The Island of Tin and the King Arthur legend

From the breathtaking beauty of the coast.

The View from Tintagel Castle. 

To the enduring Standing Stones whom for thousands of years have sat in watchful silence on Bodmin Moor.

The Hurlers, Bodmin Moor.

Cornwall. A kingdom within a nation. A place where one step can take you on a journey the likes of which you could never imagine. This is a land of wild seas, myths and legends.

In the 6th Century, Cornwall was very much her own nation, just like she had always been. She was separated from the rest of mainland Britain by not only her language and her customs, but also by a spirit that refused to bow down to imposed authority. Whether that be Roman or Saxon.

My series, The Du Lac Chronicles, is set in war-torn South-West Britain, Brittany and Frank. But for today, I am going to talk about Cornwall, or the Kingdom of Cerniw, as she is known in my series.

Cornwall is my secret love affair. If I could choose to live anywhere in the world, it would probably be there. Not only does she have the most staggeringly beautiful countryside and sea, but her history is also something to admire, and her legends… Well, they are just my cup of tea.

 Penhale Sands. 

Cornwall has an intriguing past. Now we all know that Emperor Hadrian built a huge wall to divide the North of the country from the South because the North was too wild to be conquered. But nothing is ever mentioned about the little kingdom in the far South-West of Britain. The Roman occupation of Cornwall is very intriguing. It has been suggested that the Roman's stopped at Devon. There are a few milestones and evidence of Roman occupation in Cornwall, but not on the scale of the rest of the county. Why? What was it about this little kingdom that stopped even the Roman Empire in its tracks?

Cornwall had something that the Roman’s wanted, and I think they kept their independence because they knew what they were doing when it came to commerce. In fact, Cornwall had something that everyone wanted. Tin. The history of mining for tin in Cornwall goes way back, far before the time of Winston Graham’s Poldark series. Cornwall was known as The Island of Tin. Silver has also been found in Cornwall. The land is rich with treasure for those who know where to look. And trade means money, and money… I heard that makes the world go round.

Fast-forward to the time when my books are set in, and once again Cornwall is standing strong against a foreign aggressor. Rome did not best her and nor would the Saxons.

I am fascinated by the Saxon invasion, and it is something that I explore in my series. In particular, I am interested in the Saxon, Cerdic of Wessex, and his journey to being crowned High King. While other kingdoms fell by the wayside and became incorporated into the Wessex realm, Cornwall held her ground. Cerdic landed in Hampshire in c.495. By 519, Cerdic had conquered the South of England, with the exception of Cornwall. It wasn't until the Battle of Hingston Down, in 838, when Cornwall finally lost her independence to the now vast Kingdom of Wessex. Cornwall repelled the Saxons for almost 350 years. Now, that is impressive.

Dozemary Pool.

As the water settles over Dozemary Pool and when the sun sets over the grass covered ruins of Castle Dore, it is easy to believe in the stories this land inspires. If King Arthur was not born at Tintagel Castle, then he should have been. If Arthur did not fall at Slaughter Bridge, then where did he? This is the land of King Arthur. This is the land where his reign began, and this is the land where it ended. If, you believe the stories that is.

Arthurian Legend and Cornwall have a relationship that spans over a thousand years. My series explores what happened after the death of King Arthur, and therefore Cornwall is a fundamental backdrop to my series.

If you would like to find out more about The Du Lac Chronicles series, then head over to Amazon.