Standing in a wayside grotto about half a mile from the picturesque village of St Cleer is a 9th century stone memorial to Dynarth, the last king to rule an independent Cornwall.

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Dynarth's death by drowning in 875 ad is recorded thus in the Annals Cambriae,

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'Dynarth, that was the king of the West Welsh, was drowned'

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The Anglo Saxons were wont to refer to any non-Saxon peoples as Weallas or foreigners.

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Little is known about Dynarth but it has been suggested that his death by drowning was not accidental but was a punishment for forming an alliance with the Danes.

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There is not much written history about Cornwall during this period but it is well known that the marauding Danes were posing a particular problem for the young Saxon king, Alfred.

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The Cornish had previously allied themselves with the Danes in 835 ad when they were defeated at Hingston Down by Alfred's grandfather, Egbert so there was certainly a precedent for a Cornish/Danish alliance.......more

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