Coel Hen “Old King Coel” [6468] ²⁴

   Cause of his death was drowned.

   Another name for Coel was Coel "Hen" "the Old" Godebog of Pennines, Britain.

  General Notes:

http://www.hull.ac.uk/php/cssbct/cgi-bin/gedlkup.php/n=royal?royal07084

http://www.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy/ps10/ps10_092.htm

COEL HEN'S
ANCESTRY
http://www.britannia.com/history/ebk/gene/coelanc.html
The ancestry of Coel Hen (the Old) is given in the pedigree of the Kings of Bryneich in the Harleian MS.3859 as:

Beli Beli Mawr (the Great)

Aballac Afallach

Eudelen Euddolen/Eudos/Eifudd, possible duplicate generations
Eudos
Ebiud

Outigern Eudeyrn/Euddigan, duplicate generations
Oudecant

Ritigirn Rhydeyrn

Iumetel Rhifedel

Grat Gratian

Urban Urban

Telpuil Telpwyll

Teuhant Deheuwaint/Tegfan or Tasciovanus, duplicate generations
Tecmant

Coyl Hen Guotepauc Coel Hen (the Old)

It is similarly recorded in the pedigree of the Kings of South Rheged in the Achau Brenhinoedd a Thywysogion Cymru as:

Beli Mawr Beli Mawr (the Great)

Aflech Afallach, duplicate generations
Avallach

Enddolev Euddolen/Eudos/Eifudd, possible duplicate generations
Endos
Eneid

Endeyrn Eudeyrn/Euddigan, duplicate generations
Endigant

Rydeyrn Rhydeyrn

Rriuedel Rhifedel

Gradd Gratian

Vrban Urban

Tyddbwyll Telpwyll

Deheuwaint Deheuwaint/Tegfan or Tasciovanus, duplicate generations
Tegvan

Koel Godebawg Coel Hen (the Old)

Coel's father is thus shown to have born the native Celtic name of Tegfan. In Latin, this becomes Tasciovanus, a name known to have been in use in Britain during pre-Roman times, at least amongst the Catuvellauni tribe. Telpwyll is an otherwise unknown name, probably Celtic, but the extended ancestry have distinctly Roman names (Urban and Gratian), before descending into corrupt mythology. Coel Hen evidently had a mixed racial background. He spawned a widespread Northern dynasty <http://www.britannia.com/bios/ebk/gene/coel.html>.



Coel Hen or Coel "the Old" is known to most of us through the famous 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.
Now every fiddler had a fine fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he.
Tweedle dum, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers three,
Tweedledum-dee, dum-de-dee, dum-de-dee.

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 harpers three.
Every harper had a fine harp,
And a very fine harp had he.
Twang-a-twang, twang-a-twang, went the harpers three,
Twang-a-twang, twang, twang-a-twang-a-twee.

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 drummers three.
Every drummer had a fine drum,
And a very fine drum had he.
Rub-a-dub, rub-a-dub, went the drummers three,
Rub-a-dub, dub, rub-a-dub-a-dee.


He may have been the last of the Roman Duces Brittanniarum with his
headquarters at York. He imposed his power over a great swathe of the country,
and can be considered the first King in Northern Britain.
This Coel should not be confused with the legendary Coel Godhebog "the
Magnificent", Lord of Colchester, whose daughter, St.Helen, supposedly married
the Emperor Constantius Chlorus two centuries earlier.

There is an old story told in the north about Coel's last campaign. What is now Scotland was originally inhabited by the Pictish race. It was during Coel's time that immigrant Irishmen from the Scotti tribe began to settle the Western coast around Argyle. Coel, fearing that the two peoples would unite against the British, sent raiding parties across his northern border to stir up discord between them. The plan, however, backfired for the Picts and the Scots were not taken in. Coel merely succeeded in pushing the two even closer together, and they began to attack the British Kingdom of Strathclyde. Coel declared all out war and moved north to expel the invaders. The Picts and Scots fled to the hills ahead of Coel's army, who eventually set up camp at what became Coylton alongside the Water of Coyle (Ayrshire). For a long time, the British were triumphant, while the Scots and Picts starved. Desperate for some relief, however, the enemy advanced an all-or-nothing attack on Coel's stronghold. Coel and his men were taken by surprise, overrun and scattered to the winds. It is said that Coel wandered the unknown countryside until he eventually got caught in a bog at Coilsfield (in Tarbolton, Ayrshire) and drowned. Coel was first buried in a mound there before being removed to the church at Coylton. The year was about AD 420. After his death, Coel's Northern Kingdom was divided between two of his sons

<http://www.britannia.com/bios/ebk/coelhnt.html>


http://www.britannia.com/history/ebk/gene/coelanc.html


http://www.gencircles.com/users/nannyelc/2/data/24306


Individual:


Coel Hen, King of Northern Britain (c.350-c.420) (Welsh: Coel; Latin: Coelius; English: Cole) Coel Hen or Coel the Old is known to most of us through the famous 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. He is also a familiar figure in ancient Welsh genealogies, for most of the Celtic British monarchies claimed descent from him in one form or another. He appears to have lived around the turn from the 4th to the 5th century, the time when the Roman officials returned to Italy, leaving Britain and her people to fend for themselves. Coel's particular association with the north of Britain has led to the suggestion that he may actually have been the last of the Roman Duces Brittanniarum with his headquarters at York. He certainly imposed his power over a great swathe of the country, and can be considered the first King in Northern Britain. (This Coel should not be confused with the legendary Coel Godhebog "the Magnificent", Lord of Colchester, whose daughter, St. Helen, supposedly married the Emperor Constantius Chlorus two centuries earlier.) There is an old story told in the north about Coel's last campaign. What is now Scotland was originally inhabited by the Pictish race. It was during Coel's time that immigrant Irishmen from the Scotti tribe began to settle the Western coast around Argyle. Coel, fearing that the two peoples would unite against the British, sent raiding parties across his northern border to stir up discord between them. The plan, however, backfired for the Picts and the Scots were not taken in. Coel merely succeeded in pushing the two even closer together, and they began to attack the British Kingdom of Strathclyde. Coel declared all out war and moved north to expel the invaders. The Picts and Scots fled to the hills ahead of Coel's army, who eventually set up camp at what became Coylton alongside the Water of Coyle (Ayrshire). For a long time, the British were triumphant, while the Scots and Picts starved. Desperate for some relief, however, the enemy advanced an all-or-nothing attack on Coel's stronghold. Coel and his men were taken by surprise, overrun and scattered to the winds. It is said that Coel wandered the unknown countryside until he eventually got caught in a bog at Coilsfield (in Tarbolton, Ayrshire) and drowned. Coel was first buried in a mound there before being removed to the church at Coylton. The year was about AD 420. After his death, Coel's Northern Kingdom was divided between two of his sons, Ceneu and Gorbanian. From www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/coelhnt.html ___________________
From P L Kessler , The History Files, Home Publishing 1999-2002 at http ://homepages.tesco.net/~plk33/plk33/HistoryFiles.htm CELTIC BRITAIN THE KINGS OF NORTHERN BRITAIN* Map of Britain *Sometimes known as the Kingdom of Kyle. COEL HEN is a familiar figure in many ancient Welsh genealogies. Most of the Celtic British kings of the north of Britain could trace their descent from him in one form or another, as could many Welsh kings. In the short time after his life that Central and Northern Britain remained free of the invading Angles, between the start of the fifth century and mid-sixth century, all of the kingdoms that were established were by his sons or grandsons. Although the evidence is typically patchy, he appears to have lived from around 350 - 420, during the time when the last Roman officials returned to the heart of the faltering empire, leaving Britain and her people to fend for themselves. Coel's particular association with the north of Britain has led to the well-founded suggestion that he was the last of the Roman Duces Brittanniarum (Dukes of the Britons). Only one existed at any time. They were selected as generals of the army with direct authority from the governor of Britannia to defend the coast from the increasing barbarian raids). The Roman dux disappear from the Notitia Dignitatum in about 400 and it is not unnatural to presume that Coel took his place. He seems to have made his headquarters at Britain's northern capital of Eburacum (York), and he certainly imposed his power over a great swathe of the country. Coel Hen can be considered by tradition to be the first king in, and of, Northern Britain, as seems to have overseen the transition from direct Roman rule to an independent Britain which took care of its own defence. In the Celtic tradition, because of his dominance, he is known fully as the High King of Northern Britain* (as opposed to other major kings of his generation, such as Cunedda Wledig, who was King of North Wales - later Gwynedd, or Antonius Donatus Gregorius (Anwn), who was King of South Wales - Demetia). From his headquarters Coel Hen governed the territory between Eburacum and Hadrian's Wall (which formed the later British kingdoms of Ebrauc, Deywr, and Bernaccia), and west to cover the area of Rheged, (later North Rheged, South Rheged, Dunoting, Elmet, Caer-Guendoleu, and a kingdom which, to deduce its name from the later Saxon Pecset, was probably called the Kingdom of the Peak). According to later claims, he also had a hand in structuring the Goutoddin in the eastern territory between the Walls after the departure of Cunedda Wledig. As a result of the many kingdoms which were inherited by his immediate descendants, Coel became the founding ancestor of what came to be known as The Men of the North (Gwy^r y Gogledd). These were the Britons of the surviving kingdoms who were fighting the advancing Angles in the 6th and 7th centuries. They were drawn from the kingdoms of Goutoddin and Rheged, from Strathclyde and various minor principalities, and together they upheld the tradition of battling Celtic warriors, feasting together before riding out with the warband to do battle with the enemy. Their stubborn resistance was dealt a fatal blow at Catreath (Catterick) in around 600, and these events (detailed in The Mabinogion) cemented the reputation of The Men of the North in their glorious, but ultimately futile, efforts of resistance to the Teutonic invaders. Most people today will have heard of Coel Hen (or "King Coel" - with "Hen" the Brito-Welsh word for "old"), even if they don't realise it. He is immortalised in verse: 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 The legends of the Northern British were preserved by Rhodri Mawr, when he became King of Gwynedd. One of those legends concerned Coel Hen's last campaign. It was during Coel's time as High King that immigrant Irishmen from the Scotti tribe of Dalriata (in the region of Ulster) began to settle the western coast of Pictland, around Argyle. Coel, fearing that the two peoples would unite against the British, sent raiding parties across his northern border to stir up discord between them. The plan backfired as the Picts and the Scots were not taken in. Coel merely succeeded in pushing the two even closer together, and they began to attack the British Kingdom of Strathclyde. Coel declared all out war and moved north to expel the invaders. The Picts and Scots fled to the hills ahead of Coel's army, who eventually set up camp at what became Coylton alongside the Water of Coyle (Ayrshire). For a long time, the British were victorious, while the Scots and Picts starved. Desperate for some relief, the enemy advanced in a last-ditch attack on Coel's stronghold. Coel and his men were taken by surprise, overrun and scattered to the winds. It is said that Coel wandered the unknown countryside until he eventually got caught in a bog at Coilsfield (in Tarbolton, Ayrshire) and drowned. Coel was first buried in a mound there before being removed to the church at Coylton. The year was circa AD 420. After his death, Coel's Northern Kingdom was divided between two of his sons: Ceneu (St) assumed control of the kingdoms of the North & Midland Britain, remaining based at Ebrauc. Gorbanian founded the dynasty that ruled over the Kingdom of Bernaccia (Bryneich), which was later taken over by the Angles, who pronounced it Bernicia. Because of Coel's, and his son's, apparently continued use of Eburacum as a base of operations and also as the traditional Roman capital of North Britain, it makes sense to list the Kings of North Britain alongside the Kings of Ebrauc (as the evolving Brito-Welsh langmacge dubbed it). There were only three of the former, with the next in line ruling only half the land of his father, as the rest of it had been inherited by his brother. The subsequent divisions of the Kingdom of Northern Britain are described in the next feature. ____________________
From David Nash For, Early British Kingdoms: Kingdoms 2000 at www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/k ingdoms/north.html: The Early British Kings of what is now Northern England, descend from one of two dynasties commonly known as the Gwyr-y-Gogledd, a Welsh phrase meaning the "Men of the North". They were a P-Celtic people, like the Cymri, who retained their independence from Saxon oppression for a number of centuries, in the relative remote Northern regions of Britain. Welsh tradition holds that they all had a common ancestor in Old King Cole of nursery rhyme fame. He appears in ancient records as Coel Hen (the Old) and his name seems to ultimately derive from the Roman, Coellius. This fits in well with the time period in which it has been calculated that he lived: right at the end of the Roman administration (very late 4th century). Considering the regions over which Coel's supposed descendants ruled, his own sphere of influence must have covered a vast area from Hadrian's Wall to the Southern Pennines. In fact, the exact area that would have been governed at this time by the Dux Britanniarum, a Roman official in charge of the military defence of Northern Britain. With his headquarters at York, he would have been in an ideal position to extend some semblance of Roman-type authority into the 5th century, long after the army and administration had returned to Italy. Traditional Celtic law insists upon the division of land amongst sons upon the death of the landowner and this sitmaction can certainly be traced amongst the kingdoms which emerged from Coel's domain. However, whether these men were really sons and grandsons of this powerful dux or merely early founders, attached to the great man by later generations is unknown. According to tradition and early records, the North thus split into many different kingdoms. Ebrauc or British York was centred on that city. Bryneich became the later Saxon kingdom of Bernicia. There were little known kingdoms in the Pennines and the oft-quoted Elmet, around Leeds, whose name is retained today in places like Sherburn-in-Elmet. Others moved further south to establish Calchfynedd. Most powerful was perhaps the kingdom of Rheged, later divided into North and South. Its Kings, such as Urien and Owein, were long celebrated in Welsh poetry and, in medieval times, found their way into the Arthurian tradition. The area they ruled is still called Cumbria today, a name meaning 'Land of the Welsh'. By the mid-7th century, however, the local Germanic settlers had completely overrun the North. Internal squabbles had weakened the British position in the region and the relatively few Saxons warriors were easily able to take advantage of the sitmaction. eventually only Rheged was left and a dynastic marriage brought this too into the English fold.

Coel married Ystrafael ferch Cadfan [59908] [MRIN: 2336], daughter of Cadfan ap Cynan King of Dumnonia [59909] and Unknown. (Ystrafael ferch Cadfan [59908] was born in Dumonia (now Cornwall), Britain.)