Calchfynydd ( Welsh ''calch'' "lime" + ''mynydd'' "mountain") was an obscure Britonnic

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

or sub-kingdom of sub-Roman Britain. Its exact location is unknown and virtually nothing certain is known about it. The name survives in the epithet of Cadrawd Calchfynydd, apparently a 6th-century ruler of the district. Welsh sources refer to Cadrawd as one of the ''

Gwyr y Gogledd Yr Hen Ogledd (), in English the Old North, is the historical region which is now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands that was inhabited by the Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages. Its population sp ...

'' or 'Men of the North', suggesting the area was located somewhere in northern

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

William Forbes Skene William Forbes Skene WS FRSE FSA(Scot) DCL LLD (7 June 1809 – 29 August 1892), was a Scottish lawyer, historian and antiquary. He co-founded the Scottish legal firm Skene Edwards which was prominent throughout the 20th century but disappeare ...

suggested an identification with Kelso (formerly ''Calchow'') in southern

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

Rachel Bromwich Rachel Bromwich (30 July 1915 – 15 December 2010) born Rachel Sheldon Amos, was a British scholar. Her focus was on medieval Welsh literature, and she taught Celtic Languages and Literature in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic a ...

agrees that a location somewhere in the

Hen Ogledd Yr Hen Ogledd (), in English the Old North, is the historical region which is now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands that was inhabited by the Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages. Its population sp ...

is most likely. Alistair Moffat in his history of Kelso supports this position, citing early references to "Chalchou," as well as the chalk area and Chalkheugh Terrace. John Morris placed it south of the realm of Urien of Rheged.J. Morris, ''Age of Arthur: a history of the British Isles from 350 to 650'' (Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1973), 211 232. Hills of lime or chalk might refer to the Cotswolds or Chilterns.

Presumed rulers in the line of Cadrawd

*Cynwyd Cynwydion *Cadrawd Calchfynydd *Yspwys Mwyntyrch *Mynan

References

British traditional history Former monarchies of Europe History of the Scottish Borders Sub-Roman Britain Hen Ogledd {{Wales-hist-stub