KING ARTHURIN SHROPSHIRE

KING ARTHURIN SHROPSHIRE

www.shropshiretourism.co.uk

On the Trail of the RealOn the Trail of the Real

How to get to Shropshire

By Car

Distances are estimates and calculatedfrom the centre of Shrewsburyto the centre of departure town.

By Train

Shropshire is linked by a regular main line rail service with trains toLondon, the Midlands, Wales, the South West and the North West.

National Rail Enquiry Service:0345 748 4950

BirminghamDistance: 47 milesTime 53 min

ManchesterDistance: 85 milesTime: 1 hour 55 min

ChesterDistance: 45 milesTime: 1 hour and 5 min

HerefordDistance: 49 milesTime: 1 hour and 25 min

WorcesterDistance:49 milesTime 1 hour and 20 min

Shropshire Connects to the M6and motorway network via the M54.The A49, A5, A53, A458 all makeShropshire easily accessible.

By Bus & CoachNational Express run coaches into manytowns in Shropshire, for all equiries pleasecall 08717 818178

For details of bus routes and timeswithin the county, call Traveline on0871 200 2233

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Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. Alterations to details etc.may occur after press date and it is advisable to confirm information with operators. Inclusion in this leaflet does not imply a recommendation.To the

extent that this can legitimately be excluded Shropshire Tourism (UK) Ltd cannot accept responsibility for any holiday loss,injury or damage sustained from whatever cause.

ON THE TRAIL OF THE REAL

KING ARTHUR IN SHROPSHIREINTRODUCTION

This booklet has been based on the research and book King Arthur: The TrueStory by Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman. It will help you discover KingArthur’s Shropshire; and will explain some of the stories associated withhim. It will show you the real sites of the stories, including the sword in thestone, the Holy Grail, Camelot and the Lady Guinevere.

The King Arthur we have all been brought up with was a romantic figuresurrounded by his Knights of the Round Table. Much of this was based onmyth and legend drawn from the Medieval Arthurian Romances. But likemany legends they nearly all have some basis in fact - facts which get lost inthe mists of time.

It is time to dispel these romanticised myths and introduce you to the realKing Arthur - ‘Owain Ddantgwyn - The Bear’, a great king of the Dark Ageswho ruled his kingdom from Wroxeter near Shrewsbury.

Manuscripts in the British Library, suggest that King Arthur historicallyexisted. The earliest reference to Arthur, which is still in existence, suggeststhat Arthur was in fact a king of Powys, a kingdom that once covered what isnow Shropshire and Mid Wales.

Excavations at the Dark Age capital of Powys,Wroxeter, four miles to the eastof Shrewsbury, have shown that in the fifth century this city may have beenthe most sophisticated in the country. This is precisely the time that Arthuris said to have been Britain’s most powerful king.

A tenth-century manuscript in the British Library records that Wroxeter wasoccupied around 493AD by Owain Ddantgwyn, a late fifth-century king ofPowys and an important warlord. There is contemporary historical evidencethat he was actually known as Arthur.

The sixth-century monk Gildas refers to Owain by his battle name, The Bear.In the old British language, and still preserved by modern Welsh, the wordfor Bear is Arth. ‘Arthur’ therefore seems to have been a title rather than apersonal name. Moreover, Owain’s father bore the battle name the ‘TerribleHead Dragon’,which translates into Welsh as Uthr Pen Dragon. In thelegends, Arthur’s father is called Uther Pendragon.

When Owain Ddantgwyn died around 520AD civil war appears to havebroken out between his rival heirs, his son Cuneglasus based at Wroxeterand his nephew Maglocunus based in Gwynedd, North Wales.

Written three centuries before the Medieval Romances connected Arthurwith the South West of England the ninth-century Welsh poem ‘The Song ofLlywarch the Old’ states that the kings of Powys were “heirs of great Arthur”.

HOW TO USE THE TRAILThis is a circular route which begins just outside Shrewsbury, at Wroxeter – theruined Roman city of Viroconium and takes you on a tour through Shropshire andthe borders and ends up back in Shrewsbury. The route plots the historical sites andconnections with the Arthurian stories and can be split into 3 smaller trails:

TRAIL 1 - Wroxeter, The Wrekin and Much Wenlock Priory

TRAIL 2 - Caer Caradoc, Mitchell’s Fold Stone Circle & Rhyd-y-Groes, Old Oswestry and Whittington Castle

TRAIL 3 - Hawkstone Park & Baschurch

More information on Shropshire, the best places to stay, things to do and see andwhere to eat can be obtained by visiting www.shropshiretourism.co.uk.

More information on Arthur can be obtained from ‘King Arthur: The True Story’ byGraham Phillips and Martin Keatman and by visitingwww.shropshiretourism.co.uk/about-shropshire/king-arthur.html

(Ordnance Survey Land ranger 1:50,000 maps that cover this trail are sheets 126,127 and 137).

The Longmynd at Dawn

1. WHITTINGTON CASTLEIN SEARCH OF THE HOLY GRAILShortly after the battle of Hastings,Williamthe Conqueror gave Whittington to one ofhis lords, Payn Perevil, who is accreditedwith building the present castle. Perevilmarried Lynette the granddaughter of theWelsh baron Cadfarch, a direct descendantof Owain Ddantgwyn (Arthur).

In the 13th Century Lynette’s great-grandson, Fulk Fitz Warine, became thesubject of a medieval romance in which heis portrayed as the living heir of King Arthur- an authentic claim if Owain Ddantgwynwas the historical Arthur.

Fulk is portrayed as the guardian of the HolyGrail which was said to have been kept inthe chapel of Whittington Castle. OtherArthurian romances also appear to acceptthat the Grail Castle is Whittington Castle. Ina number of Grail stories composed in theMiddle Ages the Grail is kept in a magicalWhite Castle on the Welsh border. In theearly twelfth century Whittington Castlewas named the White Castle and it issituated only a few miles from Wales.

11. BASCHURCHARTHUR’S RESTING PLACEA 9th Century poem names theburial site of the Dark Age King ofPowys as the ‘Churches of Bassa’,relating that many great leaderswere buried there. As a king ofPowys, this is the most likely lastresting place of King Arthur.

Although the exact location is notgiven, the village of Baschurch, about15 miles from Wroxeter, is the mostfeasible location for the ‘Churches ofBassa’.

10. WROXETERTHE LEGENDARY CAMELOTViroconium at Wroxeter was the fourth largestcity in Roman Britain. Archaeological excavationsreveal that shortly after the departure of theRomans, and while civilisation was collapsingelsewhere in Britain,Viroconium was rebuilt in ahighly sophisticated fashion. On the site of theRoman baths complex, elaborate classicalbuildings surrounded a massive winged mansion.

This remarkable 5th Century city may well havebeen the capital of Arthurian Britain, the Camelotof King Arthur himself. In the early 6th Centurythe city was abandoned, probably for a moredefensible site.The impressive Roman ruins areopen to visitors and the museum houses findsfrom the town.

8. THE WREKINTHE FORT OF ARTHUR’S SONWhen Arthur died around 520AD civil warappears to have broken out between his rivalheirs, his son Cuneglasus and his nephewMaglocunus. It was at this time that Wroxeterdeclined, Cuneglasus probably left for a moredefensible site to the nearby Iron Age hill-fort onThe Wrekin.

Not only were many pre-Roman forts re-occupiedduring this period, but ‘The Song of Llywarch theOld’ calls the 7th Century capital of Powys “DinlleWrecon”, from which the word Wrekin probablyderived.

The summit of the Wrekin is a stronghold withvisible inner and outer lines of defenceconforming to the shape of the hill.These are theremains of an Iron Age hill-fort. (There is a fourmile circular walk up the Wrekin and around thefortifications on the summit which affordsspectacular views over 12 counties).

2. OLD OSWESTRY HILL-FORT (EH)GUINEVERE’S HOMEThe ancient name for Old Oswestry Hill-Fort is Caer Ogyrfan whichtranslates as the City of Gogyrfan. Gogyrfan was the legendary fatherof Guinevere. Old Oswestry Hill-Fort was probably the site of thefinal stand by Cynddylan, the last descendant of the historical Arthurto rule in Shropshire. 10th Century records show that the Saxonking Oswy defeated Cynddylan, in 658AD.

Excavations suggest Old Oswestry dates back to 700BC and wasamong the largest of the forts within the territory of the CelticCornovii tribe. Subsequent phases enclosed the hilltop and enlargedthe defences to form an impressive fort of 68 acres defended by aseries of five ramparts.The fort appears to have been desertedduring the Roman period but it is likely, due to the importance ofOswestry, that it was reoccupied during the Anglo-Saxon period.

12. HAWKSTONE PARKKNIGHTS BATTLE GIANTS AND THE GRAIL IS DISCOVEREDThe 18th Century Grade I listed historic parkwith its eccentric follies has legendaryassociations with King Arthur. Legends recounthow in the time of King Arthur the Red Castlebelonged to two giants called Tarquin andTarquinus, and their fearsome brother Sir Carados who captured Sir Gawain.

Sir Lancelot and Sir Tristam of the Round Tableset out to rescue their friend. They encounteredSir Carados carrying Sir Gawain bound and tied

across his saddle and after a legendary fight SirLancelot killed the giant at Killguards nearWeston Church freeing Sir Gawain.

The Grotto at Hawkstone Park has also beenlinked with the Grail. In 1920 a small stone cupwas found hidden in the base of an eagle statuethat then stood in the Grotto. It was identified asan early Roman scent jar, and recent research hassuggested that it may have been the vessel thatinspired the medieval Grail legend.

9. WHITE LADIES PRIORYGUINEVERE’S RETREATThe name Guinevere derives from the Welshname Gwenhwyfar, the White Lady of Celticmythology. In the most famous Arthurianromance,Thomas Malory’s ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’(circa 1470), Guinevere retires to a secludedpriory after Arthur’s death. According to a 16thCentury rendition of Malory’s tale, Guinevereretires to White Ladies Priory.

Although the present ruins date from the MiddleAges, ecclesiastical buildings were oftenconstructed on older, sanctified sites. At the timeof the Norman Conquest,White Ladies Prioryhoused a small foundation of Augustiniancanonesses, called White Ladies after the colourof their undyed habits.

Early Welsh poetry says that the treasures of Powys,seemingly the crown jewels of King Arthur himself,were hidden at the site of Much Wenlock Priory afterthe Anglo-Saxons defeated Cynddylan around 658AD.

Probably the last Briton to rule in Shropshire,Cynddylan is described in ‘The Song of Llywarch theOld’ as Arthur’s heir. The treasures of Powys remainundiscovered to this day.

A monastery was founded at Wenlock shortly before

690AD by Merewald, a member of the royal house ofthe kingdom of Mercia. Wenlock was re-founded as aCluniac Priory by Roger de Montgomery after theNorman Conquest.

The remains of the church that can be seen todayare those of the impressive 350ft long church whichwas reconstructed during the 1220’s. The strikingruins stand in a peaceful setting with attractivegardens and topiary.

Legend says that Arthur became king by drawing asword from a stone. Local folklore sites this event atMitchell’s Fold Stone Circle.

Fifth Century leadership disputes between rivalwarriors were often resolved in single combat, thevictor drawing a ‘sword of office’ from a stone altar; apractice that may have given rise to the legend of thesword and the stone.Ancient Britons are known tohave used megalithic circles for tribal rites andkingship duels could have been fought at Mitchell’sFold Stone Circle.

Set on dramatic moorland, Mitchell’s Fold StoneCircle was erected over 3500 years ago and manylegends are connected with the site. Around 80 feetin diameter, this ancient ring is believed to have hadboth religious and ceremonial purposes.

3 & 4. RHYD-Y-GROESARTHUR’S LAST BATTLEThe 12th Century Welsh Annals record that Arthurdied at the Battle of Camlann. On the eve of thebattle Arthur rallied his men at Rhyd-y-Groes farm(Ford of the Cross) a river crossing that can still beseen today now marked by Shiregrove Bridge.

The likelihood that the battle of Camlann washistorically fought here is further supported by thename of the river, the Camlad – possibly aderivation of Camlann. In this strategic location it islikely that the historical King Arthur made his lastencampment before he fell on the field of battle.

In the legend of the Magical Cauldron ofDi-wrnach, the cauldron is said to containthe treasures of Britain and a magicalsword. The Cauldron lies hidden in acave below the summit of Caer Caradoc.One Welsh tale recounts Arthur’s searchfor the Cauldron of Diwrnach, and inanother Arthur recovers the cauldronfrom the mystical isle of Annwn.The

themes of Avalon and the quest for theHoly Grail were probably based on theseearly legends.

Caradoc hill rises 900ft above ChurchStretton. On the summit there is a hill-fortand beneath the western fortifications isan artificial cave called ‘Caradoc’s Cave’,3m deep and 2m high.

5. MITCHELL’S FOLD STONE CIRCLE (EH)THE SWORD IN THE STONE

6. CAER CARADOC, EXCALIBUR & AVALON 7. MUCH WENLOCK PRIORY, THE CROWN JEWELS

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