King Arthur of t’dales
By gum! Book claims legendary hero was from Yorkshire, not the West Country
KING Arthur was a Yorkshireman with a castle near Leeds, a historian claims.
Alistair Hall says he has evidence proving that the legendary king existed, but also that most of what we think we know is wrong.
His book, The Battle Of Mount Badon: Ambrosius, Arthur And The Defence Of Britain, claims to confirm the identity of Arthur and also repositions the location of his kingdom and his battles entirely to the North of England.
Alistair knows his findings contradict ancient beliefs that Arthur was born in Tintagel, Cornwall, and his adventures were steeped in the history of Glastonbury.
He said: “I’m well aware it’s a bold claim. But I am not someone in Oxford smoking a pipe. I have had a passionate interest in Arthur since childhood.
“My forensic research has revealed that an Arthur did exist and played a major role in the turbulent times of fifth century Britain.”
Alistair believes his findings will debunk centuries of “fake history” that led to the legend of Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin and Lancelot. He said: “It was just nonsense – but it was taken as history. So Arthur became a much vaunted character. But then historians went on to take him apart piece-by-piece leading to one academic view that he did not exist.”
Arthurian legend stems from references in the ninth century writings of a Welsh cleric called Nennius, which were embellished by Geoffrey of Monmouth three centuries later. Nennius records Arthur as a brave warrior who fought 12 battles against the Saxons.
One of these battles, Mount Badon, provided the starting point for Alistair’s historical quest.
Alistair, a 67-yearold retired businessman from Bedale, North Yorkshire, spent years studying sources and poring over maps to find the true locations of the battles.
A keen hill walker who travelled widely with his job, he said it was his familiarity with the geography of Britain that provided many of the breakthroughs.
He is the first to sequence the 12 battles into a snap campaign rather than being fought all over Britain in a longer period.
He thought the Badon battlefield is in Leicestershire rather than somewhere around Bath as most scholars previously believed.
Another key finding was that Hengist and Horsa – Saxon mercenaries who later rebelled against the Ancient Britons and would have been involved in fights against Arthur’s men – never landed in Kent, but near Hull.
Historians such as Bede recorded they were hired to defend the East Coast from raiders.
But Alistair underlines they were writing two centuries after the event and repeating what had been passed down by word-of-mouth from generation to generation.
Arthur is identified in the new book as Arthwys – a Christian prince of the Northern Brigantes tribe and first ruler of the Yorkshire kingdom of Elmet.
He was the great grandson of Brigantes chieftain Coel Hen, who many believe was the inspiration centuries later for the nursery rhyme Old King Cole.
The battles made famous in film and TV were fought in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
Arthur and his men probably spoke early Welsh, but were never anywhere nearwales.
“These were not savages. They were Romano Britons who owned villas and had benefited from Roman military training,” added Alistair.
Arthwys won 12 victories against the Saxons and founded the Kingdom of Elmet. Elmet became Loidis and ultimately Leeds.
A large hill fort was also discovered at Barwick-in-elmet, a village of just 5,000 people just outside Leeds, surrounded by earth works.
Alistair said: “If there is a candidate for Camelot in the north this is it. After his victories against the Saxons, Arthur will have been in a position to claim hegemony over the entire north.
“It is believed he died fighting a civil war near Hadrian’swall on the northern flank of his kingdom.”
He added: “It is my fervent hope that my book will rewrite history and King Arthur will take his rightful place in the pantheon of great British monarchs.”