• General Notes

  [MARSHALL.FTW]
  
  SOURCE NOTES:
  Ashe, Geoffrey, Kings and Queens of Early Britain, Chicago: Academy Chicago
  Publishers, 1990.  Morristown Library 941.01092ASHE.
  
  Baldwin, Stuart, King Cole, posting to GEN-MEDIEVAL, Apr 28 1997,
  sbald@@auburn.campus.mci.net.
  
  Moncreiffe, Sir Ian of that Ilk, Royal Highness: Ancestors of the Royal Child.
  London: Hamish Hamilton, 1982.  NYPL ARF 83-3293.
  RESEARCH NOTES:
  ancient British King Caelius Votepacus in North when Romans left Britain
  c410 [Ref: Moncreiffe p10]
  
  In story by Geoffrey of Monmonth: King Asclepiodotus reigned in peace for some
  years, then was overthrown by Coel, Duke of Colchester, who assumed the crown.
  Constantius comes to Britain and agrees to a treaty confirming Coel as a
  tributary soverign.  Helena is Coel's beautiful daughter, whom he has groomed
  for government.  He dies soon after signing the treaty and Constantius marries
  her, becoming King of Britain.  Old King Cole is said to have been buried in
  the monastic graveyard at Glastonbury.  [Ref: Ashe 1990 p58]
  
  Wherever Geoffrey found him, he respresents somebody's attempt to explain the
  name 'Colchester.'  It means in reality 'the Roman station on the Colne.'
  'Clun' in Shropshire is a variant of the same river-name, which was originally
  'Colun.'  That is as far as etymology goes.  Certainly the name is British,
  not Anglo-Saxon.  But to admit Old King Cole we would have to suppose that the
  river was called after a person, or else that a person was called after the
  river, and there is no reason to suppse either.  Coel, therefore, is
  phantasmal, and it is not likely that the Helena whom Constantius married was
  his daughter.  [Ref: Ashe 1990 p58]
  
  There is a legendary King Cole, Coel Hen, who, if he existed at all (and there
  is considerable doubt about that), would have lived in the fifth century.
  Genealogical manuscripts of the eleventh century and later make this Coel Hen
  the great-great-grandfather of several individuals who lived during the late
  sixth century.  The earliest manuscript genealogy of Coel Hen, in Harleian
  MS.3859 (an eleventh century manuscript containing material which was probably
  written in the mid-tenth century) gives Coel ("Coil Hen" or "Coyl Hen") sons
  named Ceneu, Garbaniaun, and Gurgust, and gives the first few generatios of
  his ancestry as "... Coyl Hen (map) Guotepauc map Tecmant map Teuhant map
  Tulpiol map Vrban map Grat map ..." etc, where "amp" is the old Welsh word for
  "son" (later shortened to "ap").  The "map" in parenthesis is not in the
  manuscript, but it is generally felt, from omparison with later manuscripts
  which have the same genealogy, that the word was accidently left out.)  There
  is no good reason to believe that any of these names are those of historical
  individuals. [Ref: Stuart Baldwin 4/28/97]
  SOURCE NOTES:
  date: living 410 [Ref: Moncreiffe p10]

Details of Coel Hen's family