Cornovii (Cornish)
Encyclopedia
The Cornovii were a Celtic tribe who inhabited the far South West peninsula of Great Britain
, during the Iron Age
, Roman
and post-Roman
periods and gave their name to Cornwall
or Kernow.
The extreme western peninsula of Dumnonia came to be known as Cerniw in Welsh
, "Kernow" in Cornish
and "Kernev (Veur)" in Breton
. The Celtic root word "corn-" (horn) and the suffix "wealas" being the Anglo-Saxon
word, meaning foreigner, (which was also applied to the Welsh
), hence the Anglo-Saxon
name of Corn-wealas, that may mean the "welsh/foreigners of the horn". Although this theory is widely acknowledged it is also problematic.
place-name etymology, literally meaning horn, but in this context a horn-shaped peninsula. Nevertheless, this theory is also problematic. Graham Webster
in The Cornovii (1991) cites Anne Ross
' hypothesis that the tribal name(s) may be totemic cult-names referring to a "horned god
" cult followed by the tribe(s). There is no direct evidence of this however Webster points out that it is interesting that at Abbot's Bromley the "horn dance" has survived from pagan ritual- Abbot's Bromley being only 55 km north of the old tribal centre at Wroxeter
(Viroconium Cornoviorum). In addition Webster quotes Professor Charles Thomas
as having made a "good case" for such totemic ethnonyms in Scotland
.
mainland (modern Caithness
), and the English West Midlands
(NW Staffordshire
& NE Shropshire
) were also known by the same name, Cornovii. In 1973 the historian Dr John Morris
put forward a theory in his work 'The Age of Arthur', that the Cornovii from the West Midlands migrated to Cornwall in 460 AD. A people of this name are certainly known, from Roman sources, to have lived in the Outer Powys
to Shropshire
area of the later Wales and England. John Morris suggests that a contingent was sent to Dumnonia
in order to rule the land there and keep out the invading Irish seeing that a similar situation had occurred in North Wales.
Although not widely accepted by modern scholarship Professor Morris's theory is worth considering in that it deals with the perplexing hypothetical link between the Midlands Cornovii and later Cornwall
. Morris discusses the Wroxeter
dynasty of Constantine
whose name is found albeit indirectly, in a reference by Gildas
to Constantine as tyrant whelp of the filthy lioness of Dumnonia i.e. the current areas of Devon
, Cornwall
and part of Somerset
. According to Morris's theory, the principal Cornovian families of Viroconium
may have moved to Dumnonia
, sometime around 430 AD, Morris' goes on to mention one Ducco, who is also known as Congar (d. 473 AD) as a monk on the estate that he had also established there. Morris asserts that the latter name is that which is preserved in the modern name of Congresbury
, Somerset, south of Bristol
. The Cadbury-Congresbury fortification is the only major fortification in Wales
and "Dumnonia" to have produced reasonable evidence for continuous occupation from the 3rd century to the 6th.
Despite being an innovative theory there is as of yet no primary evidence to confirm that these tribes were indeed related or that there was any contact between the two and it appears that the only connection is a name similarity. (The names of 'tribes' Dumnonii
, Damnonii
, Cornovii, Cornavii occur at several locations all over Britain and may simply reflect some language similarity in the eyes of the Romans). For instance there was a Damnonii tribe in Scotland (the Clyde Valley), whose name looks very similar to the Dumnonii tribe of South West Britain, so many have assumed that they must be the same people but again there is no evidence of any contact between the two.
Philip Payton
, in his book "Cornwall - A History" says "Dr John Morris in his controversial "The Age of Arthur" postulates an ingenious theory - the Morris thesis is not widely accepted by archaeologists and early historians, and we may safely conclude that the Cornovii located west of the Tamar
were an indigenous people quite separate from their namesakes in the Midlands and Caithness."
ic language that would later develop into the Brythonic
language Cornish
. The first account of Cornwall
comes from the Sicilian Greek historian Diodorus Siculus
(c.90 BC–c.30 BC), supposedly quoting or paraphrasing the fourth-century BC geographer Pytheas
, who had sailed to Britain:
The identity of these merchants is unknown. There has been a theory that they were Phoenicia
ns, however there is no evidence for this. (For further discussion of tin mining see the section on the economy below.)
, Cornwall has been considered rather remote from the main centres of Romanisation. Nevertheless, the Roman road system extended into Cornwall, the only known significant Roman sites to date are three forts:- Tregear near Nanstallon
which was discovered in the early 1970s and the remaining two found more recently at Restormel Castle
and Lostwithiel (discovered 2007) along with a fort near to St Andrew’s Church in Calstock
(discovered early in 2007). A Roman style villa was found at Magor Farm near Camborne
. Furthermore, the British tin trade had been largely eclipsed by the more convenient supply from Iberia
. However in August 2011 a series of coin hoards suggest the precense of furthur Romanisation to the west than was previously thought, indicating possible settlements. "http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14340933
A few Roman milestones have been unearthed in Cornwall, two recovered from around Tintagel
in the north (detailed below), one near the hillfort at Carn Brea
, and another two close to St Michael's Mount
. The stone at Tintagel bears an inscription to Imperator Caesar Gaius Valerius Licinius Licinianus
, and the other at Trethevy
, is inscribed to the emperors Gallus
and Volusianus
."
According to Léon Fleuriot
, however, Cornwall remained closely integrated with neighbouring territories by well-travelled sea routes. Fleuriot suggests that an overland route connecting Padstow
with Fowey
and Lostwithiel
served, in Roman times, as a convenient conduit for trade between Gaul
(especially Armorica
) and the western parts of the British Isles
. (Fleuriot 1982:18).
Armorica was already being settled by Britons
long before the end of the Roman Empire
, however. Traditionally, the colony in Brittany was established before (High King) Constantine's expedition into Gaul in 407-411. Magnus Maximus
secured Armorica during his own earlier expedition, and as a reward for his support gave it to his wife's cousin, Conan Meriadoc
, King of Dumnonia
.
, of around 700
, makes reference to Purocoronavis, (almost certainly a corruption of Durocornovium), 'a fort or walled settlement of the Cornovii', (unidentified, but possibly Tintagel
or Carn Brea
). According to professor Philip Payton
, in "Cornwall: a history", the Cornovii were most likely a sect/sept
or offshoot of the Dumnonii
tribe/clans whose territory included modern day Cornwall
, Devon
, western parts of Somerset
and perhaps the fringes of Dorset
. The Cornovii were sufficiently established for their territory to be recorded as Cornubia
by c. 700 AD.
The Annales Cambriae
refers to a notable Cornish victory at the Battle of Hehil
in 722.
, the western arm of northern Gaul
, was the ancient domain of the Veneti. The area had been mostly Celtic for over 1200 years. During the 2nd century BC, Gaul was considered a centre of what is now called Celtic culture
.
By AD 400, the newly arriving Franks
became the heirs to Roman Gaul and sought to retain their hold on the richest parts of the territory. However, during the middle of the 5th century, at a time when the former Saxon foederati
were in revolt, a migration of Britons secured Armorica
for Britain's Second Kingdom. This was accepted by the Franks as Brittany
. By AD 450, most of the land north of the Loire
was under British
control.
It is important to note that Armorica was being settled by Britons
long before the end of the Roman Empire
, however. Traditionally, the colony in Brittany was established before (High King) Constantine's expedition into Gaul in 407-411. Magnus Maximus
secured Armorica during his own earlier expedition, and as a reward for his support gave it to his wife's cousin, Conan Meriadoc
, King of Dumnonia
.
Conan
ruled much of what forms modern Brittany as the Kingdom of Vannetais, maintaining the local Celtic tribal, Veneti
, name with a probable capital at Vannes
, but in the usual Celtic practice of dividing territory between sons, an hereditary patchwork of up to a dozen smaller sub-kingdoms, or principalities emerged during the course of the fifth and 6th centuries.
In this early period before Dumnonia
in southwest Britain collapsed from the 7th century onwards, the British of Armorica had very close ties with the home country, and may have recognised the authority of the High King.
Many kings are mentioned for Bro Erech, Cornouaille
, Domnonia
, Leon and Poher, in the later Lives of the Saints
and medieval abbey charters. It seems highly likely that the sub-kingdoms continued to be ruled over by the 'High' king, or King of the Bretons, probably in much the same way as the High Kings of Britain governed.
The first Breton
chieftain recorded on the continent is Ivomadus who established himself in Blois
in 410 (Chronicles of Anjou). His activities take place outside of Conan's Vannetais, in an enlarged British occupied territory in Gaul
. He and his men may have been the remainder of Constantine III's army which crossed the Channel
with him after proclaiming himself emperor in 406 AD. Although the records seem to name him as a king of Brittany
, he may only have been acting in the king's name, or perhaps operating in Blois
as a sub-king.
As the Britons
are said to have controlled most of the territory north of the Loire
by 450 AD, Blois
must have been part of an extended Armorica
n (Briton) kingdom until it fell to Clovis
in 491 AD. From that date, Brittany
reverts to its traditional borders.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, during the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
and post-Roman
Sub-Roman Britain
Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeological label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity: the term "Sub-Roman" was invented to describe the potsherds in sites of the 5th century and the 6th century, initially with an implication of decay of locally-made wares from a...
periods and gave their name to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
or Kernow.
The extreme western peninsula of Dumnonia came to be known as Cerniw in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
, "Kernow" in Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
and "Kernev (Veur)" in Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
. The Celtic root word "corn-" (horn) and the suffix "wealas" being the Anglo-Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
word, meaning foreigner, (which was also applied to the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
), hence the Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
name of Corn-wealas, that may mean the "welsh/foreigners of the horn". Although this theory is widely acknowledged it is also problematic.
Kernow and the Cornovii
The general view is that the etymology of the tribal name derives from "people of the horn", or "peninsula". "corn*" is a common element in BritishBritish English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
place-name etymology, literally meaning horn, but in this context a horn-shaped peninsula. Nevertheless, this theory is also problematic. Graham Webster
Graham Webster
Graham Webster is a Scottish football Midfielder currently playing for Dundee in the Scottish First Division.-Dundee:A member of Dundee's Under 19 squad and with Dundee in administration and relying on youth Webster made his first team debut on 10 April 2011 against Stirling Albion from the start...
in The Cornovii (1991) cites Anne Ross
Anne Ross
Anne Ross is a German singer.She was a member of the German pop girl group Preluders. After Preluders disbanded, she and Manel Filali teamed up to form the duo Milk & Honey.-External links:*...
' hypothesis that the tribal name(s) may be totemic cult-names referring to a "horned god
Horned God
The Horned God is one of the two primary deities found in some European pagan religions. He is often given various names and epithets, and represents the male part of the religion's duotheistic theological system, the other part being the female Triple Goddess. In common Wiccan belief, he is...
" cult followed by the tribe(s). There is no direct evidence of this however Webster points out that it is interesting that at Abbot's Bromley the "horn dance" has survived from pagan ritual- Abbot's Bromley being only 55 km north of the old tribal centre at Wroxeter
Wroxeter
Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and is located in the Severn Valley about south-east of Shrewsbury.-History:...
(Viroconium Cornoviorum). In addition Webster quotes Professor Charles Thomas
Charles Thomas (historian)
Antony Charles Thomas, CBE, FSA is a British historian and archaeologist who was Professor of Cornish Studies at Exeter University, and the first Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies, from 1971 until his retirement in 1991...
as having made a "good case" for such totemic ethnonyms in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The Morris theory
The people who inhabited the very north of the BritishGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
mainland (modern Caithness
Caithness
Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...
), and the English West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
(NW Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
& NE Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
) were also known by the same name, Cornovii. In 1973 the historian Dr John Morris
John Morris (historian)
John Robert Morris was an English historian who specialised in the study of the institutions of the Roman Empire and the history of Sub-Roman Britain...
put forward a theory in his work 'The Age of Arthur', that the Cornovii from the West Midlands migrated to Cornwall in 460 AD. A people of this name are certainly known, from Roman sources, to have lived in the Outer Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
to Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
area of the later Wales and England. John Morris suggests that a contingent was sent to Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
in order to rule the land there and keep out the invading Irish seeing that a similar situation had occurred in North Wales.
Although not widely accepted by modern scholarship Professor Morris's theory is worth considering in that it deals with the perplexing hypothetical link between the Midlands Cornovii and later Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. Morris discusses the Wroxeter
Wroxeter
Wroxeter is a village in Shropshire, England. It forms part of the civil parish of Wroxeter and Uppington and is located in the Severn Valley about south-east of Shrewsbury.-History:...
dynasty of Constantine
Constantine I
Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
whose name is found albeit indirectly, in a reference by Gildas
Gildas
Gildas was a 6th-century British cleric. He is one of the best-documented figures of the Christian church in the British Isles during this period. His renowned learning and literary style earned him the designation Gildas Sapiens...
to Constantine as tyrant whelp of the filthy lioness of Dumnonia i.e. the current areas of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and part of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. According to Morris's theory, the principal Cornovian families of Viroconium
Viroconium
Viroconium Cornoviorum, or simply Viroconium , was a Roman town, one corner of which is now occupied by the small village of Wroxeter in the English county of Shropshire, about east-south-east of Shrewsbury...
may have moved to Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
, sometime around 430 AD, Morris' goes on to mention one Ducco, who is also known as Congar (d. 473 AD) as a monk on the estate that he had also established there. Morris asserts that the latter name is that which is preserved in the modern name of Congresbury
Congresbury
Congresbury is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the Unitary authority of North Somerset, and in 2001 had a population of 3,400. It lies on the A370, roughly equidistant between Junction 21 of the M5 and Bristol Airport, approximately south of Bristol city centre,...
, Somerset, south of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The Cadbury-Congresbury fortification is the only major fortification in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and "Dumnonia" to have produced reasonable evidence for continuous occupation from the 3rd century to the 6th.
Despite being an innovative theory there is as of yet no primary evidence to confirm that these tribes were indeed related or that there was any contact between the two and it appears that the only connection is a name similarity. (The names of 'tribes' Dumnonii
Dumnonii
The Dumnonii or Dumnones were a British Celtic tribe who inhabited Dumnonia, the area now known as Devon and Cornwall in the farther parts of the South West peninsula of Britain, from at least the Iron Age up to the early Saxon period...
, Damnonii
Damnonii
The Damnonii were a people of the late 2nd century who lived in what is now southern Scotland. They are mentioned briefly in Ptolemy's Geography, where he uses both of the terms "Damnonii" and "Damnii" to describe them, and there is no other historical record of them. Their cultural and...
, Cornovii, Cornavii occur at several locations all over Britain and may simply reflect some language similarity in the eyes of the Romans). For instance there was a Damnonii tribe in Scotland (the Clyde Valley), whose name looks very similar to the Dumnonii tribe of South West Britain, so many have assumed that they must be the same people but again there is no evidence of any contact between the two.
Philip Payton
Philip Payton
Philip John Payton is a British historian and Professor of Cornish and Australian Studies at the University of Exeter and Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies based at Tremough, just outside Penryn, Cornwall.-Birth and education:...
, in his book "Cornwall - A History" says "Dr John Morris in his controversial "The Age of Arthur" postulates an ingenious theory - the Morris thesis is not widely accepted by archaeologists and early historians, and we may safely conclude that the Cornovii located west of the Tamar
River Tamar
The Tamar is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon and Cornwall . It is one of several British rivers whose ancient name is assumed to be derived from a prehistoric river word apparently meaning "dark flowing" and which it shares with the River Thames.The...
were an indigenous people quite separate from their namesakes in the Midlands and Caithness."
Pre-Roman history
The pre-Roman inhabitants were speakers of a CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic language that would later develop into the Brythonic
Brythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
language Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
. The first account of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
comes from the Sicilian Greek historian Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who flourished between 60 and 30 BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily . With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work, Bibliotheca...
(c.90 BC–c.30 BC), supposedly quoting or paraphrasing the fourth-century BC geographer Pytheas
Pytheas
Pytheas of Massalia or Massilia , was a Greek geographer and explorer from the Greek colony, Massalia . He made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe at about 325 BC. He travelled around and visited a considerable part of Great Britain...
, who had sailed to Britain:
The identity of these merchants is unknown. There has been a theory that they were Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
ns, however there is no evidence for this. (For further discussion of tin mining see the section on the economy below.)
Roman Cornwall
During the period of Roman occupation in BritainRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, Cornwall has been considered rather remote from the main centres of Romanisation. Nevertheless, the Roman road system extended into Cornwall, the only known significant Roman sites to date are three forts:- Tregear near Nanstallon
Nanstallon
Nanstallon is a village in central Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately two miles west of Bodmin.Nanstallon is in the civil parish of Lanivet overlooking the River Camel valley and the Camel Trail long distance path. The present terminus of the Bodmin and Wenford Railway at...
which was discovered in the early 1970s and the remaining two found more recently at Restormel Castle
Restormel Castle
Restormel Castle is situated on the River Fowey near Lostwithiel, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is one of the four chief Norman castles of Cornwall, the others being Launceston, Tintagel and Trematon. The castle is notable for its perfectly circular design...
and Lostwithiel (discovered 2007) along with a fort near to St Andrew’s Church in Calstock
Calstock
Calstock is civil parish and a large village in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the border with Devon. The village is situated on the River Tamar south west of Tavistock and north of Plymouth....
(discovered early in 2007). A Roman style villa was found at Magor Farm near Camborne
Camborne
Camborne is a town and civil parish in west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is at the western edge of a conurbation comprising Camborne, Pool and Redruth....
. Furthermore, the British tin trade had been largely eclipsed by the more convenient supply from Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. However in August 2011 a series of coin hoards suggest the precense of furthur Romanisation to the west than was previously thought, indicating possible settlements. "
A few Roman milestones have been unearthed in Cornwall, two recovered from around Tintagel
Tintagel
Tintagel is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The population of the parish is 1,820 people, and the area of the parish is ....
in the north (detailed below), one near the hillfort at Carn Brea
Carn Brea
Carn Brea is a civil parish and hilltop site in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hilltop site is situated approximately one mile southwest of Redruth.-Neolithic settlement:...
, and another two close to St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount is a tidal island located off the Mount's Bay coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a civil parish and is united with the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water....
. The stone at Tintagel bears an inscription to Imperator Caesar Gaius Valerius Licinius Licinianus
Licinius
Licinius I , was Roman Emperor from 308 to 324. Co-author of the Edict of Milan that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire, for the majority of his reign he was the rival of Constantine I...
, and the other at Trethevy
Trethevy
Trethevy is a hamlet in north Cornwall, United Kingdom.It is situated midway between the villages of Tintagel and Boscastle in the civil parish of Tintagel. Trethevy has a number of historic buildings and is an early Christian site...
, is inscribed to the emperors Gallus
Gallus
Gallus may refer to:People* several ancient Romans; see Gallus * Gaius Cornelius Gallus , Roman poet, orator and politician *Saint Gall , 7th century...
and Volusianus
Volusianus
Volusianus , also known as Volusian, was a Roman Emperor from 251 to 253.He was son to Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus by his wife Afinia Gemina Baebiana. He is known to have had a sister, Vibia Galla....
."
According to Léon Fleuriot
Léon Fleuriot
Léon Fleuriot was a French academic specializing in Celtic languages and in history, particularly that of Gallo-Roman Brittany and of the Early Middle Ages....
, however, Cornwall remained closely integrated with neighbouring territories by well-travelled sea routes. Fleuriot suggests that an overland route connecting Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
with Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
and Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
served, in Roman times, as a convenient conduit for trade between Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
(especially Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
) and the western parts of the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. (Fleuriot 1982:18).
Armorica was already being settled by Britons
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
long before the end of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, however. Traditionally, the colony in Brittany was established before (High King) Constantine's expedition into Gaul in 407-411. Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus , also known as Maximianus and Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388. As commander of Britain, he usurped the throne against Emperor Gratian in 383...
secured Armorica during his own earlier expedition, and as a reward for his support gave it to his wife's cousin, Conan Meriadoc
Conan Meriadoc
Conan Meriadoc is a legendary British leader credited with founding Brittany. Versions of his story circulated in both Brittany and Great Britain from at least the early 12th century, and supplanted earlier legends of Brittany's foundation...
, King of Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
.
Post-Roman history
The Ravenna CosmographyRavenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
, of around 700
700
Year 700 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 700 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- North America :* The Mount Edziza volcanic complex...
, makes reference to Purocoronavis, (almost certainly a corruption of Durocornovium), 'a fort or walled settlement of the Cornovii', (unidentified, but possibly Tintagel
Tintagel
Tintagel is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. The population of the parish is 1,820 people, and the area of the parish is ....
or Carn Brea
Carn Brea
Carn Brea is a civil parish and hilltop site in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The hilltop site is situated approximately one mile southwest of Redruth.-Neolithic settlement:...
). According to professor Philip Payton
Philip Payton
Philip John Payton is a British historian and Professor of Cornish and Australian Studies at the University of Exeter and Director of the Institute of Cornish Studies based at Tremough, just outside Penryn, Cornwall.-Birth and education:...
, in "Cornwall: a history", the Cornovii were most likely a sect/sept
Sept
A sept is an English word for a division of a family, especially a division of a clan. The word might have its origin from Latin saeptum "enclosure, fold", or it can be an alteration of sect.The term is found in both Ireland and Scotland...
or offshoot of the Dumnonii
Dumnonii
The Dumnonii or Dumnones were a British Celtic tribe who inhabited Dumnonia, the area now known as Devon and Cornwall in the farther parts of the South West peninsula of Britain, from at least the Iron Age up to the early Saxon period...
tribe/clans whose territory included modern day Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, western parts of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and perhaps the fringes of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. The Cornovii were sufficiently established for their territory to be recorded as Cornubia
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
by c. 700 AD.
The Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae
Annales Cambriae, or The Annals of Wales, is the name given to a complex of Cambro-Latin chronicles deriving ultimately from a text compiled from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales, not later than the 10th century...
refers to a notable Cornish victory at the Battle of Hehil
Battle of Hehil
The Battle of Hehil was a battle won by a British force, probably against the Anglo-Saxons of Wessex in the year 721 or 722. The location is unknown, except that it was apud Cornuenses ....
in 722.
Links with Brittany
ArmoricaArmorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
, the western arm of northern Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, was the ancient domain of the Veneti. The area had been mostly Celtic for over 1200 years. During the 2nd century BC, Gaul was considered a centre of what is now called Celtic culture
Celtic culture
Culture of Celtic Europe and modern Celtic identity*Ancient Celtic culture*Celtic music**Insular art*Celtic music*Gaelic culture**Culture of Ireland**Culture of Scotland**Culture of the Isle of Man*Culture of Wales*Culture of Cornwall*Culture of Brittany...
.
By AD 400, the newly arriving Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
became the heirs to Roman Gaul and sought to retain their hold on the richest parts of the territory. However, during the middle of the 5th century, at a time when the former Saxon foederati
Foederati
Foederatus is a Latin term whose definition and usage drifted in the time between the early Roman Republic and the end of the Western Roman Empire...
were in revolt, a migration of Britons secured Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
for Britain's Second Kingdom. This was accepted by the Franks as Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. By AD 450, most of the land north of the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
was under British
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
control.
It is important to note that Armorica was being settled by Britons
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
long before the end of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, however. Traditionally, the colony in Brittany was established before (High King) Constantine's expedition into Gaul in 407-411. Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus
Magnus Maximus , also known as Maximianus and Macsen Wledig in Welsh, was Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388. As commander of Britain, he usurped the throne against Emperor Gratian in 383...
secured Armorica during his own earlier expedition, and as a reward for his support gave it to his wife's cousin, Conan Meriadoc
Conan Meriadoc
Conan Meriadoc is a legendary British leader credited with founding Brittany. Versions of his story circulated in both Brittany and Great Britain from at least the early 12th century, and supplanted earlier legends of Brittany's foundation...
, King of Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
.
Conan
Conan Meriadoc
Conan Meriadoc is a legendary British leader credited with founding Brittany. Versions of his story circulated in both Brittany and Great Britain from at least the early 12th century, and supplanted earlier legends of Brittany's foundation...
ruled much of what forms modern Brittany as the Kingdom of Vannetais, maintaining the local Celtic tribal, Veneti
Veneti (Gaul)
The Veneti were a seafaring Celtic people who lived in the Brittany peninsula , which in Roman times formed part of an area called Armorica...
, name with a probable capital at Vannes
Vannes
Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.-Geography:Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west...
, but in the usual Celtic practice of dividing territory between sons, an hereditary patchwork of up to a dozen smaller sub-kingdoms, or principalities emerged during the course of the fifth and 6th centuries.
In this early period before Dumnonia
Dumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
in southwest Britain collapsed from the 7th century onwards, the British of Armorica had very close ties with the home country, and may have recognised the authority of the High King.
Many kings are mentioned for Bro Erech, Cornouaille
Cornouaille
Cornouaille is a historic region in Brittany, in northwest France. The name is identical to the French name for the Duchy of Cornwall, since the area was settled by migrant princes from Cornwall...
, Domnonia
Domnonia
Domnonée is the modern French version of the Latin name Dumnonia , which denoted a kingdom in northern Brittany founded by migrants from Dumnonia in Great Britain...
, Leon and Poher, in the later Lives of the Saints
Lives of the Saints
Lives of the Saints is a novel by Nino Ricci. The author's first book, it forms the first part of a trilogy. The other two novels are In a Glass House and Where She Has Gone...
and medieval abbey charters. It seems highly likely that the sub-kingdoms continued to be ruled over by the 'High' king, or King of the Bretons, probably in much the same way as the High Kings of Britain governed.
The first Breton
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
chieftain recorded on the continent is Ivomadus who established himself in Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
in 410 (Chronicles of Anjou). His activities take place outside of Conan's Vannetais, in an enlarged British occupied territory in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. He and his men may have been the remainder of Constantine III's army which crossed the Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
with him after proclaiming himself emperor in 406 AD. Although the records seem to name him as a king of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, he may only have been acting in the king's name, or perhaps operating in Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
as a sub-king.
As the Britons
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
are said to have controlled most of the territory north of the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
by 450 AD, Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
must have been part of an extended Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
n (Briton) kingdom until it fell to Clovis
Clovis I
Clovis Leuthwig was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the leadership from a group of royal chieftains, to rule by kings, ensuring that the kingship was held by his heirs. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul . He was the son...
in 491 AD. From that date, Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
reverts to its traditional borders.
See also
- List of Celtic tribes
- DumnoniiDumnoniiThe Dumnonii or Dumnones were a British Celtic tribe who inhabited Dumnonia, the area now known as Devon and Cornwall in the farther parts of the South West peninsula of Britain, from at least the Iron Age up to the early Saxon period...
- Kingdom of CornwallKingdom of CornwallThe Kingdom of Cornwall was an independent polity in southwest Britain during the Early Middle Ages, roughly coterminous with the modern English county of Cornwall. During the sub-Roman and early medieval periods Cornwall was evidently part of the kingdom of Dumnonia, which included most of the...
- History of CornwallHistory of CornwallThe history of Cornwall begins with the pre-Roman inhabitants, including speakers of a Celtic language that would develop into Brythonic and Cornish. Cornwall was part of the territory of the tribe of the Dumnonii. After a period of Roman rule, Cornwall reverted to rule by independent...
External links
- Map showing Cornish Cornovii
- 'The Age of Arthur' - John Morris
- The History Files: Post-Roman Celtic Kingdoms: Cornubia (Cerniw)
Specialist bibliography
- Webster, Graham (1991) The Cornovii (Peoples of Roman Britain) (Hardcover), Sutton Publishing; 2nd revised edition (April 1991) ISBN 978-0862998776