BANNA, CAMBOGLANNA, UXELLODUNUM/PETRIANA AND ABALLAVA: THE ARTHURIAN 'CENTERS' ON HADRIAN'S WALL?

Birdoswald Roman Fort

In past articles and in my book THE ARTHUR OF HISTORY, I made my case for a number of possible Arthurian centers along the western section of Hadrian's Wall.  Here I wish to reiterate that argument in summary form, as only the other day (see https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2019/01/whats-in-name-problem-with-arthur.html) I decided once and for all on a purely Northern Arthur.

BANNA/BIRDOSWALD ROMAN FORT

Site of a known Dark Age hall.  Also the birthplace of St. Patrick.  The garrison of this fort was Dacian and the Dacians are often believed to be the people who introduced the draco standard into the Roman army.  Uther Pendragon may ultimately belong here, especially if his epithet is to be properly associated with a dragon standard or even a rank (such as magister draconum) and is not merely a metaphor for a warrior.  Birdoswald is on the Irthing, a river-name derived from a Cumbric arth, 'bear', preserved in Arthwys, 'man of the Arth', claimed as a brother of Eliffer of York in the early Welsh genealogies.  Ceidio son of Arthwys originally bore a name that meant something like 'Battle-ruler' or 'Battle-leader', a perfect match for the dux erat bellorum descriptor for Arthur in Chapter 56 of the HISTORIA BRITTONUM.  Arthur itself was associated by the Welsh with their word arth, 'bear'.  However, Arthur is actually the British form of Roman Artorius, a name born by the 2nd century Roman dux who was stationed at York.

CAMBOGLANNA/CASTLESTEADS ROMAN FORT

Like Birdoswald, this place is in the Irthing Valley.  The name accords with Arthur's Camlann.  He fought with or against Medraut/Modred/Moderatus here and both men perished.  

UXELLODUNUM/PETRIANA ROMAN FORT

There is a tradition that Stanwix (wrongly Etterby hard by) was referred to as 'Arthuri burgum', Arthur's fort.  This was the home of the largest cavalry unit in all of Britain and is considered to be the command center of the Wall.  There is some evidence of sub-Roman occupation.  The place is also called Petriana, actually the name of the garrison unit itself.  Although thought to be a mistake, it is possible the fort was called after its unit, Petriana thus being a sort of nickname for the site.  Petriana honors the unit's first commander T. Pomponius Petra.  Petra, of course, means "rock, stone", and one can't help but wonder if Stanwix, the Stone town, might not preserve a memory of Petriana.  I've pointed out before that a later Arthur of Dyfed in Wales is the son of Pedr/Petrus, and this same Arthur (Irish Bicoir is for Petuir, a variant of Pedr) is said to have killed the Irish king Mongan with a stone.  Might Petrus of Dyfed have named his son Arthur in honor of the earlier, more famous one of Petriana on the Wall? Ceidio son of Arthwys is the father of Gwenddolau, a chieftain (or place, as it means 'white dales') at Carwinley.  Stanwix is roughly equidistant between the Irthing and Carwinley.  It is also only a few miles to the east of Burgh-By-Sands/Aballava.  So while we might be wise to restrict Arthur's court to either Birdoswald or Castlesteads, there is the possibility that he operated out of the milliary cavalry fort of Uxellodunum.  

ABALLAVA/AVALANA ROMAN FORT

This site may be the prototype for Arthur's Avalon.  As apples have Otherworld properties in Celtic mythology (and did so, presumably, in Celtic religion), it is not inconceivable that the Apple Orchard Place had a sacred character and that being buried there was the equivalent of being conveyed to the Otherworld.  A goddess found at Aballava - Dea Latis - may well be the origin of the Goddess of the Lake story.  The lake in question would have been the extensive Burgh Marsh that once surrounded the fort.  

For the Northern battles of Arthur, I urge my readers to again consult my book THE ARTHUR OF HISTORY.  His military activity was confined primarily to a broad corridor along the Roman Dere Street, running from York in the south to the Firth of Forth in the north.  Badon is Aquae Arnemetiae (called in English batham/bathum) at Buxton in Derbyshire. A couple of his more Northern battles may actually belong to the later Arthur son of Aedan of Scottish Dalriada or even to Lucius Artorius Castus.  One (Breguoin/Brewyn/Bremenium) is also said to have been the site of a battle fought by Urien of Rheged. 

Or you may access my original account of the Arthurian battles in the North here:

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-arthur-of-history-chapter-three.html