Arthur Uther Pendragon
Encyclopedia
Arthur Uther Pendragon (born John Timothy Rothwell, April 5, 1954) is an English
eco-campaigner
, neo-druid
leader, media personality, and self-declared reincarnation of King Arthur
, a name by which he is also known.
, Yorkshire. Later, the family moved to Aldershot, Hampshire as Arthur's father became stationed in the British Army
there.
As a teenager, Arthur bought a bike and became a member of a biker gang. He joined the British army
, serving in the Royal Hampshire Regiment
until he sustained an injury in parachute training.
In the early 1970s he rode a custom-built Triumph Thunderbird
, attended free festivals such as Windsor free festival
and Stonehenge free festival and became head of a biker gang called the Gravediggers (later renamed the Saddletramps). Arthur was given the nickname 'King John' due to holding parties at the ruined castle at Odiham
which they called 'King John's Castle'.
on King Arthur, he claimed to be astonished to see so many similarities between himself and Arthur in the book, and decided to adopt the new name. He officially changed his name to Arthur Uther Pendragon on 11 June 1986 by deed poll.
). He has campaigned for the right of everybody to legally enter the monument at Stonehenge at the Solstices, picketing the site between September 1990 and January 1991.
On the 19 October 1998, with assistance from organisations such as Liberty
who acted as Arthur's Counsel
, Arthur was able to have his case heard by the European Court of Human Rights
in Strasbourg
. Arthur claimed that because of the exclusion zone around Stonehenge, that his freedom of thought, conscience, religion and freedom of expression were restricted under the European Convention of Human Rights under articles 9, 10 and 11. Although the court decided in favour of the UK government, Arthur can be justified in claiming victory as the exclusion zone
around Stonehenge was never repeated. In 2000, full public access
to Stonehenge was officially granted for celebrating the solstices.
Although Arthur Pendragon had been involved in consultation meetings with English Heritage for over 10 years, he believed that things were moving far too slowly; the consultation costs were escalating at over £7 million. So Arthur, again, took to conducting a picket of Stonehenge and complained that English Heritage were, in his eyes, becoming guilty of mismanagement of the monument. Arthur's allegations centred on English Heritage's promise to return the monument to its natural environment with the roads and visitors centre moved further away and hidden from sight.
After 10 months of picketing the Stonehenge visitors centre, Arthur proved victorious again. English Heritage announced that they would create a new, hidden, visitors centre and remove the road close to the monument. With this news, Arthur was happy to remove his picket on 19 May 2009.
. Lord Tenby allowed Arthur to wear his robes and Excalibur in court, and allowed Arthur to swear oath on Excalibur. At the end of the hearing, the case went against Arthur and he was ordered to pay his Community Charge.
. Due to Arthur's continued stance at challenging this point, he has had considerable success. Druids on remand in HM Prisons are now allowed to wear their druidic robes.
Arthur had been supporting and taking part in a protest in Kingston-upon-Thames when he learned about a place where 7 ancient English monarchs had their coronations. Just as contemporary UK monarchs have been coronate using the Stone of Scone
Saxon monarchs used another stone - the Coronation Stone
. Whilst Arthur was in the area he took advantage of the situation and on 3 January 1998, after inviting many guests, was duly crowned 'Raised Druid King of Britain' by representatives from 5 druid orders.
Arthur stood as an Independent Candidate in the Salisbury
Parliamentary Elections in 2010.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
eco-campaigner
Green Movement
The Green Movement refers to a series of actions after the 2009 Iranian presidential election, in which protesters demanded the removal of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from office...
, neo-druid
Neo-Druidism
Neo-Druidism or Neo-Druidry, commonly referred to as Druidism or Druidry by its adherents, is a form of modern spirituality or religion that generally promotes harmony and worship of nature, and respect for all beings, including the environment...
leader, media personality, and self-declared reincarnation of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, a name by which he is also known.
Early years
Arthur was born John Timothy Rothwell to a working class family in WakefieldWakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, Yorkshire. Later, the family moved to Aldershot, Hampshire as Arthur's father became stationed in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
there.
As a teenager, Arthur bought a bike and became a member of a biker gang. He joined the British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, serving in the Royal Hampshire Regiment
Royal Hampshire Regiment
The Royal Hampshire Regiment was a British Army line infantry regiment from 1881 to 1992. Its lineage is continued today by the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.-Formation and antecedents:...
until he sustained an injury in parachute training.
In the early 1970s he rode a custom-built Triumph Thunderbird
Triumph Thunderbird
The Triumph Thunderbird is a British motorcycle that was introduced by Triumph in 1949 and produced in its original form until 1966. The name was used three more times for new and distinct Triumph models.-Original model:...
, attended free festivals such as Windsor free festival
Windsor Free Festival
The Windsor Free Festival was a British Free Festival held in Windsor Great Park from 1972 to 1974. Organised by some London commune dwellers, notably Ubi Dwyer and Sid Rawle, it was in many ways the forerunner of the Stonehenge Free Festival, particularly in the brutality of its final suppression...
and Stonehenge free festival and became head of a biker gang called the Gravediggers (later renamed the Saddletramps). Arthur was given the nickname 'King John' due to holding parties at the ruined castle at Odiham
Odiham Castle
Odiham Castle is a ruined castle situated near Odiham in Hampshire, United Kingdom. It is one of only three fortresses built by King John during his reign....
which they called 'King John's Castle'.
Becoming Arthur
After reading a book by Gareth KnightGareth Knight
Dr. Basil Wilby, aka Gareth Knight is a British esotericist and occult author who began his esoteric training in 1953 as a member of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, founded by Dion Fortune....
on King Arthur, he claimed to be astonished to see so many similarities between himself and Arthur in the book, and decided to adopt the new name. He officially changed his name to Arthur Uther Pendragon on 11 June 1986 by deed poll.
Stonehenge
Arthur is largely known for his many battles with the British Government (in the form of English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
). He has campaigned for the right of everybody to legally enter the monument at Stonehenge at the Solstices, picketing the site between September 1990 and January 1991.
On the 19 October 1998, with assistance from organisations such as Liberty
Liberty (pressure group)
Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
who acted as Arthur's Counsel
Counsel
A counsel or a counselor gives advice, more particularly in legal matters.-U.K. and Ireland:The legal system in England uses the term counsel as an approximate synonym for a barrister-at-law, and may apply it to mean either a single person who pleads a cause, or collectively, the body of barristers...
, Arthur was able to have his case heard by the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. Arthur claimed that because of the exclusion zone around Stonehenge, that his freedom of thought, conscience, religion and freedom of expression were restricted under the European Convention of Human Rights under articles 9, 10 and 11. Although the court decided in favour of the UK government, Arthur can be justified in claiming victory as the exclusion zone
Exclusion zone
An exclusion zone is an area that protesters are legally prohibited from protesting in.Exclusion zones often exist around seats of government and abortion clinics. As a result of protests by the Westboro Baptist Church at the funerals of soldiers killed in the Iraq War, 29 states and the US...
around Stonehenge was never repeated. In 2000, full public access
Public Access
Public Access is a 1993 American drama film directed by Bryan Singer in his feature film debut. Singer also wrote the screenplay with Christopher McQuarrie and Michael Feit Dougan. The film was shot in 18 days for US$250,000. It was screened at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, where it was...
to Stonehenge was officially granted for celebrating the solstices.
Although Arthur Pendragon had been involved in consultation meetings with English Heritage for over 10 years, he believed that things were moving far too slowly; the consultation costs were escalating at over £7 million. So Arthur, again, took to conducting a picket of Stonehenge and complained that English Heritage were, in his eyes, becoming guilty of mismanagement of the monument. Arthur's allegations centred on English Heritage's promise to return the monument to its natural environment with the roads and visitors centre moved further away and hidden from sight.
After 10 months of picketing the Stonehenge visitors centre, Arthur proved victorious again. English Heritage announced that they would create a new, hidden, visitors centre and remove the road close to the monument. With this news, Arthur was happy to remove his picket on 19 May 2009.
Poll Tax Protest
After refusing to pay the Poll Tax, he was summoned to Magistrates court. His case was presided over by Lord TenbyWilliam Lloyd George, 3rd Viscount Tenby
William Lloyd George, 3rd Viscount Tenby is a British peer and soldier. He is one of the ninety hereditary peers in the House of Lords, elected to remain after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999....
. Lord Tenby allowed Arthur to wear his robes and Excalibur in court, and allowed Arthur to swear oath on Excalibur. At the end of the hearing, the case went against Arthur and he was ordered to pay his Community Charge.
Other legal cases
Arthur has been arrested, mainly for trespass, over 30 times. Whilst in prison as a remand prisoner, Arthur has been denied his remand prisoners right to wear his own clothing - his Druidic robe - and ordered to wear prison uniform. Arthur, refusing to comply with these orders, has then been left without clothing and put in solitary confinementSolitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
. Due to Arthur's continued stance at challenging this point, he has had considerable success. Druids on remand in HM Prisons are now allowed to wear their druidic robes.
Arthur's coronation
Stone of Scone
The Stone of Scone , also known as the Stone of Destiny and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone, is an oblong block of red sandstone, used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland and later the monarchs of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom...
Saxon monarchs used another stone - the Coronation Stone
Coronation Stone
The Coronation Stone is an ancient stone block, located next to the Guildhall in Kingston upon Thames, England. Kingston is now a suburb of London and was once the county town of Surrey....
. Whilst Arthur was in the area he took advantage of the situation and on 3 January 1998, after inviting many guests, was duly crowned 'Raised Druid King of Britain' by representatives from 5 druid orders.
Candidate at elections
He is a self-proclaimed English eccentric who says that helps him in his political work. He has been a candidate at several elections, never successfully.Arthur stood as an Independent Candidate in the Salisbury
Salisbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Salisbury is a county constituency centred on the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system....
Parliamentary Elections in 2010.