Elmet is an area close to Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area...

Kingdom of Elmet

During the Early Middle Ages, between approximately the 5th century and early 7th century AD, it is believed to have been 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. Justinians wife Theodora and her retinue, in a 6th century mosaic from the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. ... Europe in 450 The 5th century is the period from 401 - 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... This article is about the European people. ... The West Riding as an administrative county prior to its abolition in 1974. ... The River Sheaf is a river in South Yorkshire, England. ... The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. ... Deira (perhaps corresponding with the Brythonic kingdom of Ebrauc) was a kingdom in England during the 6th century AD. It later merged with the kingdom of Bernicia (Brythonic, Brynaich) to the north to form the kingdom of Northumbria. ... The Kingdom of Mercia at its greatest extent (7th to 9th centuries) is shown in green, with the original core area (6th century) given a darker tint. ... For other uses, see Craven (disambiguation). ...

Elmet was invaded and conquered by Northumbria in the autumn of 616. Little now remains to attest its former existence, with only scanty archaeological and historical evidence still existing. The only remains 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 (e.g. Sherburn-in-Elmet), and in the Cumbric roots of many of the local geographical place names. The local parliamentary constituency is also called Elmet. Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and... Events Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert as king of Kent. ... Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeologists label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity. ... Barwick-in-Elmet is a village on the outskirts of Leeds, West Yorkshire. ... Sherburn-in-Elmet is a village close to Selby, North Yorkshire. ... Evolution and Extinction Cumbric was the Brythonic Celtic language spoken in much of Cumbria, Northern Northumbria, and parts of lowland Scotland until about the 11th century. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... Elmet is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Brief history

Elmet was one of a number of Sub-Roman British realms of northern Britannia that existed during the Early Middle 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. Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an archaeologists label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity. ... Britannia on a 2005 £2 coin. ... Entrance to the Rheged Discovery Centre Rheged was a Brythonic nation of Sub-Roman Britain, where the natives spoke Cumbric. ... Strathclyde (Welsh: Ystrad Clud) was one of the kingdoms of ancient Scotland in the post-Roman period. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with York. ... Bernicia (originally called in Brythonic, Brynaich or Bryneich) was a British kingdom in northern England which was invaded by Angles during the 6th and 7th centuries AD and renamed by them Bernicia. ... Gododdin (pronounced god-o-th-in), or Guotodin (Votadini in Latin), refers to both the people and to the region of a Dark Ages Brythonic kingdom south of the Firth of Forth, extending from the Stirling area to the Northumberland kingdom of Brynaich, and including what are now the Lothian... A legendary king of Celtic Britain, about all that can be said about Old King Cole with any certainty is that: Old King Cole in an illustration by Maxfield Parrish, 1909. ... Alex Woolf is a British medievalist based at the University of St Andrews, and one of the most pioneering scholars in British medieval studies. ...

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 does not speak of Elmet as the name of a kingdom but rather as that of a forest, 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 borough. (The reference to a royal residence is: "Reges posteriores fecere sibi villam in regione quae vocatur Loidis"). *Nennius uses the term "Loid". Nennius, or Nemnivus, is the name of two shadowy personages traditionally associated with the history of Wales. ... Caerphilly Castle. ... Saint Edwin (alternately Eadwine or Æduini) ( 586–October 12, 632/633) was the King of Deira and Bernicia - which would later become known as Northumbria - from about 616 until his death. ... Bede (IPA: ) (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin) Beda (IPA: )), (ca. ... The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (in English: Ecclesiastical History of the English People) is a work in Latin by the Venerable Bede on the history of the Christian church in England, and of England generally. ... Hilda of Whitby is a Christian Saint. ... Ceretic of Elmet was the last king of Elmet, a Brythonic kingdom that existed in the West Yorkshire area of Northern Britain during sub-Roman times. ... The Battle of the Winwaed was fought on November 15, 655 between King Penda of Mercia and Oswiu of Bernicia, ending in the Mercians defeat and Pendas death. ... The City of Leeds is a metropolitan borough with city status within the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England, with a population of 726,939. ... Nennius, or Nemnivus, is the name of two shadowy personages traditionally associated with the history of Wales. ...

Elmet appears to have had ties with Wales; an early Christian inscription found in Caernarvonshire 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. This article is about the country. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ... Caernarfonshire, also known as Carnarvonshire or, in Welsh, as Sir Gaernarfon, is a maritime traditional county of Wales, bounded N. by the Irish Sea, E. by Denbighshire, S. by Cardigan Bay and Merionethshire, and W. by Caernarfon Bay and the Menai Straits, which separates it from Anglesey. ... Dyfed was one of the ancient kingdoms (or principalities) of Wales prior to the Norman Conquest. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... Taliesin or Taliessin (c. ... Gwallog ap Llaennog (sometimes given as Gwallawc) was a 6th century king of the sub-Roman state of Elmet in the Leeds area of modern Yorkshire. ... This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 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 is 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. This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Events September 3 - St. ... White cliffs of Dover in England White cliffs of Rugen down the Baltic coast from Schleswig The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestor of Angeln, a modern district located in Schleswig, Germany. ... Bernicia (Brythonic, Brynaich or Bryneich) was a kingdom of the Angles in northern England during the 6th and 7th centuries AD. It later merged with the kingdom of Deira to form the kingdom of Northumbria. ... Urien, father of Owain mab Urien (later known as Ywain), was an historical king of Rheged in northern England and southern Scotland during the 6th century. ... Section from Shepherds map of the British Isles about 802 AD showing the kingdom of Northumbria Northumbria is primarily the name of a petty kingdom of Angles which was formed in Great Britain at the beginning of the 7th century, from two smaller kingdoms of Bernicia and Diera, and... Barwick-in-Elmet is a village on the outskirts of Leeds, West Yorkshire. ...

The Northumbrians invaded and overran Elmet in 616. It is not 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. Events Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert as king of Kent. ... Casus belli is a modern Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. ...

After the conquest of Elmet the realm was incorporated into Northumbria 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 Tribal Hidage is a list of territorial assessments in Anglo-Saxon England which lists regions and the number of hides those regions contained. ... The hide was a variable unit of land area used in medieval England, defined according to its arable yield and taxable potential rather than its exact dimensions. ... West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. ... Cadwallon ap Cadfan (c. ... Events Oswald of Bernicia becomes Bretwalda. ...

The survival of the local British community is probably responsible for the large number of British-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 Domesday Book). Ledston is a village 4 km (3 miles) north of Castleford and 17 km (10 miles) east of Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire, England. ... Ledsham is a village 7 km (4 miles) north of Castleford and 19 km (11 miles) east of Leeds in the county of West Yorkshire, England. ... Leathley is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. ... Leeds is a major city in West Yorkshire, England. ... A line drawing entitled Domesday Book from Andrew Williamss Historic Byways and Highways of Old England. ...

Kings of Elmet

• Masgwid Gloff (c.460 - c.495)
• Llaennog ap Masgwid (c.495 - c.540)
• Arthuis ap Masgwid (c.540 - c.560)
• Gwallog ap Llaennog (c.560 - 590)
• Ceredig ap Gwallog (590 - 616) d. 618

Gwallog ap Llaennog (sometimes given as Gwallawc) was a 6th century king of the sub-Roman state of Elmet in the Leeds area of modern Yorkshire. ... Ceretic of Elmet was the last king of Elmet, a Brythonic kingdom that existed in the West Yorkshire area of Northern Britain during sub-Roman times. ...

Further reading

The area is the subject of an acclaimed 1979 book combining photography and poetry; Remains of Elmet, by Ted Hughes and Fay Godwin. The book was re-published by Faber in 1994 simply titled Elmet, and with a third of the book being new additional poems and photographs. For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 1 Aspinall Street, Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, where Ted Hughes was born. ... Fay Godwin (born 1931 Berlin, died 27 May 2005 Hastings). ... Faber may refer to: The Latin word meaning smith, forger or maker, as in Homo faber, whence: Homo faber (novel), a 1957 work by Max Frisch A character in Ray Bradburys science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451, who creates a listening device Faber and Faber (also known as Faber and... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

References

• David Rollason, Northumbria, 500-1100, Cambridge University Press (2003)
• Christopher A Snyder, The Britons, Blackwell Publishing (2003)
• Alex Woolf, "Romancing the Celts: a segmentary approach to acculturation", in Cultural Identity in the Roman Empire, ed. Ray Laurence, Joanne Berry. Routledge (1998)

External links

• Historic Elmet
• The History Files: The Ancient Kingdom of Elmet
• The History Files: Post-Roman Celtic Kingdoms: Elmet
• Echoes of Elmet group
• Essay on Remains of Elmet