Celtic Britons

The Britons, also known as Celtic Britons or ancient Britons, were the Celtic people who lived in Great Britain from at least the British Iron Age until the High Middle Ages. They spoke a language called Common Brittonic, which is the ancestor of modern Brittonic languages. Ancient Britain had many tribes and kingdoms, often linked to strong forts called hillforts. They followed an ancient Celtic religion led by leaders known as druids.

The earliest written records about the Britons come from Greco-Roman writers during the Iron Age. Some southern groups had close ties with Europe, especially Gaul and Belgica, and even made their own coins. In the 1st century AD, the Roman Empire took control of most of Britain, creating a region called the province of Britannia. Although the Romans reached northern Britain, tribes such as the Caledonians and Picts were never defeated, and Hadrian's Wall marked the edge of the Roman empire.

After the Romans left Britain in the 5th century, new groups such as the Anglo-Saxons began settling in eastern and southern parts of the island. This led to big changes in culture and language for the Britons. Many moved to places like Brittany in France, the Channel Islands, and even parts of Spain. By the 11th century, the Brittonic-speaking people had divided into distinct groups, including the Welsh in Wales, the Cornish in Cornwall, and the Bretons in Brittany.

Name

Main article: Britain (placename)

The word "Britons" describes people who spoke special languages called Brittonic. They lived in Britain from very old times, called the Iron Age, up until the middle ages.

A Greek explorer named Pytheas wrote about the people of the British Isles between 330 and 320 BC. The Greeks called them Pretanoí or Bretanoí. The island was also called Albion. The name may have come from people called the Gauls.

Over time, the name for these people changed. In old Welsh, they were called Brython. Later, they were known as Welsh, Cornish, and Bretons. The words "British" and "Briton" came to mean all people living in the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Language

See also: British Latin

The Britons spoke a language called Common Brittonic. This language was used across Britain, in places we now call England, Wales, and Scotland, as well as the Isle of Man. Over time, the language changed into different forms. One form became the Welsh language in Wales. Another became Cornish in South West England and Breton in Brittany. Today, Welsh and Breton are still spoken. Cornish stopped being used regularly, but people are now learning it again.

Tribal groups

Celtic Britain had many areas ruled by Brittonic tribes. These tribes lived across the whole island of Great Britain, at least as far north as the Clyde–Forth isthmus. The area even farther north was mostly home to the Picts. We don't know much about the Pictish language, but some place names and names from old Irish annals show it was related to the Common Brittonic language. The Picts were also called Cruithne in their Goidelic (Gaelic) language.

Here is a list of the main Brittonic tribes, shown in both Latin and Brittonic names, along with their main towns during Roman times.

Art

The La Tène style, which includes British Celtic art, came to Britain a little later than other places. But after 300 BC, the ancient British shared many traditions with Celtic people nearby. The most famous time for what is called the "Insular La Tène" style, mostly seen in metalwork, was just before and after the Romans came.

The carnyx, a special trumpet with an animal-headed bell, was used by Celtic Britons during war and ceremonies.

History

Origins

There are different ideas about when Celtic people and their languages first came to Britain. One old idea is that Celtic culture started in central Europe and reached Britain around the first millennium BC. A newer idea suggests that Celtic languages developed as a trade language along the coast of Europe before spreading eastward. Another idea says Celtic started in Gaul and spread to Britain during the same time.

In 2021, a big study found that people moved into southern Britain during the Bronze Age, between 1,300 BC and 800 BC. These people were most similar to people from ancient France. By around 875 BC, their genetic markers spread through southern Britain. This change likely happened through contact between Britain and Europe over many years, like trade and small family groups moving. This might have helped spread early Celtic languages into Britain. There wasn’t much migration during the Iron Age, so Celtic languages probably reached Britain before that time.

Roman conquest

In 43 AD, the Roman Empire invaded Britain. The British tribes fought against the Romans for many years, but by 84, the Romans had taken over most of southern Britain and moved into areas that would become northern England and southern Scotland. In 122, the Romans built Hadrian’s Wall along what is now Northern England. Later, they built the Antonine Wall in Scotland but pulled back to Hadrian’s Wall after 20 years. Although the Britons south of Hadrian’s Wall kept their land, they were ruled by Roman leaders. The Britons north of the wall stayed independent. The Roman Empire left Britain around 410.

Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain

About 50 years after the Romans left, Germanic-speaking Anglo-Saxons started moving to the southeast coast of Britain and set up their own kingdoms. At the same time, Irish-speaking Scots moved from Northern Ireland to the west coast of Scotland and the Isle of Man. The Britons moved to places now called Brittany and the Channel Islands, where they set up small kingdoms. Another group of Britons set up a colony called Britonia in northwestern Spain.

Many old Brittonic kingdoms slowly disappeared after invasions by Anglo-Saxons and Gaelic Scots. Areas like East Anglia, East Midlands, North East England, Argyll, and South East England were among the first to fall. The kingdom of Ceint, or modern Kent, fell in 456 AD. Other kingdoms also fell to the Anglo-Saxons over the next centuries. The Gaels from Ireland took over areas in the northwest.

Yr Hen Ogledd (the Old North)

Some Brittonic kingdoms managed to resist these invasions. Rheged, covering parts of modern Northumberland, County Durham, and southern Scotland, lasted until the 8th century. The kingdom of Gododdin, with its court in modern Edinburgh, lasted until around 775.

The Kingdom of Cait, covering modern Caithness, Sutherland, Orkney, and Shetland, was taken over by Gaelic Scots in 871. Dumnonia, in modern Cornwall, Devonshire, and the Isles of Scilly, was partly taken by the Anglo-Saxons in the mid-9th century. The Channel Islands, settled by Britons in the 5th century, were attacked by Norse and Danish Vikings and were taken over by the end of that century.

The Kingdom of Ce disappeared soon after 900. Fortriu, a large kingdom covering Strathearn, Morayshire, and Easter Ross, fell to the Gaelic Kingdom of Alba around 950.

Wales, Cornwall and Brittany

The Britons kept control of Wales and Kernow (Cornwall, parts of Devon, and the Isles of Scilly) until the mid-11th century when Cornwall was taken over by the English. Wales stayed free from Anglo-Saxon, Gaelic Scots, and Viking control and was divided into several Brittonic kingdoms.

By the early 12th century, Anglo-Saxons and Gaels became the main cultural force in most of the former Brittonic areas of Britain. The language and culture of the Britons remained only in Wales, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, and Brittany. Cornwall was mostly taken over by England by the 1050s to early 1100s. Wales and Brittany stayed independent for a long time.

Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, and the Isles of Scilly still keep a distinct Brittonic culture, identity, and language today. Welsh and Breton languages are still widely spoken, and Cornish has seen a revival since the 20th century.

Eastern England

Eastern England was home to Brythonic tribes like the Iceni, Corieltauvi, and Catuvellauni. The common view is that the Britons of Eastern England were taken over by Anglo-Saxons in the first 200 years of invasion, from 450-600 AD.

There is evidence that Britons still lived in Eastern England. Stories from later years mention Britons living in the area. Place names in the region sometimes have roots from the Britons.

Northern Iberia

In the late 5th and early 6th centuries AD, a colony called Britonia was set up in northern Galicia. The British settlers first appeared at the First Council of Lugo in 569. Though the exact location and how long Brythonic culture and language lasted in the region isn’t known, several place names in Galicia and Asturias have roots like bret- or brit-.

Genetics

Further information: Celts § Genetics

See also: Bell Beaker culture § Genetics, Urnfield culture § Genetics, Hallstatt culture § Genetics, La Tène culture § Genetics, Gauls § Genetics, and Celtiberians § Genetics

Scientists studied the remains of ancient Britons from the Iron Age, around 100 BC. They found that these people shared genetic traits common in Northwest Europe. These early Britons were different from later groups who came from places like Denmark and the Netherlands.

More studies looked at people from between 210 BC and the 4th century AD. These studies showed that the Britons from Roman times were closely related to people from the Iron Age and to modern Celts in the British Isles, especially the Welsh. They were also different from the Anglo-Saxons who arrived later, showing that these new settlers changed the genetic makeup of the area.