Could writing on a windowsill give weight to King Arthur theory?
FOR centuries, historians have searched for evidence that Tintagel Castle was the birthplace of King Arthur.
Perched on a rocky outcrop on the Cornish coast, the windswept site seemed an unlikely location for a royal court. But the discovery of a 1,300-yearold windowsill has lent credence to the idea that Tintagel was, after all, the home of kings.
The 2ft-long slate bears a mix of Latin and Greek with Christian symbols, in a decorative script similar to those found in illuminated Gospel manuscripts of the time, showing the writer was familiar with those texts.
English Heritage, which manages Tintagel, said the find “lends weight to the theory that Tintagel was a royal site with a literate Christian culture”.
The writing is believed to have been the work of someone practising their handwriting, perhaps carving words into the stone while gazing out to sea.
It includes the Roman and Celtic names “Tito” and “Budic”, and the Latin words fili, or son, and viri duo, meaning two men. The Greek letter delta also appears.
The discovery will delight those who believe in the Arthurian legend, which has made Tintagel a popular tourist attraction, although for naysayers it provides no more concrete evidence that Arthur actually existed.
The legend of King Arthur was popularised by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his 12th-century work, The History of the Kings of Britain.
Tintagel is home to the original, early medieval settlement as well as the ruins of a 13th-century castle built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, due to its supposed history as the seat of Cornish power. The stone was found at the former site, which is currently being excavated.
Win Scutt, English Heritage curator, said: “It is incredible to think that 1,300 years ago someone was practising their writing here. We can’t know for sure who made these marks or why, but what we can say is that 7th-century Tintagel had professional scribes, and that in itself is very exciting. We knew that this was a high status site but what we didn’t know was the extent of their education.”
On the question of whether the find brings the Arthurian legend any closer to reality, Scutt said diplomatically: “It shows we have got the right conditions for an Arthurian figure, if he did exist.”
In 2016, English Heritage was accused of the “Disneyfication” of Tintagel by commissioning a rock carving of Merlin at the mouth of the cave where he is said to have taken an infant Arthur, and installing a bronze statue of a king wielding a sword.
The Cornwall Association of Local Historians complained that the ancient site was being turned “into a fairytale theme park”.