Tintagel Castle is a medieval fortification located on the peninsula of Tintagel Island,
adjacent to the village of Tintagel in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. The site was
possibly occupied in the Romano-British period, as an array of artefacts dating to this period
have been found on the peninsula, but as yet no Roman era structure has been proved to
have existed there. It subsequently saw settlement during the Early Medieval period, when it
was probably one of the seasonal residences of the regional king of Dumnonia. In the 13th
century, during the Later Medieval period, after Cornwall had been subsumed into the
kingdom of England, a castle was built on the site by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, which
later fell into disrepair and ruin. Archaeological investigation into the site began in the 19th
century as it became a tourist attraction, with visitors coming to see the ruins of Richard's
castle. In the 1930s, excavations revealed significant traces of a much earlier high
status settlement, which had trading links with the Mediterranean during the Late Roman
period. The castle has a long association with Arthurian
legends. This began in the 12th century when Geoffrey of Monmouth, in his mythical account
of British history, the Historia Regum Britanniae, described Tintagel as the place of Arthur's
conception. Geoffrey told the story that Arthur's father, King Uther Pendragon, was disguised
by Merlin's sorcery to look like Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, the husband of Ygerna, Arthur's
mother. Tintagel Castle has been a tourist destination
since the mid-19th century and is now managed by English Heritage.
History Romano-British period
In the first century AD, southern Britain was invaded and occupied by the Roman Empire.
The territory of modern Cornwall was assigned to the Roman administrative region of civitas
Dumnoniorum, named after the local British tribal group, whom the Romans called the Dumnonii.
At the time, this south-westerly point of Britain was "remote, under-populated... and
therefore also unimportant [to the Roman authorities] until, during the third century AD, the local
tin-streaming industry attracted attention." Archaeologists know of five milestones or
route-markers in Cornwall erected in the Romano-British period. Two of these are in the vicinity of
Tintagel, indicating that a road passed through the locality.
As Cornish historian and archaeologist Charles Thomas noted in 1993, "So far, no structure
excavated on [Tintagel] Island... can be put forward as a Roman-period settlement, native-peasant
or otherwise." Despite this, a quantity of apparently Romano-British pottery has been
unearthed on the site, as has a Roman-style drawstring leather purse containing ten low
denomination Roman coins, dating between the reigns of Tetricus I and Constantius II. This
suggests that "at face-value... either the Island or the landward area of the later Castle
formed the scene of third-fourth century habitation" even if no evidence of any buildings dating
from this period have been found. Early Medieval period
Following the collapse of the western Roman Empire in the early fifth century AD, Roman
control of southern Britain also collapsed, and it split into various different kingdoms,
each with its own respective chief or king. The former Roman district of civitas Dumnoniorum
apparently became the Kingdom of Dumnonia, which would have been ruled over by its own
monarchy during this Early Medieval period between the fifth and eighth centuries. It
was in this regional background that settlement continued at Tintagel Castle, with the creation
of what is known by archaeologists as Period II of the site. However, there has been some
dispute amongst archaeologists as to exactly what the site of Tintagel Island was used
for in this period: in the mid twentieth century, it was typically thought that there was an
early Christian monastery on the site, but "since about 1980 ... [this] thesis ... has
... had to be abandoned", with archaeologists now believing that it was instead an elite
settlement inhabited by a powerful local warlord or even Dumnonian royalty.
The hypothesis that Tintagel Castle had been a monastery during Period II was pioneered
by the Devon archaeologist C. A. Ralegh Radford, who excavated at the site from 1933 through
to 1938. He came to this conclusion based upon some similarities in the structures of
the Early Medieval elements of Tintagel Castle and the seventh century monastery at the site
of Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire. Archaeologists however no longer accept this
viewpoint. Instead, they now believe that in the Early Medieval period, this was an
elite settlement that was inhabited by Dumnonian royalty and their entourage. Archaeologist
and historian Charles Thomas believed that they did not stay at Tintagel all the year
round but that they moved around: "A typical king with his family, relatives, dependants,
resident hostages, officials and court-followers, and a private militia or war-band—in all,
probably between a hundred and three hundred souls at least—moved around with his cumbersome
entourage; at least, when not busy with inter-tribal campaigning or in repelling invaders and raiders."
The site was also made more defensible during this period, with a large ditch being created
at the entrance to the peninsula, leaving only a narrow trackway that those approaching
the peninsula had to travel along. Various luxury items dating from this period
have been found at the site, namely African Red Slip Ware and Phocaean Red Slip Ware,
which had been traded all the way from the Mediterranean. Examining this pottery, Charles
Thomas remarked that "the quantity of imported pottery from Tintagel [was]... dramatically
greater than that from any other single site dated to about 450–600 AD in either Britain
or Ireland". Carrying on from this, he noted that the quantity of imported pottery from
Tintagel was "larger than the combined total of all such pottery from all known sites [of
this period in Britain and Ireland]; and, given that only about 5 per cent of the Island's
accessible surface has been excavated or examined, the original total of imports may well have
been on a scale of one or more complete shiploads, with individual ships perhaps carrying a cargo
of six or seven hundred amphorae." This evidence led him to believe that Tintagel was a site
where ships carrying their wares from southern Europe docked to deposit their cargo in the
Early Medieval period. Late Medieval period
In 1225 Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, swapped the land of Merthen with Gervase de Tintagel
for Tintagel Castle. A castle was built on the site by Earl Richard
in 1233, to establish a connection with the Arthurian legends that were associated by
Geoffrey of Monmouth with the area and because it was seen as the traditional place for Cornish
kings. The castle was built in a more old-fashioned style for the time to make it appear more
ancient. Richard hoped that in this way he could gain the Cornish people's trust, since
they were suspicious of outsiders. The castle itself held no real strategic value.
However the dating to the period of Earl Richard has superseded Ralegh Radford's interpretation
which attributed the earliest elements of the castle to Earl Reginald de Dunstanville
and later elements to Earl Richard. In Sidney Toy's Castles: a short history of fortifications
from 1600 B.C. to A. D. 1600 an earlier period of construction is suggested.
Early Modern period After Richard, the following Earls of Cornwall
were not interested in the castle, and it was left to the county sheriff. Parts of the
accommodation were used as a prison and the land was let as pasture. The castle became
more dilapidated, and in the 1330s the roof of the Great Hall was removed. Thereafter
the castle became more and more ruinous and there was progressive damage from the erosion
of the isthmus. When John Leland visited in the early 1540s a makeshift bridge of tree
trunks gave access to the Island. When England was threatened with invasion from Spain in
the 1580s the defences were strengthened at the Iron Gate. As Duchy of Cornwall property
the manor of Tintagel was among those seized by the Commonwealth government of the 1650s.
The letting for sheep pasture continued until the 19th century.
Nineteenth and twentieth centuries
During the Victorian era, there was a fascination with the Arthurian legends, and the ruins
of the castle became a tourist destination. The modern day village of Tintagel was always
known as Trevena until the 1850s, when it was found convenient by the Post Office to
use the name of the parish rather than the name of the village. Strictly speaking, Tintagel
is only the name of the headland). The Rev. R. B. Kinsman was honorary constable and built
the courtyard wall: a guide was employed to conduct the visitors into the castle. Until
his time the steps either side of the isthmus were unsafe, though the plateau could be reached
by those who grazed sheep there. From 1870 a lead mine was worked for a short time near
Merlin's Cave. In the 20th century the site was maintained by the Office of Works and
its successors. In 1975 the access across the isthmus was improved by the installation
of a wooden bridge. In the late 19th and early 20th century, nothing
had been excavated except the chapel and so ideas such as the garden being a cemetery
and King Arthur's Footprint being a place for King Arthur to leap to the mainland were
given currency. "King Arthur's Footprint" is a hollow in the rock at the highest point
of Tintagel Island's southern side. It is not entirely natural, having been shaped by
human hands at some stage. It may have been used for the inauguration of kings or chieftains
as the site is known to have a long history stretching back to the Dark Ages.
Tintagel Castle is one of the landholdings of the Duke of Cornwall, Prince Charles, who
refuses to reveal the date or circumstances under which the castle was transferred to
the care of English Heritage. In 1999, there was some controversy regarding
this site and others under the care of the English Heritage organisation in Cornwall.
Members of a pressure group, the Revived Cornish Stannary Parliament, removed several signs
bearing the English Heritage name because they objected to the name "English", claiming
that Cornwall is rightfully a nation on its own. Three men later paid criminal fines in
connection with these actions. Since this action, several of the smaller sites have
been transferred to the care of the Cornwall Heritage Trust, such as Dupath Well, The Hurlers,
Tregiffian Burial Chamber, St Breock Downs Monolith, King Doniert's Stone, Trethevy Quoit,
and Carn Euny. The Union-Castle shipping line had the Tintagel
Castle in their fleet from 1954 to 1971. An earlier ship of the same name was in service
in 1900 between Britain and South Africa. The locomotive 'Tintagel Castle' was built
for the Great Western Railway in the 4073 series and was in service 1927–1962. One
of First Great Western's class 57 locomotives, 57603, carries this name.
Arthurian legends The castle has a long association with the
Arthurian legends, being first associated with King Arthur by Geoffrey of Monmouth in
his account of British history, the Historia Regum Britanniae, which includes a detailed
account of the legend. The Historia Regum Britanniae, was written circa 1135–38 by
the Welshman Geoffrey of Monmouth. In this book, and according to the legend, Arthur's
father, the king of all Britain, Uther Pendragon, goes to war against Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall,
to capture the wife of Gorlois, Igraine, with whom Uther has fallen in love. While Gorlois
defends himself against Uther's armies at his fort of Dimilioc, he sends Igraine to
stay safely within Tintagel Castle, which according to the legend, and the Historia
Regum Britanniae, is said to be his most secure refuge. Besieging Dimilioc, Uther tells his
friend Ulfin how he loves Igraine, but Ulfin replies that it would be impossible to take
Tintagel, for "it is right by the sea, and surrounded by the sea on all sides; and there
is no other way into it, except that provided by a narrow rocky passage—and there, three
armed warriors could forbid all entry, even if you took up your stand with the whole of
Britain behind you." Geoffrey of Monmouth's story goes on to explain how the wizard Merlin
was summoned, and to help get them into Tintagel Castle, he magically changed Uther's appearance
to that of Gorlois, whilst also changing his own and Ulfin's appearances to those of two
of Gorlois's companions. Disguised thus, they are able to enter Tintagel, where Uther goes
to Igraine, and "in that night was the most famous of men, Arthur, conceived."
Even though Geoffrey's "The History mentions Tintagel Castle being the site of Arthur's
conception, it nowhere claims that Arthur was born at Tintagel, or that he ever visited
the place in later life, or that in any sense the stronghold became his property when he
was king." However, the legend and the book continued to become hugely popular, spreading
across Britain in the Late Medieval period, when more Arthurian texts were produced, many
of them continuing to propagate the idea that Arthur himself was actually born at Tintagel.
More recently it has been further suggested that St Nectan's Kieve, a pool beneath a waterfall
nearby, was the place where King Arthur's Knights were anointed before going off to
find the Holy Grail. Algernon Charles Swinburne's Tristram of Lyonesse
is one of the versions of the Tristan and Iseult legends seeming to confirm that many
key events took place at Tintagel. Another source seeming to confirm this is Thomas Hardy's
The Famous Tragedy of the Queen of Cornwall at Tintagel in Lyonnesse, a one act play which
was published in 1923. There is now a footpath from the site to Cadbury Castle in Somerset
called Arthur's Way, However, many continue to argue against these
legends. For example, the archaeologist C. A. Ralegh Radford, who refused to believe
in the legend and all of the associations, declared in 1935 that "No concrete evidence
whatsoever has yet been found to support the legendary connection of the Castle with King
Arthur". Charles Thomas, a specialist in Cornish history, was unable to find solid links, mainly
due to the fact that legends and stories would have been handed down only verbally during
this period, and stated in 1993 that, sadly, that so far, "there simply is no independently
attested connection in early Cornish folklore locating Arthur, at any age or in any capacity,
at Tintagel." Many others disagree, maintaining that the legendary figure would essentially
have been an Early Medieval British leader, involved in fighting the migrating Anglo-Saxons
who were settling in Britain at that time. A stone found at Tintagel bearing the inscription
PATERN[--] COLI AVI FICIT ARTOGNOU has been claimed by some to provide evidence for a
historical Arthur, but most historians reject this view.
Excavation In the 1930s, it was decided to begin a major
archaeological excavation at the site, and so HM Office of Works employed the Devon archaeologist
Courtenay Arthur Ralegh Radford to work as site director. He had formerly been employed
as the Inspector of Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire from 1929 and 1934, and
from 1936 would go on to become Director of the British School at Rome. Excavation began
in 1933, and in 1935 both an interim report and a guidebook entitled Tintagel Castle were
written by Ralegh Radford and published by H. M. Stationery Office. The excavators employed
former quarry workers, who worked under a trained foreman and who were instructed to
clear the land on the Island, following and exposing any walling that they came across
and keeping any finds. Excavation was forced to cease in 1939 due to the outbreak of the
Second World War. Radford was required to take part in the war effort abroad, whilst
many of the original site reports were destroyed when his house in Exeter was bombed by the
Luftwaffe during the conflict. In the mid-1980s, a fire on Tintagel Island
led to considerable erosion of the topsoil, and many more building foundations than were
recorded by Ralegh Radford could be seen. In 1998, the known as "Arthur stone" raised
hopes for some basis for the legend. The present-day ruins of the castle are situated on a rocky
peninsula that overlooks a part of the Atlantic Ocean, now known as the Celtic Sea. According
to figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, over 190,000 people
visited Tintagel Castle in 2010.
See also Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
List of castles in England References
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links Visiting information for Tintagel Castle:
English Heritage Information for teachers: English Heritage
About Tintagel Tintagel Castle and haunted castles
Tintagel Castle, by Philip Davis Photographs and information from Strolling
Guides