Five broadcasts on the transition from Roman Britain to Saxon England
3—The Historical Arthur
C. A. Ralegh Radford formerly Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Wales and Director of the British School at Rome
John Morris
Lecturer in History.
University College. London
C. L. Matthews amateur archaeologist
Was there really a King Arthur? The legend of a King and h:s knights first appears in the twelfth ctntury. The name Arthur '— commander of a British army, who defeated the Saxons at Badon-goes back to an eighth-century chronicle, but the events he is concerned with took place between A.D. 450 and 500. How much do subsequent writers really know about Arthur; what foundation has the legend; and how does it fit into the stormy history of the late fifth century?
Speakers in this programme discuss the British resistance to Saxon invaders in the late fifth century and evidence (archaeological and literary) for the existence of a leader called Arthur.