In Search of the Sites
Avalon =
The Berth
The first person to mention Avalon in connection with Arthur
was Geoffrey of Monmouth. First, as the place where Arthur's
sword was forged, and secondly as his burial place. Its location
is never given but Glastonbury is the place which most people
think of as being the site of Avalon, as it was surrounded by
marsh. But I think we have proved these connections are tenuous.
A more credible site is The Berth, just outside Baschurch on
the road to Myddle, some eight miles north of Shrewsbury. Regrettably,
The Berth is on private land with no access by public footpath.
Camelot = Viriconium
The earliest mention of this is in the writings of Chretien de
Troyes in the 12th century, and he only mentions it in passing.
A century later Camelot is described by other writers as being
a magnificent city with an impregnable castle, but its location
is never agreed upon. Malory gave it as Winchester, but the castle
there was built by William the Conqueror. The round table which
still stands in Winchester Castle has been dated accurately as
being from the reign of Edward III.
I think we have proved that the writers of the Legends
of Arthur mixed historical events with imagination to create
historical faction. The problem is, of course, separating the
fact from the fiction. But let us imagine that in writing of
fictional Camelot they drew on the historical facts about Owain
Ddantagwyn's (Arthur's) capital. We have seen that Viriconium
was the capital of Powys at one time and the magnificence of
its Roman architecture, mixed with the later buildings, would
have easily stimulated the writers of the Legends to create
the wondrous Camelot.
Camlann = Camlan
It was at the Battle of Camlann that Owain Ddantagwyn
(Arthur) died. But where is Camlann? One of the places often
suggested is somewhere on the River Camel in Somerset. Another
is at Camboglanna, a Roman fort on Hadian's Wall. Later Legends
give it at a place near Salisbury. Geoffrey of Monmouth says
it is somewhere in Cornwall and that Owain was fighting his nephew,
Modred. Well, we have already noted that Geoffrey had a patron
to please! (see 1135).
Owain Ddantagwyn's (Arthur's) death was at a time when most British
rulers were weakened by the continued fighting with invaders,
but that did not stop them fighting amongst themselves. If Owen
Ddantagwyn (Arthur) had united Powys and Gwynedd, it could be
that the fighting was internal between Powys and Gwynedd. It
must also be remembered that after Owain Ddantagwyn's (Arthur's)
death, fighting was then between his son, Cynddylan (Cuneglasus),
king of Powys, and his nephew Maglocunus (Modred), king of Gwynedd.
So, can we find Camlann in what is today North Wales. Graham
Phillips thinks we can, and he places Camlann at Camlan, a remote
valley near Dolgellau in Central Wales. This is precisely situated
on the border between the ancient kingdoms of Powys and Gwynedd.
What better place to fight a battle between two parts of a kingdom
than on the border between those two parts!
But if you want an alternative site, more recently, a site on
the River Camlad, near Montgomery, has been suggested. This site
is close to the village of Chirbury where tales of ghostly battle
sounds have been heard for centuries.
Caradoc's Last Stand
For this the choice is with the reader, but any of
the sites mentioned on SS-1.html are worthy of a visit.
Castle Dinas Bran
The castle of this name is often seen but seldom visited as it
stands on a steep hill, just north of Llangollen, however, as
mentioned earlier this was never on the old border and
was never a town. But it is still worth a visit!
Fulk Fitz Warine's Battles
Some of the sites of the various skirmishes that Fulk Fitz Warine
had are easy to locate.
The Pass of Ness is near Nesscliffe. It must be remembered that
in those days the road ran between Nesscliffe and Hopton Hills
from Hopton to Great Ness. Today, that road is peaceful, mainly
frequented by visitors to Nesscliffe Hill.
It takes very little imagination to picture Fulk Fitz Warine,
in full armour, perhaps standing on top of the old hill fort,
waiting for the first sight of his enemy.
The site of the fight at the Pass of Myddle is harder to locate
unless we know which road was taken by both the King's and Fulk's
men.
Pillar of Eliseg
Incredibly, this still stands in a field near Llangollen,
though it is no longer legible, on the road towards the Horseshoe
Pass. (close to the Valle Crucis Abbey)
The Old Border
How old is an old border? Tracing the present Welsh-Shropshire
border back through the ages we have;
Offa's Dyke, which is much later than Arthur's era, can be seen
and easily traced in much of West Shropshire and Powys. Now sometimes
in Wales and sometimes in Shropshire it is a popular walk.
Watts Dyke. An earlier border marker to Offa's Dyke can be traced
to the east of Offa's Dyke in the Oswestry/ Whittington area.
Perhaps the old border referred to the eastern edge of
Arthur's kingdom which could be the River Severn or even somewhere
in today's east Shropshire
Waybury
Again the reader has a choice of sites. Personally,
I believe it has not been defined accurately, but I believe it
could lie somewhere on the banks of the River Perry, perhaps
very close to the present-day village of Whittington. (This could
also be the site of a post-Viriconium capital of Powys)
White Hall = Viriconium
Described as Arthur's home, the White Hall could have been Arthur's
mansion, a post-Roman building, at Viriconium.
White Land = Powys
Powys was repeatedly referred to as the White Land
during the Dark Ages and would, at that time, have included much
of present-day Shropshire.
White Plain = NW Shropshire
The area between the Wrekin & the present Welsh
border, what is today north west Shropshire, is the most likely
area to equate to the White Plain.
White Town = Viriconium
Viriconium is referred to as the White Town during
the Dark Ages. (Limestone from Llanymynech was used in the construction
of Viriconium and could have led to this post-Roman name)
White Town = Whittington
Whittington, a Norman settlement, translates as the White Town,
although it dates from a period much later than Arthur. It is
also frequently referred to as the White Tower.
Books to Read
King Arthur - The True Story
Written by Graham Phillips & Martin Keatman, and first
published by Century in 1992, This is obviously the book that
inspired Graham Phillips to write the later 'The Search for
the Grail'. Although much of the content is the same in both
books, it is worth reading both of them.
'The Search for the Grail'
(Published by BCA) Although published in 1995, it
was only recently that I read a copy of Graham Phillips' book.
It is a fascinating, exciting read which weaves a remarkable
connection between the Holy Grail, King Arthur, Robin Hood and
Shropshire.
At first instance these subjects could not be thought to be connected
even by the most vivid imagination of the world's best fiction
writers. But Graham Phillips is NOT a fiction writer. He is an
historical detective working on (formerly) unsolved historical
mysteries. The result is a book that you cannot put down and
cannot help but believe, a book which agrees with the likes of
me and some of my theories that I've written about occasionally
over the past ten years.
Towards the end you just want to read faster to discover whether
Graham Phillips found the Grail and discover where in Shropshire
he found it. Well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have
to read his book. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.
Two Medieval Outlaws
By Glyn Burgess, the second part of this book is probably the
most detailed interpretation of Fulke le Fitz Waryn.
The detailed translation of the Fulke le Fitz Waryn is
comprehensively accompanied by notes of sources and interpretation
using other historical documents.
The Two Medieval Outlaws is published by D.S.Brewer.
The Sign and The Seal
The Sign and The Seal, written by Graham Hancock,
and published by BCA, has only tenuous connections with
this area, although it does cover in great detail an important
aspect of Shropshire's Secrets, i.e., the Grail, as well
as another aspect of Shropshire's history which has always fascinated
me, the Knights Templar.
But what was of even more interest to me personally, was that,
at least to my mind, Graham Hancock laid to rest the myth surrounding
the search for the Holy Grail. What he actually discovered, I
will not tell you, you'll just have to read the book yourself!
The Sign and The Seal is extremely well researched and
extremely well written, and I can recommend it to anyone who
is interested in historical research. Graham Hancock, a former
East African Correspondent for the Economist, must have
travelled extensively to complete this book. and the accounts
of his travels add an additional aspect to his research. But,
if his conclusions are correct, his book also shows the futility
of the quests by both Arthur and Fulk Fitz Warine.
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