Everything about Elmet totally explained
During the
Early Middle Ages, between approximately the
5th century and early
7th century AD,
Elmet was an independent
Celtic kingdom covering a broad area of what is now the historic
West Riding of Yorkshire. Although its precise boundaries are unclear, it appears to have been bordered by the
River Sheaf in the south and the
River Wharfe in the east. It adjoined
Deira and
Mercia to the north and south respectively and its western boundary appears to have been drawn near
Craven, which itself was possibly a minor British kingdom.
Elmet was invaded and conquered by
Northumbria in the autumn of
616 or
626. Little now remains to attest its former existence, with only scanty archaeological and historical evidence still existing. The only physically extant traces of this realm, apart from writings in
Sub-Roman annals, are the defensive earthworks in and around
Barwick-in-Elmet, the names of other villages in the area (for example
Sherburn-in-Elmet), and in the Celtic roots of several local toponyms. The local
parliamentary constituency is also called
Elmet.
History
Elmet was one of a number of
Sub-Roman Brythonic realms of northern
Britannia that existed during the Early Middle Ages (often referred to as the Dark Ages). As well as Elmet, these included
Rheged,
Strathclyde,
Ebrauc,
Bryneich and
Gododdin. It is unclear how Elmet came to be established, though it has been suggested that it may have been created from a larger kingdom ruled by the semi-legendary
Coel Hen. The historian
Alex Woolf suggests that the region of Elmet had enjoyed a distinct tribal identity in pre-Roman times and that this had re-emerged following the collapse of Roman rule.
The existence of Elmet is attested by
Nennius in his
History of the Britons, in which he writes that King
Edwin of Northumbria "occupauit Elmet, et expulit Certic, regem illius regionis" ("occupied Elmet and expelled Certic, king of that country").
Bede's
Ecclesiastical History mentions that Hereric, the father of St
Hilda of Whitby, was killed at the court of King Ceretic. It is generally presumed that Ceretic/Certic were the same person, otherwise known as
Ceredig ap Gwallog. However, Bede doesn't speak of Elmet as the name of a kingdom but rather as that of a forest (of) Elmet,
silva Elmete. He mentions a royal residence and the
battle of Winwaed in the region of
"Loidis"* (perhaps the area covered by the present day
City of Leeds metropolitan district).
(The reference to a royal residence is:
"Reges posteriores fecere sibi villam in regione quae vocatur Loidis"). *
Nennius uses the term
"Loid".
Elmet appears to have had ties with
Wales; an early
Christian inscription found in
Gwynedd reads "ALIOTVS ELMETIACOS HIC IACET", or "Aliortus the Elmetian lies here". A
cantref (administrative division) of
Dyfed was also named
Elfed, the
Welsh equivalent of Elmet. A number of kings of Elmet are recorded in Welsh sources. One of
Taliesin's poems is for
Gwallog ap Llaennog, who ruled the kingdom near the end of the
6th century.
Towards the end of the
6th century, Elmet came under increasing pressure from the expanding
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Deira and Mercia. Forces from Elmet joined the ill-fated alliance in
590 against the
Angles of
Bernicia who had been making massive inroads further to the north. During this war it's thought Elmet's king Gwallog was killed. The northern alliance collapsed after
Urien of Rheged was murdered and a feud broke out between two of its key members. It appears that after this, and the subsequent unification of the Anglian kingdom of
Northumbria, Elmet was compelled to construct a series of defensive ditches to the north and west of
Barwick-in-Elmet in an apparent attempt to provide an extra line of defence for their king's hill fort - the remains of which can still be seen in this village.
The Northumbrians invaded and overran Elmet in
616. It isn't known definitely what prompted the invasion, but it has been suggested that the
casus belli was the death by poisoning of the Northumbrian nobleman Hereric, who was an exiled member of the Northumbrian royal house residing in Elmet. It may have been that Hereric had been poisoned by his hosts and Edwin of Northumbria invaded in retaliation; or perhaps Edwin himself had Hereric poisoned and invaded Elmet to punish Ceredig ap Gwallog for harbouring him.
After the conquest of Elmet the realm was incorporated into Northumbria - on Easter day, 627 - and the people were known as the
Elmetsæte. They are recorded in the late 7th-century
Tribal Hidage as the inhabitants of a minor territory of 600
hides. They were the most northerly group recorded in the
Tribal Hidage. The Elmetsæte probably continued to reside in
West Yorkshire as a distinct group throughout the Saxon period and may have colluded with
Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd when he invaded Northumbria and briefly held the area in
633.
The survival of the local Brythonic community is probably responsible for the large number of Brythonic-derived placenames in the area, notably the numerous placenames beginning
Ecles- and
Wal-. The inhabitants of Elmet are believed to have called themselves the
Loides, a name which is still reflected in multiple placenames: notably
Ledston,
Ledsham,
Leathley and the modern city of
Leeds ("Ledes" in
1086 Domesday Book).
Kings of Elmet
Further Information
Get more info on 'Elmet'.
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