WHEN IS A COINCIDENCE NOT A COINCIDENCE?: WHY I CAN'T LET GO OF ILLTUD AS UTHER

Liddington Castle (Badbury)

The testimony of the PA GUR concerning the very real possibility that Uther Pendragon is a Welsh rendering of military titles and descriptors given to Illtud when he served in a fort on/near the Ely (either Dinas Powys or Caerau, the latter being the old Silures oppidum) is not easily set aside.

Why?

Because of the age of the poem itself.  Most scholars (see p. 30 of Nerys Ann Jones' ARTHUR IN EARLY WELSH POETRY) give the date of the PA GUR's composition as between 900 and 1100.  But John Koch (footnote to same cited source) says that an 8th century composition is not implausible.

In several articles, I have discussed the striking coincidence between the Welsh Bicknor (Llancustennin/ St. Constantine's Church) and Lydbrook claimed as Illtud's home and the Bican Dyke and Lydbrook at Liddington Castle/Badbury.  The real question is: can we possibly encounter a coincidence this immense?  I mean, Liddington Castle was a Badbury, the Second Battle of Badon in the Welsh Annals is almost certainly at this Badbury, and there is a Barbury or Bear's Fort and Durocornovium (a very nice Cernyw) hard by.  

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2024/10/illtud-knight-rides-again.html

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2023/01/illtuds-father-bicanus-and-his-llydaw.html

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2018/05/arthur-and-beranburhbarbury-critical.html

What I haven't done yet is determine whether Illtud's presence at Durocornovium fits in with archaeology.  The sites in SE Wales might well be the result of relocation to the Celtic Fringe, a result of the original location having long been in English and Norman hands.  But if the area of Liddington Castle was already English by Arthur's time, then clearly Illtud was not born at Durocornovium.  

The following two helpful maps are drawn from Higham.  The third map is the location of Liddington Castle for the sake of comparison.

When we look at these maps, we need to bear in mind that Arthur's Badon victory is c. 516, while his death at Camlann is c. 537.  

What these clearly show us is that, in fact, Liddington Castle and its immediate environs were still in British hands during Arthur's floruit.  They fit in with a battle at Badon c. 516.

But what about Camlann?  I have made a case for a "Dobunni theater" Camlann at Uley Bury hillfort, a 'Crooked Enclosure' on a Cam stream in Gloucestershire.  Here is Higham's map of 560 Britain, along with another showing the location of Uley.

Interestingly, Uley is literally right on the frontier zone.

So, when it comes to the possiibility of Illtud hailing from Durocornovium, we must answer in the affirmative.  And, in fact,  both a battle at Badbury and another at Uley make really good sense when we plug those into the archaeological maps.

On the viability of Liddington Castle itself during the Arthurian period:

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1016312?section=official-list-entry

"A small scale excavation in 1976 found that the rampart was constructed in at least four phases, the latest being a re-fortification during the Saxon period."

NOTE: 

The C&O tradition that links Uther and Arthur to Caer Dathal in Arfon is in direct conflict with the PA GUR's apparent localization of Uther at the River Ely.  I will turn my attention to this remaining problem in a future blog post.