Earliest Reference to Arthur’s O’on: Nennius (c.830)

My MA Dissertation topic is Arthur’s O’on, a Roman building that once stood on the banks of the River Carron in Scotland, north of Falkirk. The building was destroyed in 1742/3, but was until that time considered one of the greatest ancient monuments of Britain. Here is the first historical source we have of the structure.

Nennius (c.830)
The Historia Brittonum, the original of which dates to the early ninth century, is commonly—though probably erroneously—ascribed to the Welsh monk Nennius. Written in Latin, this work is found in a variety of medieval manuscript copies, five of which claim Nennius as the author; these are collectively known as the “Nennian rescension” (Thornton 2004). The earliest is the foliated Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, manuscript 139, dated by James (1912:317) to the late twelfth century.  Here, in a gloss written by a second hand in the left margin, is the earliest known reference to Arthur’s O’on. The following transcription and translation are my own.

Caritus postea imperator reedificavit et vii. castellis munivit inter utraque ostra. domumque rotundam politis lapidibus super ripam fluminus carun quod a suo nomine nomen accepit fornicem in victoriae memoriam erigens construxit. (CCCC MS 139 f. 169 v)

After [attaining] the purple, Carausius rebuilt and fortified seven fortresses. And he built a round house out of smooth stones upon the River Carron, which [i.e. the river] has received its name from his own name, erecting a vault to the memory of [his?] victory.

Also written, above “victoriae” and by a third hand, is the word “triumphalem.” With this addition, it becomes more appropriate to understand the passage as describing two built structures: the round house (“domum rotundam”) and a triumphal arch (“fornicem triumphalem”). Both this reading and that provided above are possible from the original gloss. While the monument is not named in this account, there can be no doubt that the round house described here is Arthur’s O’on.

Check back for other sources and dissertation fragments.

Works Cited
Corpus Christi College Cambridge Manuscript 139. <http://parkerweb.stanford.edu/parker/actions/manuscript_description_long_display.do?ms_no=139> Accessed 20 Aug 2009.

James, M.R. (1912) A Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of Corpus Christi College Cambridge, Vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Thornton, D.E. (2004) Nennius (fl. c.770-c.810), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press. <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19892> Accessed 20 Jul 2009.

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