The Dobunni: The Tribe of Witches
As part of the scene-setting for Another Life, Oliver visits a small printing press in the Cotswolds. He is attracted to book on display, bearing the title ‘An Illustrated Account of the Old Religion, its Beliefs and Practices, by a Believer’. The owners of the press relate how they were visited by a stranger who offered his book, describing a covert belief system, rooted in the local area and based on practices and rituals dating back to pre-history.
Since time immemorial, the area has been border country, in the space between England and Wales and home to the Celtic Dobunni tribe. The Dobunni, together with the Cornovii to the north, controlled all of the area adjacent to what was to become Wales, at the time of the Roman invasion of Britain.
The Romans were not interested in Britannia Secunda, as they called Wales, but they wanted to maintain control over it and at the same time to spread Christianity. It is said that the Dobunni were known as the ‘tribe of witches’. Nonsense, or so you’d think, but you have to remember that, although there were frequent uprisings of the Celtic tribes against the Romans, on the whole, it was better to co-exist and to go along with local practices, including religion. So, you have a mixture of pagan beliefs, completely undocumented, and later conversion to Christianity overlapping. It was natural that elements of a merger, or assimilation, of aspects of each other’s religion, would occur. As the press owner says, ‘It’s like a little Bermuda Triangle here’.
This chapter introduces a mysterious book, a hidden location, where local practices persist and hints of witchcraft. What is the present-day connection? Find out, in ‘Another Life’, a sad, yet uplifting tale, described as ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ for the 21st Century’. Published by Burton Mayers
Image copyright: Cotswold District Council.
8 Comments
I also have Dobunni as well as Silurian. I am 92% Welsh and 8% Cornish/ Brittany. I have never lived anywhere but Wales and I live under a mile from where my 10 times great grandfather was killed at the battle of Saint Fagans. His name was Sir Marmaduke Lloyd his father Lord Thomas Lloyd ( First ever governor of Pennsylvania). He was a good friend to William Penn and with the Quakers bought land and traded fairly with the Native Americans. The Lloyds of Dolobran are related to the Princes of Wales (the real Welsh ones).
Thank you for your message. I have been pleasantly surprised by the interest in this post, as well as my novel, Another Life. The good thing about sharing information is that you often learn something new. I looked up the Lloyds of Dolobran, whom I had not heard of before. I assume that the real Princes of Wales you refer to include Llywelyn Ap Gruffudd. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you again for your interest.
Hi Mr Knight I appreciate the information I’m doing a deeper dive on my blood and I’m heavy on the Dobunni Celt bloodline like both parents. Type heavy. I’ve enjoyed learning about my many talents.
Hello Tiffany. Thank you for your comment. I’m pleased you found the post interesting.
I’ve recently found out in descended from the Celtic dobbuni. I know very little, so thank you for this. I guess my research starts now, although I have no idea where to start. I live in Anglesey. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your interest in my website post on the Dobunni.
Much of my research was done online, with additional material from Ronald Hutton’s book on Pagan Britain.
You may find parts of my book, Another Life, whet your appetite, if you have not already purchased it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Another-Life-Owen-W-Knight/dp/191621262X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
I would have bought this book, had it not been unavailable at the time: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Tribe-of-Witches-Paperback/p/26564
Here are a couple of articles that my help get you started
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
https://web.archive.org/web/20050209172755/http://www.gadarg.org.uk/essays/e004.htm
I hope this helps. Thanks again for your interest.
Hello Owen,
It is a pleasure to meet you.
I was going through some of my ‘many’ pieces of paper and I found something that I had written down years ago about the Dobunni tribe: I had written Founder of the Dobuni, Glowi- Caer Glou Cirencester. Then I go on to write about the slaughter of the Britons by the Saxons at Stonehenge. As you can see my name is Dobbyn and I really want to go to a Dobby Festival one of these days.
I live in California but I was born in London ‘During the Great Blitz’ at the end of the Battle of Britain. My father was Irish and in the RAF. I am fascinated by history and DNA. I am 54% Irish, 37% Scandinavian from Olaf the King of Dublin and my father’s family lived, since ‘Reginald’,
in Waterford. I hope to move back to England at the end of this year.
P.S. I am going to order your book on Amazon here. . . makes it easier.
Great to have found you, Monica
Hello Monica
Thank you for your message. It sounds as though you have a long and interesting family history.
I discovered the Dobunni while researching background material for my novel, Another Life. My original concept was to set it in a ‘hidden’ part of England where conventional rules do not apply. A place where long-held practices would persist, away from the gaze of modern society. I was aware that the Romans, while assimilating pagan tribes into Christianity, would allow their converts to retain elements of their native beliefs.
While Another Life contains elements of fantasy and speculation, I would argue that nothing in the book could be proved to be other than factual. Without revealing spoilers, this becomes evident after a dramatic event three-quarters of the way through the novel.
I am delighted to hear that you intend to buy a copy and hope you enjoy it. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Good luck with your move back to the UK.
Best wishes.
Owen