342:. It has also been pointed out that there is no mention of who won the battle, though it has generally been assumed that it was the invading Defnas. However Fletcher has suggested that a Saxon victory seems unlikely, particularly given Egberts presence at Crediton (as witnessed in the charters) at a time when he is preparing for war with Mercia. Fletcher instead argues that the local fyrd may well have been defeated and Egbert's attention diverted west at an unwelcome moment. The incident has also been presented as a raid by the Cornish into Devon.
57:
188:, and based on this derivation, he goes on to say that the location may have been a meeting place where either the West Saxons exacted tribute from the Cornish kings, or where tolls were levied on trade between the two territories. It had already been pointed out that such a location might well be a place where a dispute leading to fighting could arise. Higham also states that the battle may have been an influence on the early development of the nearby town of
136:
was fought on the borders of Mercia, the
Britons of Cornwall rebelled, and assailed the West-Saxons in the rear: but the men of Devonshire mustered in large numbers and met the enemy at Camelford: a furious conflict ensued, apparently with little advantage to either party, for, whilst most of the
522:
Transactions of the
Plymouth Athenaeum vol 8, p. 63, 1882: "No one seems to have observed that Gafulford may be "the ford of the tax or toll " — gavel = tax – ie the ford at which toll was taken, the very spot where, in these primitive times, a dispute and fight should have
251:. He used the existence of the ten-foot-tall granite pillar decorated with Celtic designs at the centre of the village as part of the evidence for his assertion. J. J. Alexander rejected Martin's interpretation on similar grounds to those he used to reject Kerslake's
156:(1991): "The 'Wala' are held to be the Britons (Welsh), the 'Defna' the people of Devonshire, and 'Gafulford' has been tentatively identified as Camelford." Camelford was also one of the supposed locations of the final battle between King Arthur and Mordred.
40:
The whereabouts of
Gafulford is not known today, though it is generally assumed to be in the west of Devon or the east of Cornwall. Of the several locations that have been proposed,
37:
for 823 AD (usually corrected to 825 AD): "Her waes Weala gefeoht Defna aet
Gafulford". A translation is: "there was a fight between the Weala and the Defna at Gafulford".
133:
72:, although technically this translates only as the people of Devon) that took place during the westward expansion of the Saxons under
626:
869:
845:
648:
301:
near
Camelford. Although this association is based on the name and the proximity to Camelford, it is generally accepted that
879:
804:
744:
557:
469:
216:, upon one of the southeastern spurs of Dartmoor." However, in 1922, J. J. Alexander rejected this interpretation on
574:
A primaeval
British metropolis: with some notes on the ancient topography of the south-western peninsula of Britain
243:
In a paper of 1897, J. May. Martin came to the conclusion that
Gafulford was at a place known as Keymelford near
422:
384:
208:
In 1877, Kerslake wrote "The place meant by
Gafulford is no doubt what is now called Fulford, in the parish of
485:
196:
in Wessex, suggests that the West Saxons did not consider
Cornwall to be a defensible part of their kingdom.
864:
874:
80:
from 802 to 839 AD. It is known, on the basis of charters that he signed, that Egbert was at
573:
549:
543:
281:
722:
138:
33:
612:
459:
8:
366:
173:
142:
442:
777:
695:
687:
334:
does not state that he was present at this battle – Higham says the men of Devon (
93:
841:
800:
740:
699:
606:
553:
465:
769:
679:
586:
Martin, J. M. (1897). "The
Camelford of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Where was it?".
438:
327:
125:
109:
Early historians and writers assumed that Gafulford was at the present day town of
73:
31:) is the site of a battle in South West England known from the first entry in the
760:
Finberg, H. P. R. (1953). "Sherborne, Glastonbury, and the Expansion of Wessex".
298:
357:
The first three names are variant spellings found in the extant versions of the
149:
64:
The battle at Gafulford was one of a series of encounters between the Cornish (
858:
169:
45:
670:
Breeze, Andrew (Fall 2005). "The Battle of Camlan and Camelford, Cornwall".
56:
683:
418:
389:. Vol. 1. London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts. p. 110.
306:
289:
244:
114:
85:
691:
386:
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, according to the several original authorities
781:
339:
248:
217:
165:
110:
41:
773:
823:
Alexander, J. J. (1922). "When the Saxons Came to Devon; Part IV".
209:
81:
176:
was the first to make this suggestion. Robert Higham, in his book
189:
88:
by 26 December 825. Not long afterwards he went on to defeat the
288:(1886) that the location was probably an ancient passage on the
213:
89:
77:
326:
Commentators have pointed out that although it is known that
799:. The Darwen County History Series. Phillimore. p. 32.
548:. Exeter Studies in History. University of Exeter. pp.
164:
Most recent historians prefer attribution to Galford on the
427:. The Prose Works. Vol. 5. Henry G. Bohn. p. 307.
330:
was pushing west into Devon and Cornwall at that time, the
193:
649:"Slaughterbridge 500 Metres to South East of Worthy Manor"
232:(the ancient name for Devonshire) would have mutated into
137:
Chroniclers omit to state on which side the victory fell,
825:
Report & Transactions of the Devonshire Association
588:
Report & Transactions of the Devonshire Association
545:
Security and Defence in South-west England before 1800
317:, so the name has no likely connection to any battle.
145:
says that many thousands were slain on both sides."
141:alone tells us that the Britons were defeated, and
725:(d.1118) as saying that the Cornish were defeated.
739:. Cheltenham: The History Press. pp. 80–83.
180:(2008), points out the derivation of the name is
856:
611:(cheap ed.). London: Elliot Stock. p.
297:There have been claims that the location was at
132:that, "About the same time that this engagement
382:
117:was an early supporter of this theory, in his
48:in West Devon have had the widest acceptance.
447:. George Bell, 186 Fleet Street. p. 424.
762:Transactions of the Royal Historical Society
204:Several other locations have been proposed:
60:A 13th century depiction of Egbert of Wessex
822:
484:See, for instance, Browne Willis (1716).
734:
500:
498:
496:
457:
321:
55:
759:
345:
857:
835:
794:
669:
585:
541:
444:The Life and Times of Alfred the Great
417:
130:The Life and Times of Alfred the Great
99:
604:
493:
437:
51:
13:
464:. Barnes & Noble. p. 41.
461:The Warrior Kings of Saxon England
199:
154:The Warrior Kings of Saxon England
14:
891:
721:Alexander (1922) at p. 196 cites
84:on 19 August 825, and he was in
788:
753:
728:
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706:
663:
641:
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598:
579:
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451:
431:
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351:
220:grounds, pointing out that if
68:) and the Saxons (here called
1:
870:Battles involving the Cornish
421:(1853) . C. R. Sumner (ed.).
383:Benjamin Thorpe, ed. (1861).
338:) may have been led by their
44:in Cornwall and Galford near
678:(3). Scriptorium Press: 78.
212:, about eight miles west of
192:, which, as the westernmost
104:
7:
113:in East Cornwall. The poet
10:
896:
840:. Exeter: The Mint Press.
816:
651:. British Listed Buildings
305:probably derives from the
159:
880:Military history of Devon
504:Alexander (1922). p. 195.
408:Alexander (1922). p. 196.
399:Alexander (1922). p. 193.
838:Making Anglo-Saxon Devon
458:Whitlock, Ralph (1991).
178:Making Anglo-Saxon Devon
836:Higham, Robert (2008).
735:Fletcher, John (2022).
608:A History of Devonshire
542:Higham, Robert (1987).
795:Stanes, Robin (1986).
532:Higham (2008). p. 183.
487:Notitia Parliamentaria
424:The History of Britain
282:Richard Nicholls Worth
271:would have changed to
61:
723:Florence of Worcester
712:Higham (2008). p. 34.
684:10.1353/art.2005.0039
605:Worth, R. N. (1895).
513:Higham (2008). p. 33.
359:Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
332:Anglo Saxon Chronicle
322:Other interpretations
286:History of Devonshire
139:Florence of Worcester
59:
34:Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
629:. All About Cornwall
627:"Camelford Cornwall"
346:Notes and references
267:), he claimed, then
865:History of Cornwall
737:The Western Kingdom
367:Henry of Huntingdon
259:had developed into
174:Sabine Baring-Gould
143:Henry of Huntingdon
100:Suggested locations
797:A History of Devon
255:; in this case if
224:could change into
128:wrote in his book
119:History of Britain
94:Battle of Ellandun
62:
52:Historical setting
847:978-1-903356-57-9
572:Kerslake (1877).
439:Giles, John Allen
371:Historia Anglorum
284:suggested in his
887:
875:History of Devon
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832:
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280:The topographer
186:tax/tribute ford
126:John Allen Giles
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299:Slaughterbridge
202:
200:Other locations
172:in West Devon.
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19:(alternatively
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150:Ralph Whitlock
148:More recently
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170:Lew Trenchard
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46:Lew Trenchard
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26:
22:
18:
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796:
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653:. Retrieved
643:
631:. Retrieved
621:
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591:
587:
581:
568:
544:
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486:
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419:Milton, John
413:
404:
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385:
378:
370:
365:is found in
362:
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314:
310:
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218:phonological
203:
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118:
108:
69:
65:
63:
39:
32:
28:
24:
20:
16:
15:
328:King Egbert
307:Old English
290:River Tamar
245:Copplestone
115:John Milton
86:Southampton
76:, ruler of
74:King Egbert
859:Categories
672:Arthuriana
594:: 275–285.
273:Demonshire
269:Defenascir
261:Keymelford
230:Defenascir
182:Gafol-ford
25:Gafolforda
21:Gafulforda
700:161268341
363:Gavelford
340:ealdorman
303:slaughter
265:Camelford
257:Gafulford
249:Mid Devon
222:Gafulford
166:River Lew
152:wrote in
134:Ellendunn
121:of 1670.
111:Camelford
105:Camelford
42:Camelford
29:Gavelford
17:Gafulford
692:27870702
523:arisen."
441:(1848).
313:meaning
238:Funshire
234:Fenshire
210:Dunsford
184:meaning
124:In 1848
90:Mercians
82:Crediton
817:Sources
782:3678711
768:: 111.
655:26 June
633:25 June
311:slohtre
253:Fulford
228:, then
226:Fulford
190:Lydford
160:Galford
92:at the
844:
803:
780:
743:
698:
690:
576:p. 76.
556:
490:p. 82.
468:
214:Exeter
78:Wessex
70:Defnas
66:Wealas
778:JSTOR
696:S2CID
688:JSTOR
336:Defna
315:marsh
309:word
168:near
842:ISBN
801:ISBN
741:ISBN
657:2012
635:2012
592:XXIX
554:ISBN
550:33–4
466:ISBN
194:burh
829:LIV
770:doi
680:doi
369:'s
247:in
236:or
27:or
861::
827:.
776:.
764:.
694:.
686:.
676:15
674:.
590:.
552:.
495:^
361:,
96:.
23:,
850:.
831:.
809:.
784:.
772::
766:3
749:.
702:.
682::
659:.
637:.
615:.
613:8
562:.
474:.
373:.
292:.
275:.
240:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
