Arthur, King -- Homes and haunts -- England -- Cornwall (County); Cornwall (England : County) -- Antiquities, Celtic
Queen Elizabeth said that the further
she travelled west in her dominions the more convinced she was that
the wise men came from the east. In a sense this was grossly unjust,
for the Cornishmen, though they may have seemed a little uncouth,
were by no means an uncultured race, and their literature proves how
early they had their thinkers and their scholars, their bards and
their chroniclers. Taciturnity on the part of this people need not be
taken as a sign of unintelligence; rather is it proof to the contrary,
for the Cornishman thinks for himself; he has his own opinions, and
sturdily maintains them. A certain aloofness is discernible, and this
is characteristic of a race which has so many claims to a distinct
record of its own. In the character, bearing, and habits of the men
of to-day may be found considerable corroboration of the truth which
underlies the myths and legends of antiquity. If Camelford is now
commonplace, with its market, its commercial inn, its linen-drapers’,
ironmongers’, and greengrocers’ shops, there may yet be found within
and around it much to charm and much to kindle the enthusiasm of
the lover of romance. Here and there are the relics over which the
antiquary gloats, and now and then a name is heard or seen which at
once revives olden memories, or suggests with more or less distinctness
a real connection with the last of the British race. It is not a little
remarkable that while not a trace of the fourteenth century Charity
Chapel remains, the sites of camps and the scenes of battles of much
remoter date are still to be found. Signs of British occupation are not
lacking, and one entrenchment known as Arthur’s Hill takes us right
back to the time of the great king. Mere names may, however, in most
cases count for nought, and the fact that hills, tarns, and fords bear
the classic designation and are reputed to have had connection with
Arthurian deeds is not equivalent to tangible proof of the truth of
the stories. Camelford is chiefly noted to-day for being the principal
town within access of the slate quarries, and of being within easy and
convenient distance of some of the most imposing and enchanting scenery
of the north Cornwall coast. From a few points of vantage a glimpse of
the sea may be caught, and the lanes branch off to famed Pentargon Bay,
Trebarwith Strand, Black Pit, St. Knighton’s Kieve, and Tintagel--all
Arthurian haunts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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