The Men of the North: The Britons of Southern Scotland

by Tim Clarkson

The North Britons are the least-known among the inhabitants of early medieval Scotland. Like the Picts and Vikings they played an important role in the shaping of Scottish history during the first millennium AD but their part is often neglected or ignored. This book aims to redress the balance by tracing the history of this native Celtic people through the troubled centuries from the departure of the Romans to the arrival of the Normans. The fortunes of Strathclyde, the last-surviving kingdom of the North Britons, are studied from its emergence at Dumbarton in the fifth century to its eventual demise in the eleventh. Other kingdoms, such as the Edinburgh-based realm of Gododdin and the mysterious Rheged, are examined alongside fragments of heroic poetry celebrating the valour of their warriors. Behind the recurrent themes of warfare and political rivalry runs a parallel thread dealing with the growth of Christianity and the influence of the Church in the affairs of kings. Important ecclesiastical figures such as Ninian of Whithorn and Kentigern of Glasgow are discussed, partly in the hope of unearthing their true identities among a tangled web of sources. The closing chapters of the book look at how and why the North Britons lost their distinct identity to join their old enemies the Picts as one of Scotland's vanished nations.

Genres: History, Scotland, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Medieval, Ancient History, Medieval History

403 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2010

About the author

An independent historian writing (and blogging) about early medieval Scotland.

Reviews

[Reading Through the Lists · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dense but very informative book. Tim Clarkson is a man who knows how to pack an immense amount of research into a very condensed space and because of that the book is most certainly not a light read. It takes effort to put together the tapestry that he weaves but the diligent reader will be rewarded with a incredibly rich and detailed picture of life for the Britons of Southern Scotland in the early Middle Ages.

[Karol Kolbusz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and well-constructed volume filled to the brim with valuable information. The book is a comprehensive survey of early medieval Brythonic kingdoms in Southern Scotland and Northern Britain. Despite the scarcity of written and archaeological evidence in this historical period, the author did not fall into the trap of putting forward highly speculative or far-fetched hypotheses. Instead, he evaluates available evidence carefully and arrives at conclusions that I consider logical, though by no means definitive. Worth reading!

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent history of a perhaps neglected aspect of Scotland's past. It's well written and adds perspective to the contribution made by the Britons to the melting pot of what is now Scotland.

[Merthin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clarkson has a remarkable gift for combining the excitement of the mystery of poorly understood and largely lost history with the sober analysis of the evidence we do have. Parts of this book are dense and difficult, but it is rewarding to the reader. This is learned and interesting, and it made me long to go exploring in southern Scotland.

[Sasha Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the Brythonic tribes that used to rule southern Scotland from a base at Dumbarton, and a salutary reminder that Celtic history is not as simple as "Scotland and Ireland = Goidelic, everything else = Brythonic".

[Sj · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit dry, it brings to life a people half forgotten.

[Ceilidh · Rating 4 out of 5]

History in general makes my head swim but this does a good job of keeping a complicated situation as simple as possible.