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Cadbury Castle
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Cadbury Castle
According to legend, Camelot was the home of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, but where was Camelot?
Cadbury Castle seen from the air
Arthurian legend became popular in the late 12th Century after Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote his account of the legendary king of the Britons. But it was only in the 16th Century that the old iron age hill fort at South Cadbury in Somerset was first suggested as a location for the magical castle of Camelot.
Iron age hill forts date from pre-Roman times and mostly were still in use at the time of the Roman conquest of Britain. Most were abandoned when the Romans came, but can still be recognized today by the series of ditches and banks dug as defences. There are hundreds all over Britain, but Cadbury Castle is special.
Excavations over the years have revealed that the fort was re-occupied after the Romans left in 410AD, which is most unusual. At about this time the ramparts of Cadbury Castle, also known as South Cadbury Hill Fort, were strengthened using masonry from derelict Roman buildings. Since Arthur is thought to have existed in the 5th or 6th Century, this would seem to be promising evidence.
The remains of several large buildings dating from the same period have been found at the site, as well as Mediterranean-made pottery. And even though the site fell out of use in the early 7th Century, it appears that the
Archeologists uncover the hill fort's past
Saxons came back again centuries later and fortified it again for use against the Vikings - archeologists have discovered the remains of an Anglo-Saxon church on the hill top.
The wooded site of the settlement and hill fort is thought to date back to neolithic times when it was a trading post and major centre of activity for local people, being as it was one of the few dry places amongst a waterlogged and marshy landscape.
In 1998 archeologists unearthed a Celtic ceremonial shield dating back to 1200 BC on the site, indicating that a wealthy clan, king or military lord once lived there. The South Cadbury Shield is decorated with concentric ribs and about 6,000 small bosses and was an object of status or ritual, rather than something its owner would have carried into battle.
But the hill is best-known for its supposed associations with King Arthur. As with much Arthurian legend there is a lot of debate and not much concrete evidence
The bronze age ceremonial shield found at the site in 1998
As a potential site for the home of the King and the Knights of the Round Table Cadbury Hill has certainly achieved mythical status and there are many stories surrounding it. King Arthur was believed to have died after fighting the Battle of Camlann against his nephew Mordred which many argue was fought beside the River Cam in the shadow of Cadbury Hill.
Ancient folklore says that on midsummer's day the hill turns to glass and the king can still be seen inside the hollow hill, waiting to return to protect his kingdom if doomsday arrives. That said, people have reported a feeling of unease when they are on the hill and feel compelled to leave.
There is a walk that you can do on the eve of the summer solstice around Cadbury Castle and neighbouring St Thomas a Becket's Church, where you may see King Arthur leading his ghostly band of knights in a wild hunt.
Getting there…
Leave the A303 at Chapel Cross near Sparkford, Somerset. Cadbury Castle is then reached by following a minor road to a car park at the base of the hill.
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