Cornwall ~ a forgotten history? #history

What springs to mind 

when you think of Cornwall?

Poldark?

Mining?

Nice beaches?

The Eden Project?

King Arthur?

 

Cornwall has a long and interesting history with regards to Arthurian Legend. It was the kingdom of King Mark — the cuckolded king in the legend of Tristan and Isolde. Cornwall is also home to Tintagel Castle, which is where Geoffrey Monmouth and his great work The History of the Kings Britain, gave as Arthur's birthplace.

If you are a reader of The Du Lac Chronicles series, then you will be familiar with my interpretation of what Cornwall was like back in the year 495 AD.  I think Cornwall is a very special place with a remarkable history and one that is often overlooked.

Let's go back in time and take a look at Cornwall during the Roman occupation...

The Roman occupation of Cornwall is very intriguing. It has been suggested that the Roman's stopped at Devon. There are a few milestone and evidence of Roman occupation in Cornwall, but not on the scale of the rest of the country. The stories of Hadrian's Wall and Scottish rebellion against the Romans is renowned, but nothing is said about Cornwall. Why didn't the Roman's colonise Cornwall like they did to the rest of England?

Let's take a closer look at Cornwall's history. Cornwall was very much its own kingdom, separated from the rest of Britain, not only by her language — Cornish — but by an independent spirit that refused to bow down to imposed authority. Was this why the Roman's overlooked her to some extent? I am not so sure.

With the departure of the Romans, Briton had to contend with a new and very aggressive invader — The Saxons.

If the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles are to be believed, then Cerdic of Wessex and his Saxon army landed in Hampshire in 495 AD. By 419, Cerdic had conquered the south of England, with the exception of Cornwall. Curious, isn't it? 

Why? What made Cornwall different?

There are many reasons, but I think trade had a lot to do with it. The Cornish could be independent because they knew what they were doing when it came to commerce. They had trade agreements with Brittany, Wales and Ireland. Perhaps that is why the Roman's didn't feel the need to invade Cornwall as they did with the other kingdoms in England and Wales. Maybe Cornwall was a good trading partner — one that they had no need to upset.

Cornwall had something everyone wanted. Tin. The history of mining for tin goes way back, and one thing they were good at was mining for it. Silver has also been found in Cornwall. The land is rich with treasure for those who know where to look. Kingdoms who trade fairly are an asset. Why would you want to upset the apple cart, so to speak, by invading? But for Cornwall, trade meant something else as well. It meant money, and money meant they could afford the arms to defend their kingdom if need be.

It wasn't until the Battle of Hingston Down, in 838, when Cornwall lost her independence to Wessex – they repelled the Saxons for over 400 years. Now, that is impressive. I wonder why it isn't remembered?

What bravery, what spirit this little kingdom had.

In my novella, The Pitchfork Rebellion, Alden du Lac, son of Lancelot, has just won his kingdom, Cerniw (Cornwall), back from Cerdic of Wessex and now he has to take stock, bring his country back together under his leadership, and rebuild a stronger and greater kingdom that could stand against another invasion. But things are never easy, and Alden faces many challenges from both home and abroad before he can settle back into leadership. I hope I have brought to the attention this great nation, which wasn't afraid to take a stand against what it believed in. Cornwall is the epitome of FREEDOM!

 

Amazon US

Amazon UK

 

Castle Dore and #Arthurian Legend #Cornwall

As you may know, I write historical fantasy set a generation after the fall of King Arthur. In The Du Lac Chronicles, my protagonist, Alden du Lac is the defeated King of Cerniw and his fort, called Castle Dore, has been razed to the ground. In The Pitchfork Rebellion, Alden sees first hand what the King of Wessex has done to his beloved fort. I want to have a look at the legend and the archaeological evidence of Castle Dore today.

Let's start with the legend.

Castle Dore was the home of King Mark of Cornwall and was the setting for one of the most beautifully tragic love story of all times. I am of course talking about Tristan and Iseult. Move over Romeo and Juliet you have nothing on these guys. If you want a recap on the legend, then check out the blog post I wrote on Sir Tristan. Now, on to the facts.

 Tristan and Iseult as depicted by Herbert Draper (1863–1920)

What do we know of Castle Dore?

Castle Dore is situated just outside of Fowey in Cornwall. It is an Iron Age Hill Fort ~ I know I know, not quite the Dark Age fort that we want, but hey, when you are talking about legends what's 1000 years between friends?!

There is some speculation that the name Castel Dore comes from the Cornish "Earth Castle," which has an appealing ring to it, doesn't it?

Excavations were carried out on the site in 1936 and 1937 by the famed, Dark Age, English archaeologist and historian Courtenay Arthur Ralegh Radford (1900-1999). He concluded that the fort was re-occupied in the 5th/6th Century, which would tie in nicely with the Arthurian legend. Just to note, Radford also excavated sites at Tintagel and Glastonbury Abbey as well. But later interpretation of the site suggests that it was an Iron Age fortification, with little of evidence of Dark Age occupation.

However...The fort was re-occupied in 1644 by the Earl of Essex and his Parliamentarian Army during the English Civil War. To cut a long story short, the Royalist surrounded Dore. Essex managed to escape although there was a great loss of life. It was a bitter blow to the Roundhead's and ultimately secured the South West for the king, until the final days of the war. 

 

 King Charles I

There is also evidence of a small village to the eastern gate of the Hillfort and in my books, Dore does have such a village.

I wonder why Dore was chosen to be part of the Arthurian story. It is small and seemingly insignificant and is now being left to crumble away. But whatever the reason, Dor is associated with the legend and I have to admit, there is something special about the place. 

And if you fancy checking out The Du Lac Chronicles, you can find the link below.

A Pitchfork Rebellion in Dark Age #Cornwall.

I was invited on to Tony Riches blog a while ago to talk about the inspirations behind my Arthurian historical fantasy book, The Pitchfork Rebellion (The Du Lac Chronicles). Considering recent events at Tintagel, I thought I would share the post I wrote for Tony's blog on this one.

Here's the link!!

Guest Post ~ A Pitchfork Rebellion in Dark Age Cornwall, by Mary Anne Yarde

 

 

While you are over at Tony's blog, check out some of his other posts, especially if you are interested in the Tudor's rise to power.