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Tintagel, Cornwall

Michael Hicks, biographer of Richard the Third has written: "In history what happened is often much less important than what is thought to have happened." These words could have been written about Tintagel. In the thirteenth century Earl Richard of Cornwall, a son of King John thought that Tintagel was the seat of the ancient Dukes of Cornwall, and was associated with King Arthur. He thought this because the most respected historian of the age, Geoffrey of Monmouth said so. We now know that while Geoffrey of Monmouth was a great storyteller he was not a reliable with his facts.But Richard believed Monmouth's stories, as everyone did, and decided he wanted to be associated with King Arthur , so he built a romantic castle at Tintagel. The castle had no military function. It did not defend the coast, since no enemy would want to land at Tintagel. It did not control any road or crossing. It might have served as a refuge, but Richard had no need of one. The castle was a symbol, as many are, a symbol of strength and security. Churches and cathedrals use aspects of castle architecture, battlements, towers, as symbols of security. Earl Richard's castle may have been a place inspired by a fairystory but like many other a pretend castle, it was none the less real for that.

The castle served as a grand holiday home. Earl Richard would spend a couple of weeks there in the summer. Soon, however, it became too expensive to keep the structure in good repair. The castle started to decay, and cliff falls took much of it into the sea.

Into the twentieth century some attempts were made to look at the real story of Tintagel, although the real story has for centuries been seamlessly linked with the delusions surrounding the place. Most of what was there to excavate by academics wouldn't have been there at all without the stories to encourage the building. Excavations of greater or lesser effectiveness revealed the remains of fifth and sixth century buildings, and huge quantities of fragmented imported pottery. The amount of this pottery is greater than the total for all other sites in Britain and Ireland put together. Seeing as this area was unlikely to act as a port it was suggested that perhaps some very wealthy people had lived here, perhaps even those Dukes of Cornwall that storyteller Geoffrey of Monmouth had mentioned. Although nothing is certain some academics have argued that Tintagel acted as a royal stronghold for the Dumnonian people who following the Roman withdrawl, held out against the Saxon invasions for hundreds of years from the fifth century onwards. Whether there was any warrior king called Arthur is another matter. The important thing was not Arthur's existence, but people's need for him to exist. A real king inevitably faced weakness and failure at some point, problems which could be avoided by a mythic king. A mythic king could be the perfect hero, wield a magic sword, giving reassurance when the world seems to leave us endlessly vulnerable. Even in death Merlin could promise that Arthur "should come again to rule once more." He was a symbol just like the castle Earl Richard built.

 

"Merlin's Cave"

Over the years people built on the myth. The fact that Tintagel is called by that name is due to reality following the myth. The village of Tintagel was known as Trevena until about 1890. It was the parish that went by the more famous name of Tintagel. Slowly, however, people's expectation of Trevena being Tintagel actually served to change the name of the village. There was also more deliberate weaving of fictions. Victorian tour guides gave Merlin's Cave its name in an attempt to keep visitors happy. One of these happy Victorian visitors was the great poet Alfred Tennyson, who visited in 1848 and 1860. He recreated the Arthur legend in Morte d'Arthur and Idylls of the King, adding to the mystique of Tintagel.

By about 1890 most of old Tintagel was pulled down to make way for a new village built around the tourist trade (one of the few surviving buildings being the Old Post Office now owned by the National Trust). Today around half a million people visit each year, eat in tea rooms, and buy gifts in shops with a life size statue of Merlin standing outside. I looked at Merlin, and felt the illusions as being a fundamental part of the place. The stories which can be so easily dismissed continue to endure. Perhaps they are like the rocks of the coast, continually at risk of being washed away by the sea, but also giving the impression of something solid and permanent.

 

 

In Morte d'Arthur Tennyson writes of the death of King Arthur. Poor Sir Bedivere, the last of the Knights of the Round Table, is distraught; but a mortally wounded Arthur tells him that times are changing. The romantic old days are passing away. Arthur tells Sir Bedivere to go and throw his sword Excalibur into the lake, and to come back and report on what happens as the sword flies out over the water. Sir Bedivere finds it very hard to throw away the beautiful sword, and on two occasions he can't bring himself to do so. He returns to his dying king with stories about the water lapping in the reeds, and waves washing on the rocks. Arthur knows he is lying and says it is a "shameful thing" for a man to lie. Then after heavy threats from Arthur, Sir Bedivere finally runs to the lake and throws Excalibur out over the water, letting it fly "like a streamer of the northern morn." The Lady of the Lake raises her arm above the water, "clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful," and catches Excalibur. She waves the sword three times, and draws it down into the deep.

 

Arthur is an honest, honourable king, and as such he stands up for the truth: "this is a shameful thing for a man to lie" he says to Sir Bedivere when he comes back with his stories about water lapping the reeds. You get the feeling that Arthur wouldn't have had much time for people like the Victorian guides who made up silly stories about caves simply to boost the tourist trade. On the other hand, Arthur finally realises that Sir Bedivere is telling the truth when he returns from the lake with a fantastical tale of a hand appearing from the water and catching Excalibur. This is a tale so remarkable that Arthur knows his knight could not make it up. It was the ordinary tale of water lapping in the reeds that had the sense of untruth. In this way the truth which Arthur stands up for is combined with the fantastical romance that, with his death, seems to be passing from the world.

Tennyson wrote at a time when science was sweeping away many of the old fantasies. His achievement was, like Arthur to accept this change: "The old order changeth, yielding place to the new." At the same time he understood that solid truth and airy illusion are closer companions than we realise. The waves have washed most of Earl Richard's romantic castle away, but the romantic story associated with the place, for all its insubstantiality, endures. The continuing power of the story is demonstrated by one Frederick Glasscock. This man ran a company manufacturing custard, jellies and "hundreds and thousands" in Clerkenwell. Perhaps this work didn't answer Frederick's desire for romance, so when he retired he recreated the Fellowship of the Round Table with himself as leader. The Fellowship was a great success and he quickly recruited 17 000 members. He then built King Arthur's Halls in Tintagel, opening in 1933, a shrine to Arthur and chivalric ideals. King Arthur's Halls are now a popular tourist attraction.

Opening Times: Tintagel Castle is owned by English Heritage and is open every day all year, except for 24th - 25th December, 1st January, and the last eleven days of March. From 1st April to 30th September the castle is open 10am - 6pm, 10am - 5pm for October, and 10am - 4pm for the period 1st November to 20th March.

Please be aware that some building work is taking place during 2008 necessitating the closure of the main path. Signs will be displayed indicating a diversion route.

 

Directions: Tintagel is on the north east coast of Cornwall off the B3263. Click here for an interactive map centred on Tintagel Castle. The satellite view gives a good view of the many building remains on the site. There are car parks in Tintagel village. The walk to the castle is about six hundred meters in length and involves some steep climbs.

Access: there are many steps and changes of level. Access for someone with mobility problems would be very difficult. An area has been set aside by the National Trust next to Glebe Cliff for partial viewing of the castle. Visitors with vision problems should have assistance as this site could be hazardous. A Land Rover service is available to take people with mobility or sight difficulties to the exhibition and shop.

 

Contact:

telephone: 01840 770328

web site: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.15393