The Western Kingdom: The Birth of Cornwall

by John Fletcher

Cornwall has long held a mysterious allure to visitors. At once part of England and yet utterly foreign too.

This book is the first to explore the true origins, free from Arthurian mythology, of this dichotomy. Just how did a kingdom of native Romano-Britons hold out against the expanding power of the Saxon Kings of Wessex and eventually secure their language, culture and heritage into the modern day?

The answer is a tale that combines brutal warfare with cunning diplomacy and trade as it winds from the 4th century to 1066 and beyond, and one that shouts from the distant past 'Kernow bys Vyken' – Cornwall Forever.

Genres: History, British Literature

168 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2023

Reviews

[Peter Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Western Kingdom – The Birth of Cornwall, John Fletcher, 2022, 157 pages all in.


The first thing to be said is that this isn't an academic book, nor is it trying to sell a new history of something. Instead, it is drawing together existing threads and shining a light on an area that only really gets mentioned by bad Arthurian works or incidentally when events in the rest of the land connect with Cornwall. This makes it quite interesting and also a far easier read than many books. It's certainly a bit above a lot of local histories I've come across.

Fletcher has quite a sober treatment of the sources and gains credibility by not going anywhere near an Arthurian rabbit hole, apart from briefly when discussing a source. It's good to see modern scholarship being cited, rather than just Stenton and the inclusion of PAS and Sawyer numbers is always welcome. It would have been nice to see some footnotes, but as said, it is not intended to be an academic work.

The main thrust of the work is that the Anglo-Saxon conquest of the south-west in general and Cornwall in particular, wasn't fast and in many ways, the assimilation of Cornwall was actually quite protracted, with it even post engrossment, being treated almost as an appanage, rather than an integral part of the kingdom. This is all good stuff and some interesting points are made, such as those concerning the early years of St Boniface, and especially the excellent work by Dr Insley that points out that the first three bishops of Crediton all had Cornish names and also the use of dual names (Cornish and English) in S735 and S770, which is fascinating for several different reasons.

This book does have a couple of issues, though. However, unlike recent works I've read, none cause you to lose confidence in the author. More nuance would have been nice. A few more uses of the words maybe, possibly, suggests, or hints at would not have gone amiss. Also, I'm not totally sold on the depth of connections with Brittany. Things like Bretons carrying over their style of warfare from Dumnonia may be over egging the pudding a bit and Æthelstan's diplomatic efforts with Brittany were probably more to do with realpolitik than anything else.

Errata:

Typo on pg 53, where Albernmoe should be Aberlemno
Cnut coming to the throne in 1012 is a typo
Eamont rendered as Earmont on one occasion and then a paragraph later as Eadmont
Unread instead of Unræd

For the next edition of this work, a few further improvements could be made.

The provision of maps. Whilst some people may be familiar with the geography down south, not everyone is. Fletcher makes some great comments about how difficult land communications were with the South-West due to natural obstacles that are hardly noticeable today and which don't really figure in peoples' minds as an impediment, such as marshes, hills and rivers and a map showing these would be no bad thing. Similarly, maps showing the concentration of English place-names and so on would also have been a benefit, as it would have made instantly obvious what he was saying. Ditto the hundreds and so on.

Another thing that could be addressed in another edition would be unanswered questions, such as coins – did the pre-Anglo-Saxon kings mint their own coins? If not, was it just a bullion economy or were outside coins in use, and if so, who's? The provision of justice in Cornwall could also be explored – do we know anything about it? Are there execution or deviant burial sites on the boundaries of hundreds?

The final section deals with Cornwall post conquest, which is outside of my area of interest.

This is a decent book and it's worth a read by anyone with an interest in the period.

[Ken Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

[2022] This is a welcome and worthy new addition to the developing field of early Cornish history. It is incredibly well researched and written with a style and pace that suits the general reader. The chapters are short and manageable and everything is well explained and chronologically set out. However the underlying paradigm hides just below the surface of the text. Now - it is said that all historians have an angle, or a motive for the interpretations that they make and John Fletcher is, of course, no exception. To understand his motive remember that history is written by the victors and in this case, the English. Without diminishing his achievement it is obvious (to Cornish eyes) that this is the history of Cornwall written by the English.

John Fletcher accepts as a truism that the English successfully oppressed the Cornish by force of might and the Cornish 'became' English at some specific time, although with persistent pretensions of difference. For instance, he says 'it seems clear at this point (1050AD) the Cornish are fully integrated into the English state.' As if the only evidence of whether a colonised state is 'fully integrated' into the Empire of the coloniser is when the Colonisers think they have. A disappointing and contradictory statement - as later on evidence exists that no specific integration can be demonstrated. The racist comments of William of Malmesbury are minimised.

A great extremely well researched book - I liked the way the medieval resources are set out, although where they are found and a little of their history would have been nice. I think if you know little of Cornwall and do not place this history into its context it would seem a bit like - Athelstan conquered the Cornish and they became English - although it is so obviously different to the Durotriges tribe in Dorset who literally assimilated to such an extent that they disappeared completely. The Cornish refused to disappear, refused to believe that they are English and understood themselves to be separate and innately different. Perhaps if John Fletcher had talked to more Cornish-people the fact that even today many consider Cornish ethnicity means a non-English ethnicity!

So a great book, but read it as a companion to The Promontory People: An Early History of the Cornish Book by Craig Weatherhill and/or Cornwall's First Golden Age: From Arthur to the Normans by Bernard Deacon. These have a much more Cornwall looking-out (Kernow-centric) rather that Cornwall looking in (Kernow sceptic) approaches.

[Tom Fordham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely read. I've always been fascinated by the history of Cornwall during my favourite historical period and John has more than shed light on it for me. Charting the course of Cornish history and the Cornish identity so concisely has been wonderful, especially as there is only one real mention of King Arthur! Of course it is a country shrouded in Arthurian myth, so to have a book that tells Cornwall's early medieval history without that is very refreshing. It has also piqued my interest once again in King Æthelstan and his reign, it seems he is more well known further south west than I realised. John dispels quite a few myths surrounding Wessex and Cornwall at the time and how conquest wasn't as clear cut as some historian lead you to believe to fit in with some grand narrative. Well worth a read for anyone interested in this small but vibrant part of the world.

[Martin Whittaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A passionate examination of the historical Cornish identity throughout the so called "Dark ages". I'm fascinated by the Early Middle Ages and it was really refreshing to hear the story of well known moments in the viking age and Anglo Saxon figures such as Alfred and Athelstan but in the perspective of the lesser known Britons who once inhabited the west country and aren't well represented by the Chronicles. Fletcher colours in elusive Early medieval Cornish using detailed analysis of sources and archaeology to build up a compelling picture of an independent Dumbonian people who not only weathered the fall of the Roman empire but for a time successfully held off the early King's of Wessex in their incursions into the west . If you visit Cornwall take this with you! I finished it whilst sat on top of the atmospheric Rough Tor.

[Mike Gonzales · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read into the history of Cornwall. As an American, it helped that I’ve lived in Cornwall off and on for about six years. There have been a couple of shows I’ve watched in the past as well. So that aided to the details.
I’ve bought one of the primary sources the author references throughout the book to read after. This should help too.
All in all, a really good book.

[Matthew Culley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book exploring the history of Cornwall from Roman times to the post-Norman conquest. Cornwall is more than a mere county of England: it has a rich history and language and deserves more study. Recommended.

[Leon Hermanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting new look at some of the existing evidence about Cornwall’s past. I like that the author often lets you make up your own mind given the evidence.

[Mrshibai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used this book to better understand the history of the Cornish identity and language. Great introduction to the topic.