Dunmail
Encyclopedia
Dunmail, last King of Cumbria
(died 945) is a figure of both history and legend.
In 945AD the Saxon king Edmund I of England
conquered Strathclyde
and ceded Cumbria to his ally, Malcolm I MacDonald, king of Scotland
. This historical conflict is the subject of a traditional King in the mountain
myth with strong echoes of the King Arthur
legend of the Once and Future King, as follows:
According to the legend, Dunmail, king of Cumbria, was attacked by the combined forces of Edmund and Malcolm and retreated into the heart of the Lake District
. Dunmail met the kings in battle in the pass that divides Grasmere
from Thirlmere
but was defeated, was killed in the fight (it is said at the hands of Edmund himself) and his sons were subsequently blinded by the victors. Some of the surviving Cumbrians, taken prisoner by Edmund, were ordered to collect rocks to pile on Dunmail's body, forming a cairn that still exists to this day and gives the pass its modern name, Dunmail Raise
. Others of Dunmail's warriors fled with the crown of Cumbria, climbing into the mountains to Grisedale Tarn
below Helvellyn
, where they threw it into the depths to be safe until some future time when Dunmail would come again to lead them. Every year the warriors are said to return to the tarn, recover the crown and carry it down to the cairn on Dunmail Raise
. There they strike the cairn with their spears and a voice is heard from deep inside the stones, saying "Not yet, not yet; wait awhile my warriors."
Dunmail features as a character (and his death is described) in the classic story of the Viking
s in Lakeland Thorstein of the Mere by W. G. Collingwood
. He is mentioned briefly in Cue for Treason
by Geoffrey Trease.
It is possible that the figure of "Dunmail" is based upon Domnall III of Strathclyde, who seems to have been reigning in 945, though he is also attested 30 years later.
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
(died 945) is a figure of both history and legend.
In 945AD the Saxon king Edmund I of England
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...
conquered Strathclyde
Strathclyde
right|thumb|the former Strathclyde regionStrathclyde was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created by the Local Government Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc Act 1994...
and ceded Cumbria to his ally, Malcolm I MacDonald, king of 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...
. This historical conflict is the subject of a traditional King in the mountain
King in the mountain
A king in the mountain, king under the mountain or sleeping hero is a prominent motif in folklore and mythology that is found in many folktales and legends...
myth with strong echoes of the 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...
legend of the Once and Future King, as follows:
According to the legend, Dunmail, king of Cumbria, was attacked by the combined forces of Edmund and Malcolm and retreated into the heart of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. Dunmail met the kings in battle in the pass that divides Grasmere
Grasmere (lake)
Grasmere is one of the smaller lakes of the English Lake District, in the county of Cumbria. It gives its name to the village of Grasmere, famously associated with the poet William Wordsworth, which lies immediately to the north of the lake....
from Thirlmere
Thirlmere
Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. It runs roughly south to north, with a dam at the northern end, and is bordered on the eastern side by the A591 road and on the western side by a minor road....
but was defeated, was killed in the fight (it is said at the hands of Edmund himself) and his sons were subsequently blinded by the victors. Some of the surviving Cumbrians, taken prisoner by Edmund, were ordered to collect rocks to pile on Dunmail's body, forming a cairn that still exists to this day and gives the pass its modern name, Dunmail Raise
Dunmail Raise
Dunmail Raise is a hill in the English Lake District, the highest point of a pass on the Keswick-Kendal road, the A591, to the south of Thirlmere reservoir on the way to Grasmere, in the Lake District National Park...
. Others of Dunmail's warriors fled with the crown of Cumbria, climbing into the mountains to Grisedale Tarn
Grisedale Tarn
Grisedale Tarn is a tarn in the Lake District between Fairfield and Dollywagon Pike.It is the legendary resting place of the crown of the kingdom of Cumbria, after the crown was conveyed there in 945 by soldiers of the last king, Dunmail, after he was slain in battle with the combined forces of the...
below Helvellyn
Helvellyn
Helvellyn is a mountain in the English Lake District, the apex of the Eastern Fells. At above sea level, it is the third highest peak in both the Lake District and England...
, where they threw it into the depths to be safe until some future time when Dunmail would come again to lead them. Every year the warriors are said to return to the tarn, recover the crown and carry it down to the cairn on Dunmail Raise
Dunmail Raise
Dunmail Raise is a hill in the English Lake District, the highest point of a pass on the Keswick-Kendal road, the A591, to the south of Thirlmere reservoir on the way to Grasmere, in the Lake District National Park...
. There they strike the cairn with their spears and a voice is heard from deep inside the stones, saying "Not yet, not yet; wait awhile my warriors."
Dunmail features as a character (and his death is described) in the classic story of the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s in Lakeland Thorstein of the Mere by W. G. Collingwood
W. G. Collingwood
William Gershom Collingwood, was an author, artist, antiquary and Professor of Fine Arts at Reading University....
. He is mentioned briefly in Cue for Treason
Cue for Treason
Cue for Treason is a children's historical novel written by Geoffrey Trease, and is his best known work.-Plot introduction:The novel is set in Elizabethan England at the end of the 16th century. Two young runaways become boy actors, at first on the road and later in London, where they are...
by Geoffrey Trease.
It is possible that the figure of "Dunmail" is based upon Domnall III of Strathclyde, who seems to have been reigning in 945, though he is also attested 30 years later.
External links
- Cumbria: The Age of Kings, a site exploring the legend of King Dunmail and Cumbrian Dark Age history in general.