Ann Cole’s 2010 thesis The place-name evidence for a routeway network in early medieval England uses placenames to identify routes in use in the early medieval period. She states four terms, port, hȳth, stæth and stǫth, refer to landing places, see figs. 1 and 2.
It was proposed that one of Arthur’s battles was at Chesil beach, see Arthur’s tenth battle, and another, that of Camlan, occurred at the Cams in Hampshire, see The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and Arthur’s death, both coastal locations. The former location is near Portland while the latter in close to Portchester. Could these have been locations of early landing sites for the Saxons?
Cole informs us port has three possible meanings:
- From Latin portus, a ‘harbour’.
- OE meaning ‘town, market town, market’, ultimately from Latin portus.
- From OFr porte ‘a gate’
Its use in the first sense was infrequent in early medieval sources for important havens along the south coast and Bristol channel. She states probable examples, going from east to west, are Portslade, Portsmouth, Portland, Portlemouth, Porlock and Portishead. All six examples have expanse of sheltered coastal water with links into the road system of which four are Roman. The ASC makes reference to Portsmouth, Portland, Porlock and Avonmouth near Portishead. They were known to seafarers and experienced raids. Cole asserts the term portus was adopted by Saxon pirates before the end of Roman rule. It is, therefore, likely that although Bieda and Mægla were historical figures Port, there supposed father, was not.