Donyarth ( la, Doniert) or Dungarth (died 875) was the last recorded king of Cornwall. He was probably an under-king, paying tribute to the West Saxons. He is thought to be the 'Doniert' recorded on an inscription on

King Doniert's Stone King Doniert's Stone ( kw, Menkov Donyerth Ruw) consists of two pieces of a decorated 9th-century cross, near St Cleer on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall. The inscription is believed to commemorate Dungarth, King of Cornwall, who died around 875. Histor ...

, a 9th-century cross shaft which stands in St Cleer parish in Cornwall, although he is not given any title in the inscription. According to the ', he drowned in 875. His death may have been an accident, but it was recorded in Ireland as a punishment for collaboration with the Vikings, who were harrying the West Saxons and briefly occupied

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

in 876 before being driven out by

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

following the victory of Odda, Ealdorman of Devon at the Battle of Cynwit in 878. Philip Payton states that one must imagine that he drowned in the

River Fowey The River Fowey ( ; kw, Fowi) is a river in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It rises at Fowey Well (originally kw, Fenten Fowi, meaning ''spring of the river Fowey'') about north-west of Brown Willy on Bodmin Moor, not far from one of i ...

, near King Doniert's Stone.

References

Monarchs of Cornwall 9th-century English monarchs 875 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Cornwall-stub

See also

References