King Arthur in Shropshire?
It’s still bitterly cold and we are halfway through March. I am getting a little concerned about our holiday in the Lake District which is now less than four weeks away. I had visualised us enjoying sunny, lakeside walks. I am now remembering several occasions when it snowed in April. I do hope than when we get there Wordsworth’s daffodils won’t be under two feet of the stuff!
We had a warm weekend two weeks ago. I was able to start my rose pruning and my son decided to begin renovating the kitchen. He found woodworm in the skirting boards and the door frame so they all came off and he put in a temporary frame so that he could put the door back on but with an inch gap between it and the wall. He’s only able to work one day a week so I have spent two weeks with a very cold kitchen.
I have been reading a book about King Arthur, not a fiction one this time, but one that tries to establish who the real Arthur could have been. It’s absolutely fascinating. The authors have gone through all of the ancient records and poetry and come to the conclusion that Arthur wasn’t his name but a sort of nickname as it meant bear in the ancieint British language. Apparently it was quite common in those days to be called by the name of an animal. As an actual name it doesn’t occur before his time but became popular just after as people were presumably naming their sons after him. What really interested me was that it is suggested that the old Roman town of Viroconium near Shrewsbury was his headquaters. I remember going there when I was a little girl and marvelling at the wall that is still standing after more than 1500 years. It is also suggested that he could be buried in an old Celtic burial mound in North Shropshire near Baschurch. Since I grew up in Shropshire and have always been fascinated by the legend of Arthur this is all really interesting to me. Hubby and I are planning to visit Viroconium when we go to the Shrewsbury flower show in August. We stay overninght now as driving back in the late evening is too tireing – old age creeping on! so we can visit there the following day.
Here is a link that tells you about the book –