Kingdom of Cornwall
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Cornwall was an independent polity in southwest Britain
during the Early Middle Ages
, roughly coterminous with the modern English
county of Cornwall
. During the sub-Roman
and early medieval periods Cornwall was evidently part of the kingdom of Dumnonia
, which included most of the West Country
, but the exact nature of its relationship with the kingdom is unclear. Between the 7th and the 10th centuries most of Dumnonia's land was gradually taken by the Anglo-Saxon
kingdom of Wessex
, and Cornwall emerged as a rump state
known to the Saxons as West Wales. Cornwall was not conquered by the Anglo-Saxons but rather it was co-opted into the Anglo-Saxon crown; by the reign of Edward the Confessor
(1042–1066) it was part of the Earldom of Wessex. Since then, the titles Earl of Cornwall
and Duke of Cornwall
have been used by the English peerage, beginning in the reign of William the Conqueror.
tribe called the Cornovii
, whose existence is implied from the place-name "Durocornovio" meaning Fortress of the Cornish (Dyn Kernowyon in the Cornish language
), recorded in the Roman
Ravenna Cosmography
. Another theory is that the name is a geographical reference to the horn shaped peninsula itself; the common Celtic
root cern, or the Latin cornu, both of which mean "horn" or "peninsula
", suggestive of the shape of Cornwall's landmass. Kernow is the Cornish language name of Cornwall to this day, with cognates in Welsh
Cernyw and Breton
Kernev. (Kernev is also the Breton form of the region of Brittany
known in French as Cornouaille
.) Its name in Latin
was Cornubia, but it was known to the Anglo-Saxons
of neighbouring Wessex
as the kingdom of the West Welsh, later as Cornwall
.
, although tradition seems to indicate that it had its own monarchs at times and may have been one of a number of sub-kingdoms. It was certainly independent after the majority of the latter kingdom fell under Anglo-Saxon
control in the 8th century.
Two waves of migrations took place to Armorica
(Brittany
) from Dumnonia and Cornwall and this may have resulted in rulers who exercised kingship in both Brittany and Cornwall , explaining those occurrences of the same names of rulers in both territories.. There are also numerous correspondences of Insular Celtic saints' and place names and a close linguistic relationship between Cornish
(Kernowek) and Breton
(Brezhoneg).
Cornwall had remained largely un-Romanized and settlements continued in use into the post-Roman period
. It is suggested that the kings were itinerant, stopping at various palaces, such as Tintagel
and Celliwig
, at different times of the year. Lesser lords built defended 'rounds' like Kelly Rounds
and Castle Dore
.
Cornwall may have reverted to paganism
after the Roman departure from Britain, or perhaps Christianity
never reached these far-flung parts of the Empire. In the 5th and 6th centuries, however, the area was according to tradition evangelized by the children of Brychan Brycheiniog
and saints from Ireland
. There was an important monastery at Bodmin
and sporadically, Cornish bishops
are named in various records until they submitted to the See of Canterbury
in the mid-9th century (Cornwall being included in the Diocese of Sherborne).
tradition:
Since the 19th century, there has been controversy concerning a certain Huwal
, "King of the West Welsh". This character only appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
entry for 927, accepting King Athelstan
of Wessex
as his overlord. 'West Wales' was an old term for Dumnonia
or Cornwall, but may also refer to present day West Wales
, then generally known as Deheubarth, where Hywel Dda
was king. Other 'kings', such as Ricatus
, mentioned on memorial stones may have ruled more localised regions.
According to William of Worcester
, writing in the 15th century, Cadoc
, described as the last survivor of the Cornish royal line at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, was appointed Earl of Cornwall
by William I of England
.
In the De Gestis Herewardi Saxonis written in the 12th century it is recorded that Hereward the Wake
took refuge in Cornwall in the 11th century at the court of the Cornish Prince or King Alef.
An early 17th century pedigree of a so-called 'Earl of Cornwall' in the Book of Baglan http://wiki.whitneygen.org/wrg/index.php/Archive:Llyfr_Baglan may possibly also represent a list of rulers in Cornwall.
Lying in the extreme west of Britain, Cornwall was at first remote from the Anglo-Saxon
land invasions. In 722, a notable Cornish victory at the Battle of Hehil
kept the men of Wessex at bay until 814, when Egbert of Wessex
subdued parts of Devon that were until then part of Cornwall. Clashes continued throughout the early 9th century and by the 880s Wessex had gained control of at least part of Cornwall, where Alfred the Great
had estates. William of Malmesbury
, writing around 1120, says that King Athelstan of England (924–939) fixed Cornwall's eastern boundary at the Tamar
. The chronology of English expansion into Cornwall is unclear but most historians place the end of independence during the reign of Edward the Confessor. The eldest son of the English monarch became Duke of Cornwall
in 1337, in succession to the previous Earls of Cornwall
. Cornwall's separate status from England has often been disputed yet was upheld in court as recently as the 1970s with the Tamar Bridge
Act (see Constitutional Status of Cornwall
).
William Camden
writing in his book Britannia in 1607 states:
Cornwall showed a very different type of settlement pattern to that of Saxon Wessex and places continued (even after 1066) to be named in the Celtic Cornish tradition with Saxon architecture being uncommon in Cornwall. The earliest record for any Anglo Saxon place names west of the Tamar is around 1040.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
during the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, roughly coterminous with the modern English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. During the sub-Roman
Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...
and early medieval periods Cornwall was evidently part of the kingdom of Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
, which included most of the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
, but the exact nature of its relationship with the kingdom is unclear. Between the 7th and the 10th centuries most of Dumnonia's land was gradually taken by the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
kingdom of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
, and Cornwall emerged as a rump state
Rump state
A rump state is the remnant of a once-larger government, left with limited powers or authority after a disaster, invasion, military occupation, secession or partial overthrowing of a government. In the last case, a government stops short of going in exile because it still controls part of its...
known to the Saxons as West Wales. Cornwall was not conquered by the Anglo-Saxons but rather it was co-opted into the Anglo-Saxon crown; by the reign of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
(1042–1066) it was part of the Earldom of Wessex. Since then, the titles Earl of Cornwall
Earl of Cornwall
The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...
and Duke of Cornwall
Duke of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in the peerage of England.The present Duke of Cornwall is The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch .-History:...
have been used by the English peerage, beginning in the reign of William the Conqueror.
Name
Its name could derive from a possible BritishBritons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
tribe called the Cornovii
Cornovii (Cornish)
The Cornovii were a Celtic tribe who inhabited the far South West peninsula of Great Britain, during the Iron Age, Roman and post-Roman periods and gave their name to Cornwall or Kernow....
, whose existence is implied from the place-name "Durocornovio" meaning Fortress of the Cornish (Dyn Kernowyon in the Cornish language
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
), recorded in the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Ravenna Cosmography
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
. Another theory is that the name is a geographical reference to the horn shaped peninsula itself; the common Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
root cern, or the Latin cornu, both of which mean "horn" or "peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
", suggestive of the shape of Cornwall's landmass. Kernow is the Cornish language name of Cornwall to this day, with cognates in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
Cernyw and Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
Kernev. (Kernev is also the Breton form of the region of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
known in French as Cornouaille
Cornouaille
Cornouaille is a historic region in Brittany, in northwest France. The name is identical to the French name for the Duchy of Cornwall, since the area was settled by migrant princes from Cornwall...
.) Its name in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
was Cornubia, but it was known to the Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
of neighbouring Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
as the kingdom of the West Welsh, later as Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Status and character
Cornwall seems to have originally been part of the greater kingdom of DumnoniaDumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
, although tradition seems to indicate that it had its own monarchs at times and may have been one of a number of sub-kingdoms. It was certainly independent after the majority of the latter kingdom fell under Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
control in the 8th century.
Two waves of migrations took place to Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
(Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
) from Dumnonia and Cornwall and this may have resulted in rulers who exercised kingship in both Brittany and Cornwall , explaining those occurrences of the same names of rulers in both territories.. There are also numerous correspondences of Insular Celtic saints' and place names and a close linguistic relationship between Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
(Kernowek) and Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
(Brezhoneg).
Cornwall had remained largely un-Romanized and settlements continued in use into the post-Roman period
Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...
. It is suggested that the kings were itinerant, stopping at various palaces, such as Tintagel
Tintagel Castle
Tintagel Castle is a medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island, adjacent to the village of Tintagel in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The site was possibly occupied in the Romano-British period, due to an array of artefacts dating to this period which have been found on the...
and Celliwig
Celliwig
Celliwig, Kelliwic or Gelliwic, is perhaps the earliest named location for the court of King Arthur. It may be translated as 'forest grove'.-Literary references:...
, at different times of the year. Lesser lords built defended 'rounds' like Kelly Rounds
Kelly Rounds
Kelly Rounds, or Castle Killibury is an Iron Age hill fort in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated beside the A39 trunk road approximately two miles east of Wadebridge....
and Castle Dore
Castle Dore
Castle Dore is an Iron Age and early mediaeval hill fort near Fowey in Cornwall, United Kingdom located at .- Description and History :It consists of circular bank and ditch enclosure with a second enclosure nearby thought to have been an animal corral...
.
Cornwall may have reverted to paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
after the Roman departure from Britain, or perhaps Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
never reached these far-flung parts of the Empire. In the 5th and 6th centuries, however, the area was according to tradition evangelized by the children of Brychan Brycheiniog
Brychan
Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog in South Wales.-Life:Celtic hagiography tells us that Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and his wife, Marchel, heiress of the Welsh kingdom of Garthmadrun , which the couple later inherited...
and saints from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. There was an important monastery at Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
and sporadically, Cornish bishops
Bishop of Cornwall
The Bishop of Cornwall was an episcopal title which was used by Anglo Saxons between the 9th and 11th centuries. The bishop's seat was located at the village of St Germans, Cornwall. Later bishops of Cornwall were sometimes referred to as the bishops of St Germans...
are named in various records until they submitted to the See of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
in the mid-9th century (Cornwall being included in the Diocese of Sherborne).
Kings of Cornwall
Cornish monarchs are recorded in a number of Old Welsh documents and Saints' Lives as well as in local and ArthurianKing Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
tradition:
- King MarkMark of CornwallMark of Cornwall was a king of Kernow in the early 6th century. He is most famous for his appearance in Arthurian legend as the uncle of Tristan and husband of Iseult, who engage in a secret affair.-The legend:Mark sent Tristan as his proxy to fetch his young bride, the Princess Iseult, from...
– of Tristan and IseultTristanTristan is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain...
fame, probably ruled in the late 5th century. According to Cornish folklore, he held court at TintagelTintagel CastleTintagel Castle is a medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island, adjacent to the village of Tintagel in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The site was possibly occupied in the Romano-British period, due to an array of artefacts dating to this period which have been found on the...
. - King SalomonSalomon of CornwallSalomon was a late 5th century Cornish 'warrior prince', possibly a King of Cornwall.St Levan according to the Life of St Kybi was a Cornishman and the father of Kybi. In the department of Morbihan are four places probably connected to the same saint, who probably lived in the 6th or 7th century...
– father of Saint Cybi, probably ruled after Mark. - DungarthDonyarthKing Donyarth is thought to have been a 9th century King of Cornwall, now part of the United Kingdom.He is known solely from an inscription on King Doniert's Stone, a 9th century cross shaft which stands in St Cleer parish in Cornwall. His social status is not recorded there...
– was recorded by the Annales CambriaeAnnales CambriaeAnnales Cambriae, or The Annals of Wales, is the name given to a complex of Cambro-Latin chronicles deriving ultimately from a text compiled from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales, not later than the 10th century...
as having drowned in 876. The Annales refer to him as "rex Cerniu", King of Cornwall.
Since the 19th century, there has been controversy concerning a certain Huwal
Huwal of the West Welsh
Huwal was a Brythonic monarch of the early to mid-10th century recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The Chronicle refers to him as "king of the West Welsh", the usual Anglo-Saxon name for the Cornish or southwestern Britons...
, "King of the West Welsh". This character only appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
entry for 927, accepting King Athelstan
Athelstan of England
Athelstan , called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924 or 925 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great and nephew of Æthelflæd of Mercia...
of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
as his overlord. 'West Wales' was an old term for Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
or Cornwall, but may also refer to present day West Wales
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
, then generally known as Deheubarth, where Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda
Hywel Dda , was the well-thought-of king of Deheubarth in south-west Wales, who eventually came to rule Wales from Prestatyn to Pembroke. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, through his father Cadell, Hywel was a member of the Dinefwr branch of the dynasty and is also named Hywel ap Cadell...
was king. Other 'kings', such as Ricatus
Ricatus
King Ricatus was a king in Cornwall in the 10th century.He is known solely from an inscription on a carved stone memorial cross, dated to 1000, which now stands in the grounds of Penlee House in Penzance. It reads, "Regis Ricati Crux" - 'The cross of King Ricatus'. Because of the late date, Prof...
, mentioned on memorial stones may have ruled more localised regions.
According to William of Worcester
William Worcester
William Worcester , was an English chronicler and antiquary.-Life:He was a son of William of Worcester, a Bristol citizen, and is sometimes called William Botoner, his mother being a daughter of Thomas Botoner from Catalonia....
, writing in the 15th century, Cadoc
Cadoc of Cornwall
According to William of Worcester, writing in the fifteenth century, Cadoc was a survivor of the Cornish royal line at the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and was appointed as the first Earl of Cornwall by William the Conqueror....
, described as the last survivor of the Cornish royal line at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, was appointed Earl of Cornwall
Earl of Cornwall
The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...
by William I of England
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
.
In the De Gestis Herewardi Saxonis written in the 12th century it is recorded that Hereward the Wake
Hereward the Wake
Hereward the Wake , known in his own times as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile, was an 11th-century leader of local resistance to the Norman conquest of England....
took refuge in Cornwall in the 11th century at the court of the Cornish Prince or King Alef.
An early 17th century pedigree of a so-called 'Earl of Cornwall' in the Book of Baglan http://wiki.whitneygen.org/wrg/index.php/Archive:Llyfr_Baglan may possibly also represent a list of rulers in Cornwall.
Arthurian connection
- Geoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur...
said that King ArthurKing ArthurKing Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
was conceived at Tintagel CastleTintagel CastleTintagel Castle is a medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island, adjacent to the village of Tintagel in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The site was possibly occupied in the Romano-British period, due to an array of artefacts dating to this period which have been found on the...
. - Geoffrey also said that Arthur’s final Battle of CamlannBattle of CamlannThe Battle of Camlann is best known as the final battle of King Arthur, where he either died in battle, or was fatally wounded fighting his enemy Mordred.-Historicity:...
was fought in Cornwall. According to unreliable tradition this was at SlaughterbridgeSlaughterbridgeSlaughterbridge, Treague and Camelford Station are three adjoining settlements in north Cornwall, United Kingdom. They straddle the boundary of Forrabury and Minster and Lanteglos by Camelford civil parishes just over a mile north-west of the market town of CamelfordThe settlements are on the...
near CamelfordCamelfordCamelford is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately ten miles north of Bodmin and is governed by Camelford Town Council....
. - Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote in his 'Prophecies of MerlinMerlinMerlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
' (Prophetiae MerliniProphecy of MerlinProphecy of Merlin , sometimes called The Prophecy of Ambrosius Merlin concerning the Seven Kings, is a 12th-century poem written in Latin hexameters by John of Cornwall, which he claimed was based or revived from a lost manuscript in the Cornish language. The original manuscript is unique and...
) "that the race that is oppressed shall prevail in the end, for it will resist the savagery of the invaders. The Boar of Cornwall shall bring relief from these invaders, for it will trample the necks beneath its feet." - CamelfordCamelfordCamelford is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately ten miles north of Bodmin and is governed by Camelford Town Council....
is sometimes said without justification to have been CamelotCamelotCamelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and eventually came to be described as the fantastic capital of Arthur's realm and a symbol of the Arthurian world...
.
Arrival of the Saxons and Normans
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
land invasions. In 722, a notable Cornish victory at the Battle of Hehil
Battle of Hehil
The Battle of Hehil was a battle won by a British force, probably against the Anglo-Saxons of Wessex in the year 721 or 722. The location is unknown, except that it was apud Cornuenses ....
kept the men of Wessex at bay until 814, when Egbert of Wessex
Egbert of Wessex
Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until his death in 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent...
subdued parts of Devon that were until then part of Cornwall. Clashes continued throughout the early 9th century and by the 880s Wessex had gained control of at least part of Cornwall, where Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
had estates. William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury
William of Malmesbury was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. C. Warren Hollister so ranks him among the most talented generation of writers of history since Bede, "a gifted historical scholar and an omnivorous reader, impressively well versed in the literature of classical,...
, writing around 1120, says that King Athelstan of England (924–939) fixed Cornwall's eastern boundary at the Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
. The chronology of English expansion into Cornwall is unclear but most historians place the end of independence during the reign of Edward the Confessor. The eldest son of the English monarch became Duke of Cornwall
Duke of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created in the peerage of England.The present Duke of Cornwall is The Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning British monarch .-History:...
in 1337, in succession to the previous Earls of Cornwall
Earl of Cornwall
The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...
. Cornwall's separate status from England has often been disputed yet was upheld in court as recently as the 1970s with the Tamar Bridge
Tamar Bridge
The Tamar Bridge is a major road bridge at Saltash in southwest England carrying traffic between Cornwall and Devon. When it opened in 1961 it was the longest suspension bridge in the United Kingdom...
Act (see Constitutional Status of Cornwall
Constitutional status of Cornwall
Cornwall is currently administered as a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England.However, a number of organisations and individuals question the constitutional basis for the administration of Cornwall as part of England, arguing that the Duchy Charters of 1337 place the governance of...
).
William Camden
William Camden
William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
writing in his book Britannia in 1607 states:
As for those Cornwallians, although they stoutly bent all their force together in defence of their Countrey, yet soone became they subject to the Saxons, as who neither matched then in number, neither was their Countrey sufficiently fenced by nature to defend them.
Cornwall showed a very different type of settlement pattern to that of Saxon Wessex and places continued (even after 1066) to be named in the Celtic Cornish tradition with Saxon architecture being uncommon in Cornwall. The earliest record for any Anglo Saxon place names west of the Tamar is around 1040.
See also
- Legendary Dukes of CornwallLegendary Dukes of Cornwall"Duke of Cornwall" appears as a title in pseudo-historical authors as Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth. The list is extremely patchy, and not every succession was unbroken. Indeed, Geoffrey repeatedly introduces Dukes of Cornwall only to promote them to the Kingship of the Britons and thus put an...
for the pseudo-historic rulers of Cornwall mentioned by Geoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of MonmouthGeoffrey of Monmouth was a cleric and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur... - DumnoniiDumnoniiThe Dumnonii or Dumnones were a British Celtic tribe who inhabited Dumnonia, the area now known as Devon and Cornwall in the farther parts of the South West peninsula of Britain, from at least the Iron Age up to the early Saxon period...
- DumnoniaDumnoniaDumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
- List of topics related to Cornwall
- Constitutional status of CornwallConstitutional status of CornwallCornwall is currently administered as a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England.However, a number of organisations and individuals question the constitutional basis for the administration of Cornwall as part of England, arguing that the Duchy Charters of 1337 place the governance of...
- History of CornwallHistory of CornwallThe history of Cornwall begins with the pre-Roman inhabitants, including speakers of a Celtic language that would develop into Brythonic and Cornish. Cornwall was part of the territory of the tribe of the Dumnonii. After a period of Roman rule, Cornwall reverted to rule by independent...
- Cornish AssemblyCornish AssemblyThe Cornish Assembly is a proposed devolved regional assembly for Cornwall in the United Kingdom along the lines of the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly.-Overview:...