Cambria

Cambria is a name for Wales, and it is the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, Cymru. This name was not used during the Roman period or early medieval times because Wales, as we know it today, had not yet formed.

After the Anglo-Saxon settlement of much of Britain, a difference grew between the new Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the remaining Celtic British areas. Writers in the past often used the word Britannia or Wallia to talk about Wales. The name Cambria first appeared in the writings of Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century as another way to refer to Wales. It was not commonly used until much later in the Middle Ages.

Etymology

The Welsh name Cymru (meaning Wales) and Cymry (meaning Welsh people) were once thought to come from old stories about people named Gomer or groups like the Cimbri. But really, these words come from an old language called Brittonic, from a word meaning "fellow-countrymen." This means something like "Land of the Compatriots."

The word Cymry started being used after the Romans left Britain, to talk about people who spoke the Brittonic language and lived in areas that are now Wales, Cornwall, Northern England, and Southern Scotland. Writers in Wales used the word Cymry for their people for many years, but another word, Brythoniaid, was also used. Later, Cymry became the main way to talk about the Welsh people. The Latin name Cambria came later in the Middle Ages and might have been created by a writer named Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Cambria in legend

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth in his book Historia Regum Britanniae, a story tells of a man named Brutus who had three sons. After arriving in Britain, Brutus divided his land among his sons. His eldest son, Locrinus, took the land between the Humber and Severn rivers and named it Loegria, which later became most of England. His youngest son, Albanactus, received the lands beyond the Humber, naming them Albany, which later became Scotland. The second son, Camber, was given the land beyond the Severn, which was called Cambria — the early name for what we now know as Wales. His general, Corineus, kept Cornwall, named after him.

People long believed this story to be true from the 1100s to the 1500s, even though it does not match real history.

Legacy

The name Cambria is still used today in several places. For example, it is part of the name of the Cambrian Line, a railway route, and the Cambrian Way, a long walking path. In the study of Earth’s history, scientists use the word “Cambrian” to describe a time long ago, between around 539 million and 488.3 million years back. A scientist named Adam Sedgwick gave this name after looking at rocks in Wales.

You might also hear the name Cambria in other places, like a college in north east Wales called Coleg Cambria, or in the famous Welsh song “Men of Harlech”. The name also appears in an old play by Shakespeare titled Cymbeline. Additionally, there is a type of flower called Cambria orchids, which are special mixtures of different orchid kinds.