KING ARTHUR'S CUMBRIA: ARTHURET Many areas of Britain have claimed a connection with King Arthur and his companion and mentor, the magician Merlin. Arthuret in Cumbria is thought by many historians to have links with the legendary King and it is possible that Arthur’s last battle was fought among the wild country of the border hills.
The name Arthuret is thought to be a corruption of the words ‘Arthur’s Head’. King Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon is said to have battled against the Anglo Saxons who invaded England from what is now Germany and France.
Dr. Norma Goodrich, the writer of several books on the subject, is an expert on King Arthur and the historical and legendary events surrounding him, has put forward the theory that King Arthur may have fought his last battle at nearby Gilsland. She has named Arthuret as Arthur’s final resting place.
KING ARTHUR’S ROUND TABLE
Arthuret is not the only place in Cumbria that claims links with King Arthur. Mayburgh Henge and King Arthur’s Round Table at Eamont Bridge have some interesting thoughts to add to the mix. The Henge dates from sometime between 2000 and 1000BC and was partly destroyed in 1720. King Arthur’s Round Table as it is called is a circular ditch which is about one and a half metres deep and twelve metres wide. The standing stones that stood at the Table’s northern entrance were stolen in the seventeenth century. Curiously, what is known as King Arthur’s Round Table predates King Arthur by about two and a half thousand years.
| Above: Arthuret Church Source: Wiki Creative Commons Below: The Henge at Mayburgh. Source: CC |