Fit for a King -
Tintagel
Tintagel Castle is most famous for its association with
legendary British King, Arthur. The site is known to have been
occupied by the Romans for tin mining, but it is as a Royal
stronghold of the Cornish Kings during the 5th & 6th centuries
that the legend takes hold.
Tintagel Castle is set on a dramatic and picturesque headland
that is virtually an island, connected to the mainland by a slim
finger of land. Over the centuries much of the castle has fallen
into the sea and very little remains today.
The castle was not inhabited for very long, and by the 14th
century was in poor repair with the Great Hall being apparently
roofless. By 1483 the Chapel of St Julitte was still in use, but
the remainder of the castle had long since fallen into ruin.
Consequently, the castle remains are sparse, but the inner ward
does contain the most substantial surviving masonry. The Great Hall
stands to a reasonable height and the castellated North wall makes
a striking backdrop set against a rugged coastline.
In the 12th century, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote about 'the
palace that belonged to the Duke of Cornwall whose wife, Igerna,
one day aroused the passions of King Uther Pendragon. A dispute
ensued over his unwanted attentions, and Uther laid siege to the
palace. Unable to breach its walls Uther, assisted by the magician
Merlin entered the castle unnoticed to seduce Igerna. The son borne
of this night was to be the young King Arthur '.
Whatever the truth, it is reasonable to assume that this area
was the stronghold of past Cornish Kings simply by the fact that
Richard, Earl of Cornwall built the ‘modern’ castle here around
1233/4. There was no military or strategic benefit in building a
castle there, so we must assume it was done out of the desire to
build a castle on the site where his legendary ancestors had held
court.