Coel Hen: a Cymric hero (Trust, the Old)

Synonyms: Coelius, Coel Odebog
Cym: Trust, the Old

Coel Hen is known from the Genealogies of the kings of North Britain, where he is presented as the paterfamilias of all the dynasties of the 'Old North'. The Jesus College MS 20 genealogy 5, Enweu Meibion [Gliws] (The Names of the Sons of Glywys [Glywysing]) gives Coel Hen's descent as: Coyl hen m godebavc m tecwant m Eweint m tepvyll m Vrban m Grad m Kvnedyl m Kudeern m Tegant m Kyndeern weldic m elud m eudos m eudolen m auallach m aphlech m Beli mavr vab anna val y mae vchot. An alternate, but parallel genealogy is given in Achau Brenhinoedd a Thywysogion Cymru as: Koel Godebawg m Tegvan m Deheuwaint n Tyddbwyll m Vrban m Gradd m Riuedel m Ryderyn m Endigant m Enderyn m Eneid m Endos m Enddolev m Avallach m Aflech m Beli Mawr. Though Coel is known as Coel Godebawg (the Magnificent) in this genealogies, other of the northern genealogies also name Coel as Coel Hen Godebawg and the similarities between the two genealogies inidcate that it is Coel Hen who is intended in both. Indeed, removing those names which are obvious duplicates, such as Aflach and Afallach it is possible to derive a consensus genealogy:

Coel Hen mab Tegfan mab Eweint mab Telpwyll mab Vrban mab Gradd mab Rhifedol mab Rhydeyryn m Tegant m Cynderyn Wledig mab Elud mab Euddolen mab Afallach mab Beli Mawr. Though most of these name are Brythonic in origin, some, such as Gradd Gratian and Vrban Urbanos are obviously Roman in origin and Rhydeyrn may be a corrupt name coming from the Cymric components Rhufeinwr (Roman) and Teyrn (Ruler) thus Rhydeyrn is simply a discription of a Roman ruler. This makes Coel's descent, if accurate, very interesting in that it indicates both Roman and Brythonic antecedents. Of course, by the time it reaches the very earliest supposed antecedents of the lineage, the descent is entirely corrupt, containing the names of two deities Afallach and Beli Mawr.

The association of Coel Hen with almost all the northern dynasties would seem to make it likely that he was a real person, alive in the late fourth century. This dating and his particular association with the 'Old North' has led to the widespread suggestion that he may well have been the last of the Roman Duces Brittanniarum with his headquarters being in Ebrauc (York). Only one Dux existed at a time and they were selected as military leaders with direct responisbility (as granted from the Governor of Brittania) for defending the coast from barbarian raids. Though the dux disappear from the official record (the Notitia Dignitatum) circa 400 CE it is presumed that Coel assumed this title for himself. From both the folk tales about him and the extent of the genealogies claiming descent from him it is safe to assume that his power encompassed a great swathe of northern Britain. Indeed, in Cymric tradition he is held as the High King of northern Britain. Assuming that his northern descendants governed the same kingdoms that he ruled by himself, then his kingdom lay between York in the west to the Cumbrian coast in the west, from the Pennines in the south to at least Hadrian's wall in the north and may have extended in some parts to the Antonine Wall. Certainly later tales give him a hand in the formation and structuring the realm of the Gododdin in the region north of modern Edinburgh.

One of the few historical references to Coel comes from the works of the mediaeval historians: Boece, Fordun, Wyntoun and Bowyer who tell us that the first king of the Scotti to arrive on mainland Britain was Fergus, king of the Dalriada (Ulster) to settle around Argyle. Fearing that the immigrant Scotti and the native Picts would form an alliance against the native Brython, Coel sent raiding parties northwards in an attempt at stealing the cattle of the Scotti. This was done and Coel (Coilus in the annals) blamed the Picts for the theft. As a result there was war betweeen the Scotti and the Picti. However, Fergus discovered the true culprits and made a treaty with the Picts. Instead of fighting each other the combined armies of the Scotti and the Picts and began to attack Ystradclud (Strathclyd, a Brythonic kingdom). Declaring all-out war Coel moved north and managed to turn the tide of war and the attackers fled back into the hills of the Scottish lowlands. Coel eventually set-up camp in what is now Ayrshire. For a long time, the British forces successfully held their ground, while the Scots and Picts suffered and starved. Unfortunately, this desperate state forced the enemy to advance in a last-ditch attack on Coel's stronghold. Coel and his forces were taken by surprise, overrun and scattered. Tradition states that Coel wandered through unknown countryside until he was eventually trapped in a bog at Coilsfield (in Tarbolton, Ayrshire) and drowned. Coel's body was first buried in a traditional mound at Coilsfield before being removed to the church at Coylton (which bore his name). After his death Coel's northern kingdom was divided between his sons, with Ceneu gaining the kingdoms of north-eastern and midland Britain (with his seat at Ebrauc) and Borbanian funding the dynasty that ruled over Bernaccia (Bryneich). This being the first step in the fragmentation of northern Britain into multiple petty kingdoms. Of course, the tale of Coel's death is recorded by Anglo-Saxon chroniclers and may be an attempt as showing the foolishness of the ancestor of almost all the Brythonic kingdoms. Though it may contain a fragment of true history; certainly the alliance between the Scotti and the Picts and their attack on the Brython does ring historically true. We may never know for certain.

Coel's name is derived from the Brythonic for 'Trust', though the modern Cymric usage is 'belief' and his epithet 'the old' is one used for sub-Roman rulers of the north (and it seems to be an epithet that is also applied to certain of his descendants).

Coel may also be the archetype for the English nursery rhyme:

Old King Cole was a merry old soul
         And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl
         And he called for his fiddlers three.

Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
         And a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh there's none so rare, as can compare
         With King Cole and his fiddlers three.

Though this linkage of the English Cole to the Cymric Coel Hen is by no means completely certain. Indeed, in his Historia Regum Britannia Geoffrey of Monmouthe describes two further figures who could have been the archetypes for the Coel of the nursery rhyme. The first of these is Coel ap Mor (son of the Great) who would have lived in the second century CE and, according to Geoffrey at least was considered to be the maternal grandfather of our next Coel character, Coel Godhebog's wife, Strada. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth Coel Godhebog (the Magnificent) was the dux of Camulodunum (Colchester). He is said to have lived in the third century CE and his daughter, St Helena of Colchester married the Roman emperor, Constantius Chlorus and they may have been the ancestors of Magnus Maximus, which is why Colchester was named the Fortress of Coel. The link between Colchester's Coel and the King Coel of the nursery rhyme is somehwat strengthened by the presence of a Roman quarry known as 'King Cole's Kitchen' within the confines of Colchester itself. However, the name Colchester cannot be based on a Brythonic original as this would have been Caer Goel which in Anglo-Saxon would have degenerated to something like Kargill. Whatever the origin of the English nursery rhyme, Coel Hen was a real person, ruler of Northern Britain after the Roman exodus and supposed founder of most of the Brythonic and Cymric kingdoms. Indeed, even the house of Gwynedd claimed descent from Coel Hen on the distaff side.

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