Rheged

Rheged was a Brythonic nation of Sub-Roman Britain, where the natives spoke Cumbric. It was situated in what is now north-western England, possibly extending into south-western Scotland. Almost nothing is known about the place, except that it was the homeland of the warrior monarch, Urien (in Latin, Urbgenius), as recorded in early Welsh poetry.

Location

The name Rheged appears regularly as an epithet of a certain Urien in a number of early Welsh poems and Royal genealogies. His victories over the Anglian chieftains of Bernicia in the second half of the sixth century, are recorded by Nennius and celebrated by the bard Taliesin who calls him 'Ruler of Rheged'. He is thus placed squarely in the North of Britain and more specifically in Westmorland when referred to as 'Ruler of Llwyfenydd' (the Lyvennet Valley). Later legend is very strong in associating Urien with the city of Carlisle, only twenty-five miles away and Higham suggests that Rheged was "broadly conterminous with the earlier Civitas Carvetiorum", the Roman administrative unit based around that city. Although Rheged could just be a mere stronghold, it was not uncommon for sub-Roman monarchs to use their kingdom's name as an epithet and generally, it is accepted as a kingdom covering a large part of modern Cumbria.

Place-name evidence from Dunragit (possibly 'Fort of Rheged') suggests that, at least during one period of its history, Rheged extended into Dumfries and Galloway. More problematic interpretations suggest that it could also have reached as far south as Rochdale in Greater Manchester, recorded in the Domesday Book as Recedham. Urien's kingdom certainly stretched a long way eastward at one time, he was also 'Ruler of Catraeth' - Catterick in North Yorkshire.

Kings of Rheged

The traditional Royal genealogy of Urien and his successors traces their ancestry back to Coel Hen (alias Old King Cole), who may have ruled much of the North in the early 5th century. It is generally assumed that all of those listed ruled in Rheged, but only three of their number can be verified from external sources:

Cynfarch Oer - who gave his name to the family tribe, father of
Urien Rheged - as above, father of
Owain - also celebrated for having fought the Bernicians

Southern Rheged

A second Royal genealogy exists for a line, perhaps of Kings, descended from Cynfarch Oer's brother, a certain Elidir Lydanwyn. According to early Welsh poetry, Elidir's son, Llywarch Hen, was certainly of landed status and was driven from his territory by princely in-fighting after Urien's death. He is later associated with Powys.

Searching for Llywarch's kingdom has led some historians to suggest that, as was common in later Brythonic kingdoms, Rheged may well have been divided between sons into North and South. A southern kingdom based on Ribchester would neatly fill a gap where no sub-Roman kingdom is otherwise known. However appealing, this is pure speculation.

The Irish in Rheged

There is considerable evidence for an Irish presence in Rheged. It is known that Irish Christian missionaries were active in sub-Roman Cumbria (although the region was at least nominally Christian even in Roman times), as indicated by several early church dedications to St. Columba. There were likely Irish traders, pirates and settlers unconnected with the church as well.

The End of Rheged

Following Bernicia's union with Deira to become the kingdom of Northumbria, Rheged itself was annexed by Northumbria, at some time before AD 730. There was a Royal marriage between Prince (later King) Oswiu of Northumbria and a Rhegedian princess, probably in 638, so it is possible that it was a peaceful take over.

After the incorporation of Rheged into Northumbria the old Cumbric language was gradually replaced by Old English with the former tongue surviving only amongst remote upland communities. The name of the Cymry has, however, survived in the name of Cumberland and now Cumbria.

Rheged remembered

The name Rheged has today been adopted by the Rheged Discovery Centre close to Penrith in Cumbria. The centre, apart from having a number of retail outlets, boasts the largest turf roof in Europe and a giant cinema screen that shows films including one about the history of Rheged.

References

Bartrum, PC (1966) Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts
Ellis, Peter Beresford (1993) Celt and Saxon
Higham, Nick (1986) The Northern Counties to AD 1000
Marsden, John (1992) Northanhymbre Saga
Morris, John (1973) The Age of Arthur
Morris-Jones, John (1918) Y Commrodor 28
Williams, Ifor (1935) Canu Llywarch Hen
Williams, Ifor (1960) Canu Taliesin

External links

History of England | Sub-Roman Britain

Rheged | Rheged | Regno di Rheged

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