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| Britain |
| Dig unearths round table evidence at Windsor Castle |
| 2006-08-28 |
| Evidence of a building linked to the myth of King Arthur and the knights of the round table has been found at Windsor Castle. The circular structure was built by Edward III in the 14th century to house the round table intended to seat the original 300 Knights of the Garter. Archaeological proof of the building was uncovered by members of Channel 4's Time Team in the castle's quadrangle. Although the stones have been removed, rubble in-fill where they were originally located remained in place. The show's presenter, Tony Robinson, said the discovery could help settle years of debate among historians over the existence of the building. "The round table building is one of our most significant ever archaeological finds. It is something that helped to establish Arthurian legends of the knights of the round table. "We set out to uncover the walls of the building, and they are just where we hoped. Experts have speculated about the structure for centuries, but they have never been able to find the actual building." It was one of several remarkable finds made by archaeologists given unprecedented access to three Royal residences. At Buckingham Palace, finds ranged from a small piece of pre-Roman flint to a gold earring or piece of necklace, possibly from the Victorian era. Experts also found a stoneware beer mug probably thrown away by workmen landscaping the gardens in about 1700. At Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official Scottish residence, a 17th or 18th century seal, probably used to stamp wax on documents, was uncovered. The digs were allowed to go after months of negotiations with representatives of the Royal family. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said all the findings will be catalogued and the survey results will be added to the Royal archive at Windsor. |
| Posted by:Threatch Unons6270 |
| #14 Oh-oh, Another group with Queen Elizabeth at the head.... Lyndon LaRouche must be salivating .... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2006-08-28 16:29 |
| #13 The origin of the symbol of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, a blue 'garter' with the motto Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense will probably never be known for certain as the earliest records of the order were destroyed by fire, however the story goes that at a Ball possibly held at Calais, Joan Countess of Salisbury dropped her garter and King Edward seeing her embarrassment picked it up and bound it about his own leg saying in French, Evil, (or shamed) be he that that thinks evil of it' this is almost certainly a later fiction. This fable appears to have originated in France and was, perhaps, invented to try and bring discredit on the Order. There is a natural unwillingness to believe that the World's foremost Order of Chivalry had so frivolous a beginning. It is thought more likely that as the garter was a small strap used as a device to attach pieces of armour, it might have been thought appropriate to use the garter as a symbol of binding together in common brotherhood. |
| Posted by: john 2006-08-28 16:24 |
| #12 Knights of this order are of the very highest rank amongst "Sirs" The Oldest and Highest British Order of Chivalry, founded in 1348 by Edward III. The Order consists of Her Majesty The Queen who is Sovereign of the Order, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and 24 Knights Companions. Royal Knights HM Queen Elizabeth HRH The Duke of Edinburgh 1947 HRH The Prince of Wales 1958 HRH The Duke of Kent 1985 HRH The Princess Royal 1994 The Duke of Gloucester 1997 Extra Knights and Ladies HRH The Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg 1972 HM Queen Margrethe of Denmark 1979 HM King Carl Gustaf of Sweden 1983 HM King Juan Carlos of Spain 1988 HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands 1983 The Emperor of Japan 1998 HM King Harald of Norway 2001 HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy 2003 Knight and Lady Companions The Duke of Grafton 1976 The Lord Richardson of Duntisbourne 1983 The Lord Carrington 1985 The Duke of Wellington 1990 Field Marshal the Lord Bramall 1990 Sir Edward Heath 1992 The Viscount Ridley 1992 The Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover 1992 The Rt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen 1994 The Lord Kingsdown 1994 The Lord Ashburton 1994 The Baroness Thatcher 1995 Sir Edmund Hillary 1995 Sir Timothy Colman 1996 The Duke of Abercorn 1999 Sir William Gladstone, Bt 1999 Field Marshal The Lord Inge 2001 Sir Antony Acland 2001 The Duke of Westminster 2003 The Right Honourable Lord Butler of Brockwell 2003 The Right Honourable Lord Morris of Aberavon 2003 The Right Honourable The Lady Soames 2005 The Right Honourable Sir John Major 2005 The Lord Bingham of Cornhill 2005 |
| Posted by: john 2006-08-28 16:21 |
| #11 Apparently Channel 4's Time Team (sounds like superhero wannabes to me) are much like statisticians. They can manipulate the data to reflect whatever strikes their fancy. |
| Posted by: Vickerina 2006-08-28 15:37 |
| #10 Edward III's Knights of the Garter in the High Middle Ages are not the same as the Dark Ages' King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. That the former may well have been copied after the legends of the latter has nothing to do the results of this dig. When will reporters learn to think! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-08-28 14:34 |
| #9 300 knights at 2' per knight is a diameter of 191'. Mark me sceptical. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-08-28 14:31 |
| #8 Severe assertion/evidence mismatch. 14th Century is 800-900 years too late for Arthur, and Windsor Castle is nowhere near the right location. |
| Posted by: Fleart Whavise4312 2006-08-28 14:16 |
| #7 Aha ! Verification for Knights of the Roundtable ! Yeah, but it's Baldric. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2006-08-28 05:22 |
| #6 We're Knights of the Round Table, We dance when ere we're able, We do routines and chorus scenes With footwork impeccable. We dine well here in Camelot, We eat ham and jam and spam a lot. We're Knights of the Round Table, Our show are formidable, But many times, we're given rhymes That are quite unsingable. We're Opera mad in Camelot, We sing from the diaphragm a looooooot. In war we're tough and able, Quite indefatigable, Between our quests we sequin vests, And impersonate Clark Gable. It's a busy life in Camelot, I have to push the pram a lot. [/MP] |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-28 04:38 |
| #5 As Zen and .com have pointed out - it's The Order of the Garter that's gotta go - and damned quick. .com's line actually, and I do believe both he and I intend that only to refer to how we fight the war on terrorism, not general life. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-28 03:15 |
| #4 As Zen and .com have pointed out - it's The Order of the Garter that's gotta go - and damned quick. |
| Posted by: Threatch Unons6270 2006-08-28 01:38 |
| #3 "Beer mug" - is there anything in history it wasn't a part of!? Is there anything that Homer Simpson's beloved donuts can't do? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2006-08-28 01:28 |
| #2 Well, England's in trouble and only Arthur can unite the country. our legend's better than you legend, nutjob. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2006-08-28 01:27 |
| #1 Aha ! Verification for Knights of the Roundtable ! |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-08-28 01:05 |