Thursday, August 29, 2024

THE BATTLE OF AMBROSIUS AND VITALINUS AT WALLOP BROOK: A NEW POSSIBILITY FOR BADON?

Danebury Camp at Wallop Brook

It has occurred to me that I should perhaps make more out of the possible *Ambirix and certain Fitela names at Amesbury as they relate to the supposed battle of Ambrosius and Vitalinus, an event mentioned in the HISTORIA BRITTONUM Chapter 66.

This Vitalinus is said to be the grandfather of Vortigern.  

For background on the British name *Ambirix, I again refer my readers to the following article:


For the AS personal name Fitela, found just a little north of Amesbury, see


Them most likely location for the Wallop battle would be the great Danebury Camp hillfort, which looks over the brook.



Now, forgetting for a moment the origin of Vortigern (usually placed at Gloucester, although there is good reason, as I have shown in a past study, for making him half-Irish with a totally different regional association), there is nothing wrong with "Ambrosius" being a Latin substitute for Ambirix, and Vitalinus being a similar substitute for AS Fitela. If this is allowed to have happened, we then have the Wallop battle being fought between a British chieftain at Amesbury and an invading Saxon named Fitela, whose name was left at Fittleton. 

Danebury's etymology is remarkably simple.  According to Watts, the early forms (Duwnebury, Dunbery, Dunbury), shows that this means merely 'Hill-fort.'






No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.