KING ARTHUR AND CAMELOT

Legend has it that Arthur was wounded and taken to Avalon near Glastonbury. Eleven miles away is a hill that has always been known as Camelot. It's Arthur's fortified hilltop town, not a castle - they didn't exist in 6th century.

The first mention of Arthur is in Nennius' work in 9th century. The legends grew, and the stories of knightly deeds can be read in Malory's work in 15th century. But the actual man was a chieftain (not called 'king') around 500AD. He was chief of a Celtic tribe – the Dumnonii – and had his town at South Cadbury in Dorset. His lands included also North Cadbury, which manor was later owned by the Boterel family, as well as extensive lands to the North and West. He is after all reputed to have been born at Tintagel, Cornwall..

Camelot is a typical Iron Age fortress – on a hill for defence with views for miles around. It was surrounded by a big ditch and a wall - you can see traces of the stone foundations. The site has never been excavated, but  there are traces of some of the buildings.A good project for some university!


To have had such a large capital and so well built, he must have been important. The present steep access was once cobbled for carts – possibly in the mediaeval period. The place was evidently still important then.



Tradition is even now strong locally - the local pub bears the Camelot name. You can read more about it in 'More Kings' Toads' – www.contactenglish.eu. This is all fact.

There are many legends which involve Arthur. who was a Celtic chieftain. 2000 years ago, Celts were the inhabitants of France, UK, Ireland. Galicia and Portugal. These lands all shared the same legends. The Roman conquerors intermixed a bit, but the crisis came after they left. Angles and Saxons invaded England and drove the Celts westwards to Wales, and Cornwall. Some then migrated further to the west coasts of France, Spain and Portugal taking their local legends with them.  So there are many places that claim a connection with Arthur, Merlin, the forest, Morgan le Fay etc. Thus, you can also find traces of Arthur on the Continent – in Brittany, for example.

Merlin's tomb and other places in the legend may be seen in the forest of Broceliande in central Brittany.

    King Arthur himself is supposed to have died at the Battle of Camlan and been taken to a nearby chapel (North Cadbury?), and thence to Glastonbury and beyond the veil to Avalon.