THE NAME 'NEITANO' IN SELGOVAE TERRITORY: MORE EVIDENCE FOR ARTHUR'S GRANDFATHER

The Neitano Stone from Peebles

Drawing of the Neitano Stone Inscription

Mt readers by now will be aware that I have proposed a genealogical link for Arthur that makes him son of Uther Penn son of Nethawc/Neithon son of Senyllt Liberalis.  Whether Senyllt really had a son or close relative of this name has been debated.  Bromwich thought Neithon son of Senyllt might be a corruption of Nudd son of Senyllt.

What Bromwich did not know - or somehow failed to make the connection regarding - is that the name Neithon is found on a Dark Age stone only 15 kilometers or so NNW of the Yarrow Stone!

A Neithon the Priest (sacerdos) is recorded on a memorial stone at Peebles.  While the stone is dated to the 7th century, it demonstrates the presence of the name of Arthur's grandfather in the territory of the ancient Selgovae.  We may postulate, therefore, that an earlier chieftain, a descendant of Senyllt Liberalis, also bore this name.  

Two helpful resources for this stone may be found at the following Websites:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/ [Simply use the name index search feature on the main page.]

https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_101/101_127_129.pdf

In addition, this article may be read in its entirety at JSTOR:

Thomas, A. C. (1991--92) `The early Christian inscriptions of Southern Scotland', Glasgow Archaeology Journal, 17: 1--10. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/27923590?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents]

But for the convenience of my readers, I am posting here some jpegs of the salient portions of T.M. Charles-Edwards' discussion of the stone as found online in a Google Book:

https://books.google.com/books?id=AK_yn7Q3_x0C&pg=PA147&lpg=PA147&dq=%22Neithon%22%2B%22Yarrow%22&source=bl&ots=18YT9EiQR4&sig=ACfU3U2vdq0ChM_eXiTkQJLoCkT6aIChmA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiHmLKA3LX5AhV_ATQIHVNhDgQQ6AF6BAgUEAM#v=onepage&q=%22Neithon%22%2B%22Yarrow%22&f=false

NOTE: IN ADDITION TO THE NAME NEITANO ON THE PEEBLES STONE, WE HAVE THE SAME PERSONAL NAME PRESERVED AT NENTHORN IN SCOTTISH BORDERS ONLY A DOZEN KILOMETERS OR SO ENE OF NEWSTEAD/TRIMONTIUM.  THE PLACE-NAME IS PROPERLY NEITHON'S THORN (SEE https://berwickshire-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/place-names/?p=record&id=658, http://www.clanntuirc.co.uk/JSNS/V7/JSNS7%20James.pdf  AND https://berwickshire-placenames.glasgow.ac.uk/place-names/?p=record&id=658).

THE PLACE-NAME PLENDERNETHY HILL NEAR PRESTON IN SCOTTISH BORDERS PRESERVES A LOST STREAM NAME NEITHEACH, FROM THE SAME ROOT AS NEITHON.  IN FACT, NEITHEACH MATCHES THE SECOND ELEMENT FOUND IN ABERNETHY, THE 'MOUTH OF THE  NETHECH OR NEITHEACH.'  SEE https://spns.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Alan_James_Brittonic_Language_in_the_Old_North_BLITON_Volume_II_Dictionary_2019_Edition.pdf.