3 Arthur's Battles     Lundy, Isle of Avalon Arthur, the rightful king Arthurian eBooks  Mystic Realms Shoppe A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

 

In -'Historia Brittonum' written C.800 Nennius lists twelve battles fought by Arthur. 

None of the places named is easily recognisable but they describe a series of invasions, or raids, by the English as they sailed along the coast of  South-West Britain, from Exeter, round Lands End to Bideford Bay, where the final battle, The siege of Mount Badon, took place.

(The site of the battle, Burridge Camp, an iron age hill-fort, became, by the time of King Alfred,  the Anglo-Saxon burh of Pilton).

50. Then it was, that the magnanimous Arthur, with all the kings and military force of Britain, fought against the Saxons. And though there were many more noble than himself, yet he was twelve times chosen their commander, and was as often conqueror. The first battle in which he was engaged, was at the mouth of the river Gleni. The second, third, fourth, and fifth, were on another river, by the Britons called Duglas, in the region Linuis. The sixth, on the river Bassas. The seventh in the wood Celidon, which the Britons call Cat Coit Celidon. The eighth was near Gurnion castle, where Arthur bore the image of the Holy Virgin, mother of God, upon his shoulders, and through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the holy Mary, put the Saxons to flight, and pursued them the whole day with great slaughter. The ninth was at the City of Legion, which is called Cair Lion. The tenth was on the banks of the river Trat Treuroit. The eleventh was on the mountain Breguoin, which we call Cat Bregion. The twelfth was a most severe contest, when Arthur penetrated to the hill of Badon. In this engagement, nine hundred and forty fell by his hand alone, no one but the Lord affording him assistance. In all these engagements the Britons were successful. For no strength can avail against the will of the Almighty

56. At that time, the Saxons grew strong by virtue of their large number and increased in power in Britain. Hengist having died, however, his son Octha crossed from the northern part of Britain to the kingdom of Kent and from him are descended the kings of Kent. Then Arthur along with the kings of Britain fought against them in those days, but Arthur himself was the military commander ["dux bellorum"]. His first battle was at the mouth of the river which is called Glein. His second, third, fourth, and fifth battles were above another river which is called Dubglas and is in the region of Linnuis. The sixth battle was above the river which is called Bassas. The seventh battle was in the forest of Celidon, that is Cat Coit Celidon. The eighth battle was at the fortress of Guinnion, in which Arthur carried the image of holy Mary ever virgin on his shoulders; and the pagans were put to flight on that day. And through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the power of the blessed Virgin Mary his mother there was great slaughter among them. The ninth battle was waged in the City of the Legion. The tenth battle was waged on the banks of a river which is called Tribruit. The eleventh battle was fought on the mountain which is called Agnet. The twelfth battle was on Mount Badon in which there fell in one day 960 men from one charge by Arthur; and no one struck them down except Arthur himself, and in all the wars he emerged as victor. And while they were being defeated in all the battles, they were seeking assistance from Germany and their numbers were being augmented many times over without interruption. And they brought over kings from Germany that they might reign over them in Britain, right down to the time in which Ida reigned, who was son of Eobba. He was the first king in Bernicia, i.e., in Berneich.

Nennius Battles;- 8 - Guinnion, 9 - City of Legions, 10 - Tribruit, 11 - Mount Agned, 12 - Badon.

City of Legions = Exeter, Guinnon = Lands End, Tribruit = ?, Agned = St.Agnes, Mount Badon = Barham Down (Malory) = Barum = Burridge Camp = Barnstaple.

None of the places named is easily recognizable but they can be interpreted as describing a series of invasions or raids by the English as they sailed around the coast of the Southwest of Britain, from Exeter round Lands End to Barnstaple Bay, where the final battle, the siege of Mount Badon, took place. 

Reading a list of various authorities interpretations of the locations described by Nennius makes very clear the fact that there are no universally accepted interpretations of the sites of any of the battles.

1 'The first battle was at the mouth of the river Glein'.

  Jackson, Dark Age Britain;- gives the River Glen in Lincolnshire

Tolstoy quoted in Mathews, Warriors of Arthur;- gives River Glen in Northumberland.

Ashe, Guidebook ;- says derived from British word 'pure' or 'clear'

;- either Lincolnshire or Northumberland.

;- glen meaning valley is different word.

2-5 'The next four were on the banks of the River Dubglas in the region of Linnius'.

  Jackson ;- gives River Witham in Lindsay (Lincs.)

  Tolstoy gives River Douglas in Lanarkshire

  Ashe, Guidebook;- says means blue -black

  mod. forms as 'Douglas', Dawlish, Divelish.

'Blackwater' is the English version of the modern Irish equivalent.

  Geoffrey of Monmouth says 'Douglas, near York.

Ashe, Guidebook 'no identification for Linnius.'

  from Cameron, English Place Names. 'water, river' may be the meaning of the second element of Dalch (D), Dawlish (D), Divelish (Do), Douglas (La), Dulas (He) and of place -name Dowlish (So(;- all of which mean 'black stream'.

from 'Moors of the South-West.' pp 89 -90. De Lank river near Camelford ' the river name is not of Norman origin; 'de' comes from the Celtic 'dhu' = 'black'.

 

 

6 'The sixth was on the river Bassas'.

  Jackson can't identify.

Tolstoy claims Cambuslang.

Ashe says 'unknown'.

 

7 'The seventh was in the wood of Celidon (Cat Coit Celidon).

Jackson gives 'Caledonian Forest'.

Tolstoy gives 'Peebles, Lanark, Dumfries'.

Ashe 'North of the Border'.

 

 

8 'The eighth was by Castle Guinnion'.

Jackson gives the Roman fort of Binchester.

Tolstoy gives Caer Guidn (Lands End) c.500 against Saxon called Cerdic.

Ashe 'unknown'.

from 'AA Illustrated Guide to Britain.' p.25 'Sennen - King Arthur leading the forces of several Cornish chieftains routed the Danes here.

  from Ashe, Guidebook &c.' 'Zennor .... four Cornish kings ......redheaded Danes.

  from 'West of Hayle River.' p.17 'Ancient tradition of an unpopular red-haired minority in the region (Penwith peninsula) 'A tale of Arthur, aided by nine vassal kings, wiping out a 'Danish' army in a great battle by a mill near the land's end and Arthur and the nine kings dined in triumph round the table rock at Sennen. The name of the mill is given as 'Vellan -Druchar', Velly -Druchia is a ruined cottage about a mile north east of St. Buryan.

 

9 'The ninth was in the City of the Legion'.

Jackson gives either Caerleon or Chester.

  Tolstoy gives Exeter (sea) against Cerdic.

  Ashe 'Caerleon or Chester'.

 

10 'The tenth was on the bank of the river Tribruit'.

Jackson gives 'southern Scotland'.

Ashe says the Welsh form is 'Tryvrwyd' and quotes from a Welsh poem;-

  'By the hundred they fell,

  They fell a hundred at a time.

Ø Before Bedwyr

  On the shores of Tryvrwyd. says probably south Scotland against hostile Britons.

 

 

11 'The eleventh was on the hill called Agned' (Agned cat Bregonium)

  some versions of Nennius give 'Breguoin'.

Jackson says 'Bremenium' the Roman fort at High Rochester.

Tolstoy gives Brent Knoll.

Ashe 'identity unknown'.

 

 

12 'The twelfth was on Mount Badon'. (Mons Badonicus)

Jackson gives Solsbury Hill but prefers Liddington.

Tolstoy gives Bathampton Downs (Bath)

  Ashe 'quotes Gildas as calling it a siege.

  Annales Cambriae 'The battle of Badon'.

  date given as 500, 518, 499, 495.

 

  

Malory on the Battle of Barham Down;- Ashe, Guidebook;- says Malory puts this battle on the road between Dover and Canterbury. No inter British hostilities at this time. Jutes had long been in possession of Kent. Group of Jutish Barrows may have suggested mass graves.

  In Malory's time Barnstaple had adopted its modern name.

 

Seven of the battles listed by Nennius are sited on rivers, two are on hills, one is in a wood, one is in 'the city of the Legions and one is by 'castle Guinnion.'

Nennius Battles;- 8 - Guinnion, 9 - City of Legions, 10 - Tribruit, 11 - Mount Agned, 12 - Badon.

 

 

The Saxon's were sea raiders. They came in their ships and they fought when they landed. Sometimes they settled and sometimes they took what loot they could and sailed off. There is considerable support for assuming that a major assault by the Anglo -Saxons on the British would have been sea -borne. The reactivation of the beacon chains and the re- occupation of certain hill -forts by Arthur was the response in the south -west to the same threat that occasioned the building of the Saxon Shore forts round the south -east coast of England. That threat was sea -borne raiding by the Anglo -Saxons. The Anglo -Saxon Chronicles (bit about them) repeatedly tells how in 477 'Aelle..... came into Britain with three ships,' in 495 'Cerdic and Cynric came with 5 ships to Britain,' in 501 'Port and his sons came to Britain with 2 ships,' in 514. The 'West Saxons came to Britain with 3 ships....' Arthur's men had traditions of mounted warfare behind them (see elsewhere) so they rode to war and fought on horseback. The Anglo -Saxon's had ships and a traditions of sea -reiving. (bit about Anglo- Saxon culture being based round the ships / keels?). The Picts, The Saxons and the Irish (Scots) all attacked by sea.

"The only impact the Saxon eruption made on the far west was the appearance of longships off the N.coast, Whether they came to raid or settle, once more the war horns rallied the tribes & by the time the inv. had turned into the Hayle est.the Cornish were ready.They hurled the heathen back to their boats and hanged the captured chiefs at the haven-mouth " Stories of the North Cornish coast p76. 

There is no direct evidence that Arthur fought a mounted war against ship -borne invaders. But there is absolutely no evidence against 

The monastery and church of St. Davids in Wales was sacked twelve times by sea -raiders between 810 and 1089.

History paints a picture of a steady progressive advance by the invaders from their original bridgeheads / settlements on the south east of England. But would the Anglo- Saxons have abandoned their ships when they landed, if they came up against superior force. Wouldn't it have been more likely that they would have taken to their ships and sailed somewhere else. A fighting man on a ship can not only arrive quicker than one on foot but also, unless the seas are rough, can arrive in better condition. Arthur's men had to be mounted to counter the threat of an attack from the sea, not an army advancing at walking pace. It would have been impossible to station enough men at each possible landing site. It was possible using the beacon chains, the traditions of mounted warfare inherited from the Romans and the lateral communications in the south -west, to assemble enough men to delay or to contain any invasion until the main force arrived, possibly by sea.

Three Dumnonian sub-kings of this time Geraint, March or Mark, and Theoderic would seem to have been not only among Arthur's captains but were also seafarers.   A reminder that in the south-west with its dependance on the sea the battles were fought on land, but frequently, one side arrived by sea.

The list of Arthur's battles given by Nennius describes a series of attempted invasions of Arthur's kingdom by the Anglo -Saxons, from the sea.

City of Legions = Exeter,

Guinnion = Lands End,

Tribruit = ?,

Agned = St. Agnes,

Mount Badon = Barham Down (Malory) = Barum = Burridge Camp = Barnstaple.

Around 740 AD, almost 200 years after the Battle of Mount Badon, an invasion by way of Bideford Bay, Appledore and an attack on Clovelly Dykes was the chosen route of Athelbad in the final, successful Anglo Saxon conquest of Devon. The Wasteland.

 

The final sequence of battles described by Neenius describes a series of attempts by the Anglo Saxons to inveade Arthur's realm by means of their favourite tactic, seaborne invasions. 

Culminating in the Battle of Mount Badon. An attack straight to the heart of Artjur's Britain. Arthur crushed the saxons so devastatingly that during his reign the threat never again returned. Arthur's realm would not be destroyed by invasion.

Nennius lists Arthur's battles. None of the places named is easily recognisable but they can be interpreted as describing a series of invasions or raids by the English as they sailed along the coast of the South-West, from Exeter round Lands End to Barnstaple Bay, where the final battle took place; the siege of Mount Badon (Burridge Camp, an iron age hill-fort which, by the time of King Alfred, became the Anglo-Saxon burh of Pilton).

'The twelfth battle was on Mount Badon in which there fell in one day 960 men from one charge by Arthur; and no one struck them down except Arthur himself'  --  Nennius

" The coast of North Devon consists almost entirely of towering hog-backed cliffs with few and dangerous landing-places, except the break in the cliff-wall afforded by the Taw-Torridge estuary and a few miles of level beaches on either side of it" - Hoskins

the siege of the Mons Badonis - 'osessiois Badonici montis'.Gildas

All the evidence shows that the westward advance of the Anglo- Saxons was halted, and halted so sharply that it was generations before they again presented a serious threat to the Britons in the west and they never totally succeeded in conquering the west.

The West Saxons did not move into Devon as settlers until the 7th C. With his defeat of the Anglo -Saxons at Mount Badon in the early years of the 6th C., Arthur kept the invaders back for a hundred years.

 When they did move in there is very little evidence of intermingling of the races.

 Very few British place names survive in Devon.

battle of mount Badon (Burridge camp)

The 'Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for 893 says the Danes 'besieged a fortress on the North Coast of Devon'

  W.G.Hoskins says this was Burridge Camp

" Burridge Camp is an iron age hillfort which became the burh of Pilton." from 'Exploring Saxon & norman England,'

As  to the strategic importance of Burridge Camp; Polwhele remarks on the fact of there being a regular chain of earthworks running from Barnstaple to the northeast... there are also numerous similar relics in the large and almost peninsular district of which Burridge Camp ( Barnstaple) may be called the key, and almost the only means of approach to.

A defensive works near the landing site, or in a position to threaten the invaders would have to be taken. Arthur had ships as well as cavalry to respond to raids or invasion. But he also depended on a warning system of beacons. 

Arthur's  victory at the battle of Mount Badon removed the threat of Anglo Saxon invasion to Soth-Western Britain for several lifetimes.

Peace,  of a sort, there were still raids  by the anglosaxons,  the irish,  the picts.