(Above photo - King Arthur: "For it is better that we slay a coward than through a coward be all slain." )
Who would have thought a mere ten minute drive from the Canonbury Antiques Hertfordshire showroom there'd be a site of such historical and archaeological significance? Camlet moat is one of London's most famous monuments associated with King Arthur's reign. The moated area is a quadrangular enclosure at the very top of Ferny Hill in Trent Country Park. Trent Park is a great spot for walks with lots of wooded areas and lakes, a real North London gem. In fact, we grew up in this area in Hadley Wood on a road called Camlet Way which I am sure is connected to this site as it is right across the road from Trent Park.
Legend has it that King Arthur used Camelot moat as his coat. The name of the legendary King Arthur first appears in Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart, a 12th-century poem.
In the 15th century, Sir Thomas Malory wrote Le Morte d'Arthur, a compilation of folklore to retell Arthur's story from conception to death.
( Above Photo: Camelot Moat )
To most scholars, Camelot is fictional and unrelated to any known geographical location in England today. There have been attempts to propose multiple locations as the seat of King Arthurs's reign.
In 1440, there was an account linking Camlet Moat to King Arthur. According to the report, the destruction of the manor of Camelot resulted in the collection of materials whose sale enabled the repair of Hertford Castle.
Those who believe in the veracity of that tale contend that the passage of time resulted in the corruption of Camelot to Camlet.
The word Camelot is thought to be a creation of 14th-century mason Ramsey who designed Windsor's round-table building for Edward III.
Ramsey owned property in Enfield and named one of his building projects in the Moat 'Camelot'.
According to legend, the first structures at Camelot Moat belonged to First Earl of Essex Geoffrey de Mandeville. He was a landowner in the Moat area in the 12th century.
During King Stephen's reign, Geoffrey rebelled against the kingdom and was killed during an attack on Burwell Castle. He was laid to rest in London's Temple Church.
The northeast corner of Camelot Moat has a deep crater that might have served as an ancient well. According to legend, the paved bottom has a concealed chest of treasure protected by Geoffrey de Mandeville's ghost.
By the 14th century, de Mandeville's descendant Humphrey de Bohun, the 5th Earl of Essex and 6th Earl of Hereford, owned the Moat. The site could have served as a hunting lodge or Enfield Chase Head Forester's quarters.
In an earlier excavation in the 1880s, archaeologists claimed to have discovered a dungeon with a chain to the wall; drawbridge timbers turned ebony black, and glazed tiles adorned knights on horseback.
This led to the conclusion that the Moat must have served as a defensive headquarters or a detention centre for individuals. Some also say the Moat was a damping site.
In 1923, Sir Phillip Albert Gustave David Sassoon carried out another excavation. He claimed to have discovered the drawbridge's one-foot square oak beams, a forty-foot-long stone wall, and evidence of an old manor house.
There hasn't been any other excavation to substantiate the claims from earlier archaeologists. However, Historic England resolved to work with Enfield Council to restore Camelot Moat from 1997.
During the desilting process, workers discovered some fragments of the drawbridge and remnants of a pegged tenon joint. They dated the latest discoveries to 1337, pointing to the origins of the Moat.
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