|
The Peak (South Pennines)
By evidence gathered from the lives of the Northern
British kings, upon the death of Mor ap Cenau, grandson of
Coel Hen, his Kingdom of Northern Britain (based
at Ebrauc) was divided between his sons. Arthwys was the
first King of the Pennines, 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. The Peak, occupying the modern Peak
District, was better land than in the north, and was probably the main base of the Kings
of the Pennines.
The name of The Peak is not necessarily the one used by the Britons, but it was clearly a name in use to
describe the region, or some aspect of it, because the Mercian Saxons who invaded it called
themselves the Pecset (set from seaxe; Saxons) or the Pec Saetan. As the invaders rarely
gave their conquered territories names that did not derive from their locality, or their
geographical locations relative
to other Teutons, The Peak is just as likely to have been in use by both Britons and Saxons. |
c.590 |
The
Bernician Angles successfully
destroy the kingdom around this time, during a general expansion that
also sees the fall of Dunoting
around the same time, and Sawyl is forced to flee to Wales.
Saxons move into the region from the Midlands, becoming the Pecset. These
Saxon groups are probably already a client unit of the swiftly growing
kingdom of the Iclingas Mercians.
Evidence exists of recurring famine and virulent bubonic plague across
Europe in the second half of the
sixth century.
It is possible, therefore, that the Pecset move into a territory much
reduced in terms of population. The low incidence of Celtic place names may
provide some support for this as these usually have a higher survival rate
from British territory conquered in the late sixth century onwards. |
Facebook
StumbleUpon
|