Arthuret church from Woodland Edge - geograph

Arthuret is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,434, increasing to 2,471 at the 2011 census. The parish includes the town of Longtown and the village of Easton. It is bounded by the River Esk to the west and the

River Lyne The River Lyne is a river of Cumbria in England. The river is formed near the hamlet of Stapleton, Cumbria, Stapleton, five miles west of Bewcastle, by the confluence of the Black Lyne (moving from the north) and the White Lyne (from northeast) ...

to the south.

Etymology

The interpretation of the name Arthuret has presented problems. The name can possibly be associated with the battle of ''Armterid'' recorded in the mid-10th century Welsh ''

Annales Cambriae The (Latin for ''Annals of Wales'') is the title given to a complex of Latin chronicles compiled or derived from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales. The earliest is a 12th-century presumed copy of a mid-10th-century original; later ...

'' as having taken place in c. 573; ''Armterid'' (spelt ''Arfderydd'' in Modern Welsh) is composed of ''arm-'', perhaps meaning "arms, weapon" (''arf'' in Modern Welsh, borrowed ultimately from Latin ''arma'', "arms, armour") – or perhaps an Old Welsh cognate of Old Irish ''airm'' meaning 'place' – and a second element ''terid'' "ardent, fierce; flaming, blazing; fast, nimble, swift" (''terydd'' in Modern Welsh, a loan from Latin ''torridus'', "scorched, parched, burned"). However, "... it seems safer to leave the interpretation of 'Armterid' an open question."

Arthurian connections

The site of the church overlooks a suggested site of the Battle of Arfderydd, fought in 573 A.D., mention of which appears in

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...

's ''Vita Merlini'' and also in the ''

'' (written c1100 A.D. where it appears as 'Bellum armterid'). The battle took place very early in the reign of the King of Strathclyde,

Rhydderch Hael Rhydderch Hael (), Riderch I of Alt Clut, or Rhydderch of Strathclyde, or Redrath ( ''fl.'' 580 – c. 614) was a ruler of Alt Clut, a Brittonic kingdom in the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" of Britain. He was one of the most famous kings in th ...

, (patron of St. Kentigern, and Myrddin's supposed brother-in-law), between the Warlord

Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio (died c. 573) or Gwenddolau was a Brythonic king who ruled in Arfderydd (now Arthuret). This is in what is now south-west Scotland and north-west England in the area around Hadrian's Wall and Carlisle during the sub-Roman ...

and his cousins

Peredur Peredur (, Old Welsh ''Peretur'') is the name of a number of men from the boundaries of history and legend in sub-Roman Britain. The Peredur who is most familiar to a modern audience is the character who made his entrance as a knight in the Ar ...

and

Gwrgi Peredur (, Old Welsh ''Peretur'') is the name of a number of men from the boundaries of history and legend in sub-Roman Britain. The Peredur who is most familiar to a modern audience is the character who made his entrance as a knight in the Ar ...

, Princes of either

Ebrauc The history of York, England, as a city dates to the beginning of the first millennium AD but archaeological evidence for the presence of people in the region of York dates back much further to between 8000 and 7000 BC. As York was a town ...

(modern York), or possibly from

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

. In this

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

, Gwenddoleu lost his life, and it is not known if one of his brothers, Nudd and Caw, survived to succeed him as king of Arfderydd afterwards. In this battle

Myrddin Myrddin Wyllt (—"Myrddin the Wild", , ) is a figure in medieval Welsh legend. In Middle Welsh poetry he is accounted a chief bard, the speaker of several poems in The Black Book of Carmarthen and The Red Book of Hergest. He is called ''Wyll ...

killed his nephew (by his sister

Gwenddydd Gwenddydd, also known as Gwendydd and Ganieda, is a character from Welsh legend. She first appears in the early Welsh poems like the ''Dialogue of Myrddin and Gwenddydd'' and in the 12th-century Latin ''Vita Merlini'' by Geoffrey of Monmouth, ...

, wife of King Rhydderch Hael), who was fighting on the opposing side. This act drove Myrddin mad and he spent the rest of his life roaming the Forests of Celyddon (Glennie 1869). 140 other men of rank suffered battle-madness and perished in these woods (Rich & Begg 1991). In the ''

Black Book of Carmarthen The Black Book of Carmarthen () is thought to be the earliest surviving manuscript written solely in Welsh. The book dates from the mid-13th century; its name comes from its association with the Priory of St. John the Evangelist and Teulyddog ...

'' is recorded a poem which takes the form of a dialogue between Myrddin and the Welsh bard

Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Britons (Celtic people), Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the ''Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to ...

(Skene 1988); it records how Myrddin wore a gold torque and tells of his grief at the death of King Gwenddolau. The battle is said to have lasted six weeks and three hundred men were killed and buried nearby. It was one of the three futile battles of Britain, fought over a lark's nest.

Arthuret Church

St Michael and All Angels' Church is situated a mile or so to the south of Longtown, to the west of the A7 and overlooking the River Esk. The church tower stones are unusual in that many of them have masons' marks which are clearly visible. This church was built as a result of a national fundraising ordered by James I and VI in 1607 because the existing church had been frequently devastated by Scots reivers/raiders, and to benefit the parishioners who were mainly rejecting Christ's teachings. (James also employed more direct methods of improving the morals of the area, hanging notable reivers from both sides of the Border and deporting the Grahams of the Esk valley ''en masse'' to Ireland.) Part of the sum was stolen and this delayed the construction of the new church. A

holy well A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...

is located on the edge of the mound. It is a well-built structure, with stone canopy and steps. It was still used for baptisms until the 1970s. The current clergyman of the church is the Reverend Brett Murphy.

Netherby Hall

Netherby Hall, the historic home of the

Graham family Graham or Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan ...

, is a Grade II* listed mansion. It stands upon the site of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

of Castra Exploratorum. Its nucleus is a 15th-century

pele tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing ...

, extended or altered in 1639 for Sir Richard Graham and enclosed by extensive later additions to the house (in the late 18th century), with further extensions taking place in 1833 for Sir James Graham l by

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival, often referred ...

. The original pele tower is thought to have been built with stone from the Roman fort, but the remains of the fort and its ''

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

'' noted by Tudor antiquarians have been obliterated by the later extensions of the Hall. In October 1592 the Scottish rebel

Earl of Bothwell Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was recreated for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...

, his wife

Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), born Lady Margaret Douglas, was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and thus the granddau ...

, and the Laird of Burleigh stayed at Netherby with Walter Graham and played cards and football. The Netherby Estate, owned by the Graham family for 400 years, extends over a large area of the parish along the Scottish border. A Gothick

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

known as the Coop House was probably built about 1772 as an adornment to the estate. Coop House is now leased by the

Landmark Trust The Landmark Trust is a British architectural conservation, building conservation charitable organization, charity, founded in 1965 by John Smith (Conservative politician), Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or ...

. Since 2014, the Estate has been owned by Gerald and Margo Smith. A restoration of the stables and walled garden that commenced in 2016 was completed. As of 2023, holiday lets were available "above the stables, in the garden bothies and lodge cottages".

References

Bibliography

* Begg, Ean & Rich, Deike (1991). On the Trail of Merlin. *Glennie, John S. Stuart (1869). Arthurian Localities. Pub. Edinburgh. P.68. *Mack, James Logan (1926). The Border Line. Pub. Oliver and Boyd. P.51. *W. F. Skene.(ed. Derek Bryce) (1988) Arthur and the Britons in Wales and Scotland : Llanerch Enterprises. Lampeter, Dyfed. 1988,.

External links

Cumbria County History Trust: Arthuret
(nb: provisional research only - see Talk page) {{Coord, 55, 01, N, 02, 55, W, source:itwiki_region:GB, display=title History of Cumbria Civil parishes in Cumbria Cumberland (unitary authority) Locations associated with Arthurian legend Roman sites in Cumbria