Elmet

Elmet is an area in the northern English traditional West Riding of Yorkshire, northern England. In the early Middle Ages, between the 5th and 7th centuries, Elmet was an independent Celtic kingdom that is counted for Hen Ogledd. It extended from the valley of York to the watershed of the Pennines, with the rivers Sheaf there were the approximate boundaries in the south and the east Wharfe. In the north Elmet bordered on the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Deira and on the south by the Anglo-Saxon Mercia also. In the West Elmets there was also the Celtic area Craven, receive on behalf of today's Craven District, which seems to have been a smaller British Kingdom.

Elmet was 616 conquered by King Edwin of Deira, meanwhile, and in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that later became Northumbria, incorporated.

Except for historical documents, the only remains of this kingdom are now only to be found in earth banks, which defended, and in place names, such as Barwick -in- Elmet and Sherburn -in- Elmet. A 1983 erected constituency in the county of West Yorkshire also bore the name Elmet (now Elmet and Rothwell ).

History

After the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain in the 5th century, a number of independent British dominions were founded. To the north of Britain the kingdoms Rheged, Strathclyde, Ebrauc, Bryneich, Gododdin and Elmet emerged. How Elmet formed is not clear. It is possible that it developed from an area within a larger kingdom, which had been ruled by the semi-legendary king Coel Hen. On the other hand, it is possible that the area of Elmet had a significantly different tribal identity in pre-Roman times, which came to light after the departure of the Romans again.

Little about the actual story Elmets before the conquest by the Anglo-Saxons are known. Elmet seems to have maintained relationships with other British Dominions. So a grave inscription that read Aliotus Elemtiacos hic IACET was in Gwynedd in Wales ( Here is Aliotus of the Elmetern ) found. In various sources Welsh kings of Elmet be mentioned. A song Taliesin is dedicated towards the end of the second half of the 6th century, Gwallog ap Llaennog, King of Elmet. The original capital Elmets seems to have been in a place Campodonum, perhaps identical with the modern Doncaster. The main town but was later, after Campodonum had been destroyed, moved to Loides (Leeds ), which is reported that there had been in the " forest of Elmet ' ( silva Elmete ) found.

Towards the end of the 6th century Elmet came under increasing pressure from the expanding Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Deira and Mercia. 590, there was an alliance of various British kingdoms to suppress the rapidly expanding northerly Kingdom of fishing, Bernicia. In the course of this campaign Gwallog ap Llaennog was killed. The alliance of the northern Britons fell apart after the murder of King Uriens of Rheged and the resulting feud. From the evolving union of the kingdoms of Deira and Bernicia to the rulers of Northumbria Elmets seem to have drawn the conclusion to build ramparts still visible as an additional line of defense north and west of Barwick -in- Elmet.

616 attacked the troops Deira in Elmet one, conquered the kingdom and expelled the last king Ceredig ap Gwallog. The occasion for this conquest seems either to lie in the fact that a living in Elmet exiled nobleman had been poisoned from Deira called Hereric there, or the fact that Elmet exiles and opponents so Edwin had given shelter. It is possible the other hand, that the conquest Elmets was part of a large-scale campaign Edwin, as this could subdue most areas in England this year.

After the conquest by the Anglo-Saxons Elmet was completely in Northumbria, the inhabitants were the Elmetsæte. As such, they appear in a document commonly dated to the second half of the 7th century, the so-called tribal Hidage. The Tribal Hidage is a list of named areas and territories whose size is specified by the number of their hooves. The Elmetsæte only appear as relatively small unit with a total of 600 Hides in this document.

The survival of the British population is the reason for the frequent number of place names that go back to Celtic roots, where as the place names are most notably Eccles and Wal- name with the elements. It is believed that the inhabitants Elmets have called himself Loides what returns can be found in many place names, for example Ledston, Ledsham, and of course Leathley Leeds.