Caer Gwinntguic

A very early fifth century British kingdom, Caer Gwinntguic evolved from the pre-Roman territory of the Belgae tribe. Centred on the Roman town of Venta Belgarum, the kingdom was tasked with defending the westernmost section of the Saxon Shore. In the face of increasing barbarian raids, laeti from North Germany, most likely Saxons, were settled along the south coast. Meonware Jutes also settled along the coast, potentially threatening the kingdom’s southern borders, but peaceful relations appear to have been quickly established. Of greater concern was Aelle and the Suth Seaxe who had landed on the south coast in 477.

From its very beginnings, Caer Gwinntguic was on a defensive footing, likely due to the collapse of Rhegin to the southeast, the expansion of the Suth Seaxe and the emerging West Seaxe kingdom under Cerdic. In the mid-fifth century, there was a widespread laeti revolt, triggered by a plague that swept across southern Britain and a vicious power struggle within the British administration. However, it seems that many of the laeti of Caer Gwinntguic remained loyal and fought alongside their Romano-British neighbours right up until the kingdom’s dying days in the late sixth century. As a result, the archaeology of Caer Gwinntguic reveals a blend of cultures and people, perhaps best illustrated by the kingdom’s name itself; ‘Gwinntguic’ is likely a Saxon corruption of a Celtic name which was later adopted by the British.

In 508, the Saxon and Romano-British warriors of Caer Gwinntguic were led by a chief by the name of Natanlaod to meet the West Seaxe in battle somewhere near Southampton Water. Cerdic’s West Seaxe took victory and, as a result, Caer Gwinntguic was completely isolated from the south coast it was supposed to protect. Fifty years later, the kingdom fell to the West Seaxe, leaving its northern neighbour, Caer Celemion, exposed and vulnerable. The city of Venta Belgarum was not fully abandoned, however, and it is likely that a small number of surviving Saxon laeti and Romano-Britons eked out a living in the ruins. Perhaps because it was not fully abandoned, Venta Belgarum would later be revived as Wintanceastre, the capital of Wessex.