles. Stirling Castle itself has been suggested as the Castle of the Maidens and thus as the site for the battle of Mount Agned. The Links of Forth to the east of the town, south of the river, has been suggested for the Battle of Tribruit, whilst to the west of Stirling along the Forth at Kippen, the Fords of Frew have been proposed as the site for the battle of the River Bassas. None of these sites have much in their favour but as the three most difficult sites to identify they at least bear some consideration.
Dumfries & Galloway
Rockcliffe. South of Dalbeattie overlooking the inlet Rough Firt is the Mote of Mark, a hill-fort which was not only occupied in the sixth century but produced quality goods: jewels, brooches, harness fittings. Interestingly, 25km to the west at Gatehouse of Fleet is Trusty’s Hill (“Drust’s Hill”) which contains some uniquely marked Pictish stones. It may suggest a deeper Tristan tradition here, relating to a raid by a Pictish leader, Drust, on a British encamp
ment in Strathclyde.
Edinburgh and the Lothians
Edinburgh has several associations. The hill to the east of the capital, by Holyrood Palace, is called Arthur’s Seat and may be the site of the original Votadini fort of Din Eidyn. This has led many to believe that Arthur was a prince of the Votadini, an idea seemingly supported by the reference to him in the poem Y Gododdin. The site has been known as Arthur’s Seat from at least the 1400s. Geoffrey of Monmouth believed that Edinburgh was the site of the Castle of the Maidens and of Mount Agned, Arthur’s eleventh battle.
Linlithgow. 5km south of Linlithgow off the A706 and before Lochcote Reservoir is Bowden Hill, suggested (on no better reason than name) as a possible site for the Battle of Badon. There are at least four Bowden Hills in Britain, including one near the Eildon Hills (see Melrose), plus a village in Wiltshire and a hill in Devon. None of these are serious contenders.
Perthshire
Arthurbank, see Meigle.
Arthurstone, see Meigle.
Barry Hill, see Meigle.
Meigle. The museum here has one of the carved stones from a tomb once displayed in the churchyard, which was claimed to mark the burial place of Guenevere. Local legend claims that she absconded with Mordred and Arthur had her put to death for adultery – some say she was torn to pieces by horses. Evidently there is an Arthurian tradition in the area because a few kms south-west along the A94 is a house called Arthurstone where once stood an Arthur’s Stone, now lost. A little further along the road is the farm Arthurbank. Across the River Isla from Meigle, just beyond Alyth, is Barry Hill where Mordred’s castle is supposed to have stood.
Strathclyde
Alclud. See Dumbarton.
Ben Arthur. A mountain at the head of Loch Long also known as The Cobbler. Its name may be associated with the Clan MacArthur and the Dál Riatan prince Artúir mac Aedan, and has thus been connected to the four battles fought by Arthur in the region of Linnuis.
Darvel. Near here the Glen Water meets the River Irving near Yeavering Bell. It has been suggested as a site for Arthur’s first battle.
Dumbarton. The modern name for Dun Breatann, the Fort of the Britains, also called Alclud. It was the capital of the British kingdom of Strathclyde that managed to survive until the end of the ninth century, the last independent British enclave outside of Wales. Gildas was allegedly born here and his father Caw was a prince of Alclud in the late fifth century. Its major ruler during the Arthurian period was Dyfnwal the Old, who extended his territory across much of northern Britain between the Walls. Some of his exploits may have become subsumed into Arthurian legend. Geoffrey of Monmouth has Arthur lift a siege of Alclud by the Picts and Saxons. Later legend has this as the birthplace of Mordred, which would suggest that Lot was a Prince of Strathclyde. Lot appears amongst the descendants of Coel in Rheged and Galloway but the borders between Galloway and Strathclyde must always have been fluid.
Loch Lomond. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Arthur pursued an army of Picts and Scots to Loch Lomond where he trapped them on the islands in the loch. Whilst it is an unlikely site for Arthur of Badon it’s a very possible site for Artúir mac Aedan of Dál Riata. He may have fought several battles in the area which might relate to Nennius’s battle list which cites four battles in the region of Linnuis. The Roman geographer Ptolemy called this area Lindum.
WALES
Clwyd (Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham)
Deganwy. Here, at the mouth of the River Conway, was the fortress home of Maelgwyn, king of Gwynedd. Taliesin is supposed to have visited this court in his youth. Before Maelgwyn established this as his home it may have equated to Arthur’s court of Pen Rhionydd, at that time governed by Gyrthmwl.
Llanarmon. In the Berwyn Mountains, this is the site of Carreg Gwynion, a possible site for Arthur’s eighth battle at Fort Guinnion.
Llandulas, near Colwyn Bay. The River Dulas here may be one of the sites of Arthur’s battles at the River Dubglas.
Mold. Just to the north-west is Maesgarmon, the possible site of the Alleluia Victory of Germanus in 429 or 436. The site may, though, be associated with St Garmon and therefore also connected with Cadell. See Moel Benlli in the next entry.
Ruthin. It has been suggested that Gildas did not mention Arthur in De Excidio because Arthur had killed Gildas’s brother Hywel or Huail. That purportedly happened here in Ruthin. The story tells that in a duel at Caerwys (north of Ruthin) Hywel had wounded Arthur, causing him to limp. Arthur told Hywel to keep silent about the wound. Later, in Ruthin, Arthur disguised himself in order to meet a woman, but Hywel recognised the limp. Commenting upon it, Hywel broke his bond and Arthur had him arrested and executed. The execution stone is still on show outside Exmewe Hall in the Market Place.
In the Clwydian mountains north-east of Ruthin are two peaks of interest. Moel Arthur (“Hill of Arthur”) is at the end of a valley called Glyn Arthur and is passed by Offa’s Dyke long-distance path. It was occupied in the Iron Age, but it has not been excavated since 1849 and modern methods might discover more. South of Moel Arthur, 5kms east of Ruthin on a minor road heading up from Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd, is Moel Fenlli, also called Moel Benlli, the hill-fort of the tyrant Benlli who was destroyed by lightning, allowing Cadell to become king. Excavations in 1879 showed that this hill was occupied in the sub-Roman period. If, as I have suggested, Cadell is one of the candidates for the real Arthur, it may account for the names of these two, nearly adjacent, peaks.
Dyfed (Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire)
Aberystwyth. On the outskirts is Llanbadarn Fawr, site of an early monastic settlement headed by Paternus (St. Padarn) in the early/mid sixth century. His Life, written in cll20, refers to Arthur as a “tyrant”, who visited Paternus and took a fancy to his tunic. When Paternus would not let him have it Arthur went into a rage and Paternus asked that the earth swallow him up, which it promptly did until Arthur had sought forgiveness. This may well be based on some incident relating to Artúir of Dyfed.
3kms south-east, off the A485 before Capel Seion, is Nanteos House, which for centuries was believed to house the Holy Grail, known as the Nanteos Cup, apparently brought to the place by the monks after the dissolution of Strata Florida Abbey. The Cup is now housed in a bank vault and visitors discouraged. Nanteos House, which passed out of the hands of the original owners in 1951, was again put up for sale in 2004.
Bosherston. This small village has several purported Arthurian connections. The trident-shaped lake, known as the Lily Ponds, was supposed to be where Bedivere returned Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. However, there is no corresponding local site for Camlann and the lake was only created when the creek was dammed in the 18th century. South of the town is St. Govan’s Head. Below the cliffs are the remains of a chapel where Govan is supposed to be buried. The name Govan has been connected with Gawain. The local church will tell you that Govan was Gobhan, a sixth-century blacksmith from Abergavenny who became a holy man, whilst as Gofan or Ouan he appears in the story of Culhwch and Olwen as one of the sons of Caw (and thus brother of Gildas) at Arthur’s court. See Milford Haven.
Black Mountain. Arthur’s pursuit of the giant boar Twrch Trwyth continued here as described in Culhwch and Olwen. It recommenced near Ammanford and headed across the Black Mountain towards the Brecon Beacons. North of Ammanford, near Pont-ar-llechau (on the A4069), is the hill Pen Arthur, below which, in the River Sawdde, are two large rocks, the biggest of which is called Arthur’s Quoit, which he is supposed to have thrown from Pen Arthur. We may suppose that this area was the site of a battle associated with Arthur, possibly Artúir of Dyfed, but equally any of the Arthurian suspects, especially Vortipor.
Carmarthen. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, this was the birthplace of Merlin, and the town was subsequently named after him as Caer Myrddin. In fact, the name was derived from the Roman name Moridunum which developed into Myrddin. In Geoffrey’s day the town was called Cair Mirdin, and Geoffrey made the connection (albeit wrongly) with th
e bard Myrddin. The legend has stuck and there are the inevitable local landmarks. 4km east along the A40 is Bryn Myrddin (“Merlin’s Hill”), an ancient hill fort, with which are associated Merlin’s Wood, Merlin’s Stone and, of course, Merlin’s Cave, where he is supposed to be entombed. Heading south-west out of the town on the B4312 you will find Merlin’s Quoit, a standing stone near the village of Llangain. Carmarthen Museum houses all that remains of Myrddin’s Tree, that used to stand in the centre of the old town. It also houses the Vortipor Stone, which had been found at Castell Dwyran, and which is inscribed with the name of Vortipor, the ruler of Dyfed at the time of Arthur.
Haverfordwest. Originally Haverford, the town took its name from a ford over the River Cleddau, but it seems that just south of the town the small tributary of the Cleddau, called Merlin’s Brook, required a bridge, now called Merlin’s Bridge.
Llamporth. Near the village of Penbryn, this is a likely site for the battle of Llongborth.
Milford Haven. The Irish boar Twrch Trwyth passed through here, having come round the coast from St David’s. This is probably a memory of an invading warband, probably Irish, that landed at Milford Haven and fought its way inland. The original Welsh name for the town was Aberdaugleddau, taken from the name of the river Cleddau, which means “sword”. The name may signify a naval battle.