White Caterthun Hillfort with Artist Reconstruction
(Courtesy https://topofly.blogspot.com/2014/10/white-caterthun-hillfort-work-in.html)
(Courtesy https://topofly.blogspot.com/2014/10/white-caterthun-hillfort-work-in.html)
Tigernach Annals Year Entry752.4
Cath Asreith in terra Circin inter Pictones inuicem, in quo cecidit Bruidhi mac Maelchon.
Where is Asreith? Find that place and we solve the riddle of Circin(n)'s location. How?
Well, we know from the Second Life of St. Patrick that Fordoun in Strathmore was in Mag Gerginn. Unfortunately, the difference in spelling between Circinn and Gerginn has caused considerable debate. So much so that some scholars have sought to distinguish the two place-names and have attempted to place them in different locations. The best recent example of such an attempt is that of Dr. Nicholas Evans at The University of Aberdeen. His study may be read here:
I've always thought that the two names were, in fact, the same name, merely variant spellings. But noted Brittonic place-name expert Alan James thinks otherwise. He holds to Watson's opinion on the names, believing not that they are variant spellings, but due to scribal substitution of similar appearing/sounding names:
We may now take the districts separately. Cirech means
in Gaelic, ‘ crested,’ from cir, a comb, a crest ; Crus mac
Cirig, ‘Crus, son of Cirech,’ was the chief warrior of the
Cruithnigh.?, In the Pictish Chronicle the name is given
as Circinn and Circin, which is the genitive of Circenn,
‘Crest-headed’ (P.S., p. 4), and this corresponds to some of
the other old forms : Cath Chirchind, ‘ battle of Circhenn ’
(Tighern., 596); cath Maigi Circin, ‘battle of the plain of
Circen’ (YBL fes., 192 b 30) ; Magh Circinn i nAlbain (Mac
Firbis—Hogan). Alongside of these we have a form Gergenn :
Koganacht maigi Dergind (read Gergind) i nAlbae, ‘ the
1 Skene, P.S., p. 186. There are other variations. 2 Ib., p. 41.
TERRITORIAL DIVISIONS 109
Koganacht of the plain of Gergenn in Scotland’ (Rawl.,
B 502, 148); Eoganacht maigi Gergind i nAlpae (LL 319) ;
Koganacht maige Gerrghind a nAlbain (BB 172 b 4); Eo-
ghanacht mhuighe Geirrghinn (Keating, ii. 386); Cairbre
Cruthneachan a Muigh-gearrain, ‘Cairbre C. from Magh-
gearrain’ (Celt. Scot., iii. 475); defunctus est Palladius in
Campo Girgin in loco qui dicitur Fordun (Colgan). The
fact that Fordun was in ‘ the plain of Girgen’ shows that
Girgen was the name of the Mearns or rather that the
Mearns was in Girgen.
We have thus three forms of the name—Cirech, Circhenn,
Ger(r)genn, of which the first two go together. The last
form, Gerrgenn, suggests comparison with the Irish name
Gerrchenn, ‘ Short-head.’ In the Tain Bo Cualnge a man
of this name appears as father of the warrior Muinremur,
‘Thick-neck,’ who is styled Muinremur mac Gerrchinn,
with variants—all in the genitive—Gerginn, Gercinn,
Gerrcinn, Hirrginn, Erreinn; and nominative Cergend.
There is also Gerrchenn mac [lladain, with variants Gerchenn,
Gerrgen, Cerrcen, and, in the genitive, Gerrce, Errge.1_ Here
‘Cerrcen’ seems to be owing to confusion with the name
Cerrchenn, ‘Wry-head’ (Tighern., A.D. 662). This com-
parison leaves little doubt that the Irish writers who used
the form Mag Gergind, etc., understood it as ‘ Gerrchenn’s
Plain.” With regard to the other forms, the first 7 of
Cirig is long, and if as I have assumed, Circinn is the
genitive of Circhenn, ‘ Crest-headed,’ with its first 7 also
long, it is difficult, if not impossible, to correlate it with
Gerginn.
But if I were to prove this correct, I needed an Asreith somewhere in the vicinity of Fordoun. This seemed a futile quest.
That is, until I seemed to recall that in medieval Irish MSS. r could often be miscopied as s. I put this question to Professor Jurgen Uhlich, an expert in such matters. When asked if this happened, his response was:
"Yes, all the time basically! Especially when a Continental scribe was ignorant of Irish and the Irish script variety."
With that possibility in mind, I created a form ARRETH (as Asreith was in the genitive). Suddenly, I had a place-name that looked a lot more Gaelic. Of course, as Alan James pointed out, there could be a problem with a Gaelic name in Strathmore in the early period. "Gaelic wasn’t being spoken, still less naming places, in Angus before 600." But, the Tigernach Asreith battle is dated in the 8th century, and we know Fordoun of the Second Life of Patrick is a Gaelic name. It is also possible that a Gaelic name was substituted at a later date for an earlier Pictish one, perhaps even one with a similar or idential meaning.
"It's a difficult business, and I certainly don't claim to be within my depth with it. It's similar to the controversies around Nechtansmere/ Dunnichen (which may or may not have been in the same neck of the woods). Battles and other events mentioned in the Irish Annals and other early sources at places with apparently Gaelic names, but seemingly in locations where we wouldn't expect that language to have been current, and even less likely to have established place-names, at the time of the event. It's a problem that historians seem to me to skate over, but I'm reluctant to say anything firmly - there was a lot going on that's not at all easy to explain from the scanty documentary evidence, and as onomastic research and archaeology progress, the problem only seems to become more complicated."
However, proceeding with a hypothetical Arreth, it didn't take me long to find a viable candidate for Asreith: Arrat near Brechin.
A couple of different etymologies are offered for this place, but James finds one the most likely:
"I think the Arraty Burn [in Fife] is probably different, so there's only one *Airecht. But I don't think that's so improbable, as a name for what shows every sign of being an ancient territory that might well have been a territory governed by an assembly of heads of leading families (cf. DIL definitions). The only problem is, that it would presumably have had a different name in Pictish; it probably wouldn't have acquired a Gaelic one as early as ca.600, ca.750 would still be interestingly early, but perhaps."
Arrat is only 20 kilometers as the crow flies from Fordoun to the north.
If Arrat is Asreth, then Circinn = Mag Gerginn, and the latter would definitely be the ancient Gaelic name for Strathmore.
By, if so, why the Circinn name? What is that a reference to?
The etymology of Circinn is not really in doubt. It means 'Crest(ed?)-head'. One tends to think of some geological formation, like a hill or headland that has a crest-like summit, perhaps formed of a spine of crags.
It was only when I noticed the proximity of the Caterthun forts (to both Arrat and Fordoun) that I realized the 'crest' in question might well have been a man-made one.
The double fort complex at the Caterhuns represents one of the largest and most impressive such sites in Scotland. White Caterhun, especially, is noteworthy. Its very high walls were made of a whitish stone and the various ramparts would have been surmounted by palisades. Seen from a distance this would have resembled a crest on the rounded hilltop. I would propose that this fort represents the crest of Circinn.
Alan James' response to this idea was succinct, but encouraging:
"I think you can make a reasonable case."
And so here I am, doing so!
The question remains as to how far the Kingdom of Circinn extended. Natural boundaries are often important in such cases, and as the Caterthuns are approximately at the midpoint of Strathmore, I would suggest that the kingdom was composed of Strathmore itself.
Strathmore
"Strathmore (The Great Glen) forms a wide valley between the southern Grampians and the Sidlaw Hills, extending from Perth in the southwest to Stonehaven in the northeast and including the districts in the northeast known as the Mearns and the Howe of Angus.
Its principal rivers are the Tay, Isla, Dean Water, North Esk and South Esk.
It is approximately 50 miles (80 km) long and 10 miles (16 km) wide. Strathmore is underlain by Old Red Sandstone but this is largely obscured by glacial till, sands and gravels deposited during the ice age."
Before concluding, I should point out that the Roman fort of Stracathro was very near to Arrat.
Stracathro Roman Fort
Kair House Roman camp, just on the opposite of the Bervie Water from Fordoun, is believed to have been built by Severus (according to Simon Elliott), and we know of that emperor's presence at Ardoch on the south end of Strathmore. Thus we can be sure his forces were in the heartland of Circinn, although as yet archaeology has not confirmed this for us.
This fact may be important for Arthurian Studies. I have suggested that the Miathi of both the Dalriadan Artur and of the HISTORIA BRITTONUM Arthur (Bassas battle) and the Caledonian Wood battle of the latter may be reflections of the ghost of L. Artorius Castus, a man who might well have led legionary forces in the North under Severus. As the Severan campaign was against both the Maeatae and the Caledonii, the Tigernach reference to Artur son of Aedan's death in Circinn - where action against the Roman period Caledonii would certainly have been undertaken - in my opinion bolsters the likelihood that we are looking at Roman battles in the Arthurian tradition. Not Dark Ages ones.
Note: I've been asked if Arthur's City of the Legion might not be York, but the legionary fortress of Inchtuthil. I would answer no. To quote from Simon Elliott's SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS IN SCOTLAND: THE NORTHERN CAMPAIGNS OF THE FIRST HAMMER OF THE SCOTS:
"The fortress at Inchtuthil was occupied for only a short time, being evacuated in AD 86/87. It was never reused, even during the Severan incursions in the third century..."
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