A medieval studies expert claims to have made a discovery that could prove King Arthur was more than a myth.
Dr Alan Seymour-Lewis has found Dark Age scrolls which seem to link the legendary king to the Isles of Scilly, said to be all that remains of the lost land of Lyonesse.
Dr Seymour-Lewis, 51, is in charge of a restoration project at Britain’s oldest chapel, the 6th century St Peter’s-on-the-Wall in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex.
He claims his team have discovered a sealed lead box containing early Saxon manuscripts behind a 1300-year-old oak panel.
When carbon dated, they are expected to date from the 8th or 9th century.
The ancient vellum scrolls, though in remarkable condition, are all but indecipherable, said Dr Seymour-Lewis, one of the UK?s leading medieval scholars.
They seem to be a family history of a Saxon noble called Bothwin, a Thane (servant) of King Cynewulf.
The Saxon Chronicles claim Cynewulf was killed in battle by Cyneard in 784, dating the manuscripts to the mid 8th century at the earliest.
In one possible reference to King Arthur, an Eanbald, an ancestor of Bothwin, died in a battle in West Wales (Cornwall) against the army of King Athor of Scylia (perhaps Scilly) in the year 629.
There is a legend that King Arthur reigned in Lyonesse, a large island off Lands End which was submerged in the sea.
The reference accords with the history of the period, in which the Romano Britons were in retreat from the invading Saxons, finally settling in the South West and Wales.
Although the document is not contemporary with King Arthur, it is the only find to date that indicates he did exist. And it places him at the time and in the part of the country that would be expected.
Professor Seymour-Lewis said: ‘We are very excited by this find. There is a lot of work to be done yet, but I am confident that we will be able to add significantly to our knowledge of Dark Age Britain.
‘But I don’t think we will learn much about Camelot!?