"A Little south of Wythburn the high road crosses over into Westmorland. Beside it at the top of the pass is a great heap of stones known as Dunmail Raise, with its own little tradition of something that happened on this boundary 1000 years ago .Here, it is thought, the battle took place in which the Saxon king Edmund defeated Dunmail, the last king of Cumbria, whose territory was then handed over to King Malcom of Scotland."

[3] There is mention of the defeat of Cumberland in the chronicles. King Dunmail however is not cited as the loser.

"Part 3: A.D. 920 - 1014"

"A.D. 945. This year King Edmund overran all Cumberland; and let it all to Malcolm king of the Scots, on the condition that he became his ally, both by sea and land. "

I have limited faith in the historical accuracy of this book but it devotes more space to Dunmail than any other document I have found. The book is available in discount bookshops on the SENATE label for less than 2 pounds (ISBN 1-85958-177-3). The book was originally published byWilliam Tegg &Co in 1876. Definitely worth a read.

(ISBN 0-7607-0243-8) First Published in 1973

'Anglo Saxon England' by Sir frank Stenton provides a different viewpoint on the Legend of King Dunmail. It follows both the legend and other texts up until the defeat of Dunmail in 945AD. It quotes both the Anglo Saxon Chronicals and the Cambrian annals as evidence that the battle occurred in 945 and that Cumberland and Strathclyde, with respect to the lands of Dunmail, were one and the same place. Although it seems to be widely accepted that Dunmails two sons were blinded after the battle, Stenton suggests that Dunmail was not killed at the battle. Edmunds conquest of Cumberland was stated as being overambitious and that Dunmail re-took his Lands some years after.

I have not yet devoted adequate time to 'Anglo Saxon England' and as such it is unfair to dismiss anything in Stentons work as being incorrect. There is however some remarkable information given about Dunmail in the period after he retook Cumberland. It is stated that Dunmails son Malcom came to Cumberland (to rule?) whilst he was away in Rome in 975 AD. Was this one of his blinded sons? Was this the same Malcom that Edmund gave control of Cumberland to in 945? How old was Dunmail when he was defeated in 945?

(ISBN 019282237-3)

"Norse Olaf in Northumbria ousted in 944 AD supported by Dunmail king of Strathclyde"

" The king of Alba, Malcolm I , saw chances of profit in his neighbors misfortune. He entered into an aliance with Edmund, the terms of which put him in possession of Strathclyde, but within a few years Dunmail regained his throne"

ISBN 058608248-4

On the quest to define the geography of the Legend I found the following paragraph . I hope the Geography is better than the history!

"Grisedale Tarn : Grid ref. 348120, altitude 1769 ft, depth 34m........To the West between Seat Sandal and Dollywagon Pike, is the valley of Raise Beck which falls to Dunmail Raise and provides the shortest approach to the tarn. Up the steep path was borne the crown of the defeated Dunmail, killed or captured by the Romans. His crown is said to have been cast into the steely waters of the tarn."

ISBN 1-873551-05-03

"This ancient boundary between the old counties of Cumberland and Westmorland last saw battle in AD945, when the Norse King Dunmail lost out to the Anglo-Saxon King Edmund of Northumbria. It is said by some that the pile of stones at the top of the raise marks Dunmail's grave, while others believe he fled Eastwards and died in Rome, years later. However, I digress.....!"

Dunmail Raise was the scene of a bloody battle for control of the lands of Cumbria. The battle took place against King Dunmail, the last King of Cumbria, against the united forces of Malcolm, the King of Scotland and Edmund, a Saxon King. Dunmail was defeated and slain and his sons were mutilated, his men were made to build a stone cairn over the spot where he fell.

Traditionally King Dunmail's golden crown was supposed to have been thrown into Grisdale Tarn and has never been recovered. This is unlikely as the crown would have been valuable war plunder.

The road which runs nearby is thought to have been an ancient routeway used far back into the Stone Age.

Dunmail Raise is formed by a massive cairn or hill of stones high in the mountains on the borders between the old counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. The site is reputedly the grave of the last King of independent Cumbria, Dunmail, slain in battle by Edmund, King of the Saxons and Malcolm King of Scots, who united against him in 945AD.

Legend Of King Dunmail

Dunmail Raise marked the boundary between Cumberland and Westmorland, the name coming from a heap of stones which in folklore marks the burial place of the last King of Cumberland, King Dunmail or, as sometimes spelt, Domhnall. In 945, King Edmund, who ruled almost undisputed over the remainder of England, joined forces with King Malcolm of Scotland in order to defeat the last bastion of Celtic resistance in his kingdom. In his last battle, King Dunmail was killed by Edmund himself. His body was carried away by faithful warriors, and buried under a great pile of stones.
King Edmund is reputed to have captured Dunmail's two sons and had their eyes put out. The Crown of King Dunmail was thrown into Grisedale Tarn on the Helvellyn range. Legend has it that the crown was enchanted, giving its wearer a magic right to the Kingdom, thus it was important to prevent it from falling into Saxon hands. On victory, Edmund gave Cumberland to King Malcolm of Scotland, and it was only when Canute came to the throne that Cumberland came back under English rule in exchange, 87 years later, for Lothian.

Amid the territorial chaos following Viking invasion and rule, there were battles among warring 'kings'. One famous site is at the top of Dunmail Raise on the main road north of Grasmere. This was the scene of a bloody battle in 945 AD for control of Cumbria between King Dunmail, the last King of Cumbria, against the united forces of Malcolm, the King of Scotland and Edmund, a Saxon King. Dunmail was defeated and slain there according to some accounts, while Cumbria was given to the Scots.

In 945 Dunmail [aka Donald], "the last king of rocky Cumbria," fell out with his Overlord, Edmund the Magnificent, King of the English, who at once fell upon Cumbria, laid the whole of it waste, and handed it over to Malcolm, King of Scotland, on condition that he would be his ally by land and sea. Tradition says that the decisive battle between the English and the Britons of Cumbria took place at Dunmail Raise, and that King Dunmail fell there. Other accounts say that he escaped, and died peaceably at Rome, some years later.

To briefly review these events, which are of great political importance in the general history of this country: King Dunmail was, by virtue of the Commendation of 924, vassal to King Edmund. He revolted against his Overlord, who took his kingdom from him and granted it, in 945, to Malcolm I, King of Scotland, as a feudal benefice in the strictest sense. Cumbria thus became a fief of the Crown of England, but not a fief held within the kingdom of England; it was without that kingdom, and had always been so.