Cornwall (England : County) -- Description and travel
All around Tintagel there are innumerable references to King Arthur. In
fact it might be said that only the devil is more popular in this
respect than Arthur, for his name occurs perhaps a little more
frequently. Mr. Dickinson says: "We have King Arthur's Hall, Hunting
Seat, Bed, Quoit, Cups and Saucers, Tomb and Grave." The cups and
saucers are the round holes weathered in the stones on the summit of
Tintagel island. The grave is a sepulchral mound lying within Warbstowe
Bury, one of the largest British camps in Cornwall. This is not very far
north of Boscastle. It is a vast circular mound with a sort of crater on
the top, and in the middle of this is another mound, which has been
called a Viking's grave and the Giant's grave as well as King Arthur's.
Another place much associated with King Arthur, which cannot be passed
over, is the earthwork known as Cardinham Castle about four miles east
of Bodmin. This has been identified by good authorities with Caradigan
where Arthur held his court, to which there are many references in
Arthurian legends.
On the other side of Tintagel, on the road between Camelford and
Wadebridge, and not four miles from the latter place, is Killibury
Castle identified with Kelliwic. Arthur was "lord of Kelliwic," and
these associations all taken together carry a fair amount of evidence as
to the presence of the chivalrous ruler in this district.
Whatever else is doubtful we cannot but be sure that Arthur's existence
and reputation contributed in no small degree to the preservation of the
men of the British race in this corner of the island when they were in
danger of being pushed back into the sea by the oncoming Saxons, and it
is to this that Cornwall owes in some ways its distinctive character,
preserving racial features that are found nowhere else. The men of
Ireland and of Wales are related certainly to the original Cornish but
there is a distinct cleavage. Arthur may have made his fame known right
across England, his victories may have carried him to the capital,
Winchester, and beyond, but it is certain that his name will ever be
associated most strongly with this far corner of the country where he
was born and where he had his homeland associations. And these
associations, being the very earliest of the British race surviving,
serve to attract from far our Colonial brothers and our American
cousins; Tintagel will never lack visitors.
But with the castle we have not exhausted by any means all that is worth
seeing here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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