by Ian · Published · Updated
Pendragon Castle is associated with an Arthurian legend. It is said that Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon tried to re-route the river Eden to create a moat for the castle.
The ruin dates to the 1100’s and was built by Hugh de Morville one of the knights who killed Thomas of Cantebury, so is out of the time scale for King Arthur.
The legend may have its source in a real attempt to re route the Eden or it may be romance.
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Pendragon
Uther was known as the Red Dragon and there are also tales of him being seen riding wildly from Mallerstang across Orton scar towards Penrith (meaning Red Hill) apparently to save his kingdom from attack.
Re: Pendragon Castle
Sadly, Pendragon Castle was known as Mallerstang Castle until 1309. In that same year, the owner sent his copy of Arthurian tales to the author of the German Lanzelot, so we know he was a fan.
There are websites that say that Pendragon Castle (building started in 1173) is built on the site of an earlier fortification, but I’m afraid that’s not true. The sum total of the physical evidence linking it roughly to the ‘right’ period for Uther is a single Roman coin.
The only evidence I can find to put Uther in Cumbria is that the Death Song of Uthyr Pen was written by Taliesin. Taliesin was Urien of Rheged’s bard, although he was writing several decades after Uther would have lived. Perhaps Taliesin knew that Uther was Cumbrian, but Taliesin also worked in Wales, so maybe even that’s a hope too far.
Shame, really 🙁
The ghost story, as far as I know, was first recorded in 1901. I doesn’t ‘feel’ like an old one.
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