He castigated five contemporary British (Celtic) kings and called Constantine: “the tyrannical whelp of the unclean lioness of Dumnonia”. The next king, Constantine, was king when the monk Gildas wrote around 540 AD. Could he be the Cunomorus named on Fowey’s Tristan Stone (Cunomorus is a Latinised form of the Celtic name Cynvor), the lettering of which is dated to 530-570 AD? Could he also be the man mentioned in the 9th century Breton monk Wrmonoc’s Life of St Paul Aurelian as the king Quonomorius, also called Marcus? Was he, therefore, the famous King Mark of Cornwall? His successor was Cynvor, who flourished in the early to mid-6th century. The earliest of these was Gurvor, then Tudwal. Fragments of a king-list survive, naming those who reigned from about 450 AD to around 650 AD and who would have been associated with the royal citadel at Tintagel, roughly dated to 450-700 AD. Some of them, although details of most are scanty at best. It must be remembered, though, that even then and until the 10th century, Cornwall extended to the Exe. The advance of the Wessex Saxons caused the border to retreat westward until, by the 8th century only Cornwall was left. This covered the whole of the south-western peninsula as far as a north-south line linking the Rivers Axe and Parrett. Originally it was part of the kingdom of Dumnonia that may well predate the Roman occupation. Nigel Pengelly asks historian Craig Weatherhill what is the real and verifiable truth that lies behind Cornwall’s claims?Ībsolutely true, and accepted by all historians. A status that is certainly unique within Great Britain. Article by former editor Nigel Pengelly and Craig Weatherhill, historian and Cornish bard. (2011)Ī great many arguments and counter-arguments have raged regarding the true status of Cornwall.

The Tinners' Way by Craig Weatherhill