|
Dunoting / Dunaut (North Pennines)
Dunoting should not be confused with the Dunoding sub-kingdom of
Gwynedd which was created
in circa 445. Arthwys ap Mor, great-grandson of
Coel Hen,
was the first King of the Pennines, apparently ruling the whole length of the Pennines from Dunoting
to The Peak. Upon the death of his son, this land was
further divided into two kingdoms, and this appears to have borne the name of its first
and apparently only ruler. His life seems suspiciously long, however, so
perhaps he and his brother were both infants at the time of their accession.
Dunoting, occupying windswept and fairly bleak countryside around Dent and
Craven, was likely the lesser of the two kingdoms, but the area's British influences
live on in local place names, most noticeably the peak of Pen-y-Ghent. The
name Pennines is believed to be derived from the Celtic penno,
meaning "hill", although the earliest written reference to the name dates
only from the eighteenth
century.
|
573 |
Dynod allies himself
with the joint kings of Ebrauc to stake a claim against
Caer Guendoleu for territory to the north, probably in
Caer Guendoleu. As Caer Guendoleu apparently passed to Urien Rheged upon the death of its
king, this could explain Dynod's later invasion of
North Rheged, fighting King Owein. The kings of
The Peak and Ebrauc would both have had a valid claim to this territory through their
joint descent from Coel Hen. |
595 |
The
Annales Cambriae
records Dynod's death in battle against the Bernicians. He is probably the last British ruler of
the Pennines (unless the remnants of the territory are absorbed into North Rheged). His
family
(including his second son, the famous bard, Aneirin) are forced to flee to
Powys.
By this time the Deiran
and Bernician Angles are pushing far into British
territory, and the Iclingas are expanding to the south with only
Elmet and Cynwidion
holding out in this region until 616-617, and South
Rheged until c.635. |