Cadbury is more than chocolate, it is the name of a castle in the English country of Somerset. Cadbury Castle has been associated with the legend of King Arthur and its fabled court at Camelot for the last 500 years. It is located in the stunning southern English county of Somerset and is filled with ancient history.
England has many historical sites worth seeing and this is located close to the old Roman baths of the city of Bath - which are very much worth the hype. Somerset is also the part of England that one will find the quaint "farmer" English accents - here and neighboring Cornwall is where the famed "pirate accent" comes from.
About Cadbury Castle
Cadbury Castle is a hillfort on the summit of Cadbury Hill on a plateau. The site was used by the Romans while they occupied Britain and again from around 470 AD to some time after 580 AD.
The suffix -bury of the name "Cadbury" is from an old Anglo-Saxon word byrig meaning "fort" or "town". The word is often used to refer to hill-forts. While the first part of the name may have come from the River Cam (as with the nearby village of West Camel).
There is evidence of war and destruction during the Roman period and it may have been the site of resistance by the native British tribes against the Roman legions who were under the command of Vespasian.
- Roman Fort: It Is The Site of A Roman Fortification
As the Roman empire weaken and started to implode, the Romans left Britain withdrawing most of their soldiers to the continent of Europe. There is evidence of the site being used after the Roman rule as Britain split into many petty kingdoms. Later between 1010 and 1020, it was reoccupied as a temporary Saxon mint.
- Great Hall: A Great Hall Has Been Unearthed Here
A substantial "Great Hall" measuring 20 by 10 meters (66 ft × 33 ft) has been found and the site seems to have become refortified.
- What To see: Today One Visit But There Is Not Much Of the Site To See Except For The Best of English Countryside
Today anyone can visit Cadbury Castle, one can read more about it and the area on the Visit Sommerset website, and much more about the legends of King Author on King Arthur's Knights.
The Legend of King Arthur
Local tradition has it that Cadbury Castle was King Arthur's Camelot. This was first written down in the 1,500s when John Leland wrote about it in his account of Ancient British History. This association has been debated over the last 500 years with some arguing that the connection is real, while others say it is not.
Arthur: How do you do, good lady. I am Arthur, king of the Britons. Whose
castle is that?
Woman: King of the 'oo?
Arthur: King of the Britons.
Woman: 'Oo are the Britons?
Arthur: Well we all are! We are all Britons! And I am your king.
Woman: I didn't know we 'ad a king! I thought we were autonomous collective.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 1975
King Arthur and his court at Camelot is one of the most famous of British legends. He is remembered as a legendary British leader who led the defense of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the late 5th and early 6th centuries around to medieval histories.
- Arthur: Said To Have Defended The Britons
The story of Arthur is composed mostly of Welsh and English folklore and not all historians even think he was a real historical figure at all.
- Ancient Sources On Arthur: Annales Cambriae, Historia Brittonum, the Writings of Gildas, and The Poetry of Y Gododdin
In some tales, he appears as a great warrior defending Britain or as a magical figure of folklore some times associated with the Welsh Otherworld of Annwn. There is no canonical version of the many accounts of Arthur.
Later Additions to The Story By Geoffrey and The French
Much of the legend as we know it comes much later from the writer Geoffrey in his Historia. Geoffrey may have pulled from lost sources or made some of it up himself.
It is Geoffrey who depicts Arthur as king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established a vast empire. Well-known characters in the legend come from Geoffrey's book including Arthur's wife Guinevere, the sword Excalibur, and his final battle against Mordred at Camlann.
- Lancelot: First Appeared in The 12th Century French Romances
- Description: The Fantastic Capital of Arthur's Realm
It was the French writer Chrétien de Troyes in the 12th century who added Lancelot and the Holy Grail to the story. In the French stories, the narrative focused more on the Knights of the Round Table.
But why let the murky historical facts get in the way of a great day out and awesome legend? Visit what is left of Camalot with the X-Files catchphrase "I want to believe" in mind.