Andy & List:
The ancestors of the CADDELL & Variations were primarily of Celtic
origin. The Celtic people were first identified by early authors as
being in western and northern Europe. Authors Hecataeus of Miletus and
Herodotus (5th century BC) spoke of Celts in connection with the
Danube. Antiquity represents the Celts as tall and blonde, being two
distinct races in ancient Gaul, the area from what is now known as
Germany to Italy westward including France and Spain, occupying
Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul. Some anthropologists place the
ancestral home of the Celts about 1,000 years before Christ to be in
northern Gaul and central Europe to the Stepps of Russia. As early as
the 9th century BC, some crossed the Channel and settled in what is now
Ireland and later in the 6th century BC in Scotland. In 390 BC they
sacked Rome. About 300 BC they entered Gaul. Their fame rapidly spread
and were feared by the Greeks and Romans alike. For many years the
Celtic peril kept Europe in terror.
Cymri, a branch of the Celtic family, appears to have succeeded the
Gaels in the migration of the Celts westward, and drove the Gaelic
branch to the west (into Ireland and the Isle of Man) and to the north
(into the highlands of Scotland), while they themselves occupied the
southern parts of Britain. During 400 - 500 AD, they were themselves
driven out of the lowlands of Britain by the invasion of German tribes
and compelled to take refuge in the mountainous regions of Wales,
Cornwall and the northwest of Britain. Wales is considered to
be the chief seat of the Cymri.
Once driven into Wales, Ireland and Scotland, then came the Romans.
They tried to dominate the Celts, but after over 500 years of attempted
occupation, they abandoned Britain and went back to Rome.
Cunedda founded the Brythonic branch of its Celtic dynasty in WALES. He
reportedly came from Votadini Manaw Gododdin, (Edinburgh) with eight
sons and a grandson, in about 390 AD, ancestor of Maelgwn Fawr of the
Gwynedd Dynasty in Wales and an ancestor of the CADELL, Princes of
Wales. They were known as the "Men of the Old North." The lands of
Scotland at that time were Strathclyde (Centre was Dunbarton Rock i.e.
Dun Breatann in the River Clyde) last ruled by Owen-The-Bald, Rheged
(Centre was Carlisle) under the rule of Urien in 577 and Votadini
(Centre was Edinburgh) under the rule of King Mwynfawr Mynyddog'in 595.
Votadini came to an end in 638, when Edinburgh was captured by King Oswy
of Northumbria. Rheged was absorbed by Strathclyde and became the only
Brythonic Kingdom remaining in the "Old North". It was absorbed in
1018 AD by the Kingdom of Dalriada (centre was Dunadd, Argyllshire) of
the Scots.
The Angles of Angleland came to the province of Britain (later named
England) from Europe at the invitation of the Romans. In the 3rd
century, the Romans used allies from barbarian tribes to defend its
frontiers in Britain. Later they affected settlements through invasion
of the lands of the Picts in northern Britania. The Angles received
subsidies and land grants from the Romans. They were assisted by the
Saxons who came from the Weser and Elbe rivers area and the Jutes from
northern Schleswig-Jutland peninsula of the Continent.
To the south was Cumbrian Welsh from the Clyde to Solway. The Norsemen
came from Scandinavia, the Gaels from Antrim (Northern Ireland), the
Britons from Strath Clyde, the Angles from Northumbria and the Normans,
Flemmings and Franks from the Continent. The Normans first began to
settle in Britain during the 12th century.
The Picts were ancient Celtic inhabitants of the Isles and were made up
of all the northern tribes of Britain. By the 6th century the Picts
were organized into at least two kingdoms north of the Firth of Fourth,
the Piccardach (Southern Picts) and Cruithne (Northern Picts). The
Northern Picts (including a mixture of the Scots, Angles, Britons and
Vikings) were ancestors of the Highlanders. They were converted to
Christianity due to the efforts of Saint Ninian (4th century) and Saint
Columba (6th century) from Antrim. Bt the 7th century, their kingdoms
was divided into seven provinces, two of which was the Ancient Provinces
of Moray and Orkney (I have not been able to identify the other five).
Each Provence was governed by a "king", the "High King" being Brude
mac
Maelchon, to whom all other Provincial Kings were answerable. Their
matrilineal system of inheritance caused succession problems and the
kingdoms declined giving way to a form of Clan system.
In 118 AD Roman Emperor Hadrian had a wall built between the Tyne and
the Solway to separate themselves from the Picts. The wall as it existed
was just below what is now the border between Scotland and England. In
603 the Picts were defeated by the Angles of Northumbria, and settled
the southern half of the Pictish kingdom. In 685 the Picts retook
control of their lands. Meanwhile, Brude held the Scots of the
kingdom of Dalriada (Argyll)in check. They reached the peak of their
power under Angus, who ascended over the Scots in 740.
The Northumbria scholar and historian, Beds, wrote in his book "The
Ecclesiastical History of the English People," referring to Scotland,
identified four distinct peoples in the area - the Picts, Scots, Angles
and Britons. From these four peoples and invaders from Scandinavia
(Vikings) came the kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland during the 8th
century.
Scots from Ireland settled in Wales. It is assumed that during this
time Scots from Antrim in Northern Ireland in about 500 AD were also
settling in Scotland - Argyll, forming the kingdom of Dalriada. It is
from these Scots that the country received the name Scotland, the
original Scotland (Scotia) being Ireland. The Scots of Argyll, kingdom
of Dalriada, and Antrim in Northern Ireland were both ruled by King
Domangart ap Fergus ap Erc. They continued conflict with the Picts and
Angles of Northumbria. However, western Scotland came under control of
Kenneth MacAlpin, who became king of the Scots in 843 AD and soon
claimed "High Kingship" of all the provinces, forming the kingdom of
Alba, which became Scotland. Prior to the union of Pictland and
Dalriada, the Vikings began their attacks on the northern coasts of
Scotland and Ireland. Vikings married into the local races and
established clans, such as the MacLeods and the Morrisons. Kenneth
MacAlpin united the Scots and Picts and ruled until his death in 858 AD,
when he was succeeded by his brother, Donald.
Richard CADDELL "The Black" founded the CADDELLs of Galway in Connaught,
Ireland. Irish records showed CADDELL, CADDLE, CADELL, and CADAL
corresponded to the Irish name Cathal, a family thought to have
originated in Wales. Richard CADDELL came to Ireland during the 12th
Century and settled in Dublin, Meath and Galway. Members of the family,
CADDELL's of Galway subsequently assumed the name of Blake from their
ancestor Richard CADDELL "The Black". It was reported that CADDELL
accompanied Prince John in 1185 into the kingdom and granted CADDELL
large tracts of land in Connaught. CADDELL's descendent and namesake
was commanded in 1303 as sheriff of Connaught to levy a debt due to the
Crown by David de Burgo, according to the King James Irish Army records,
volume 2, page 268. In 1304, Phillip Brown married Lily, daughter of
Walter Blake, eldest son of Richard Blake (alias) CADDLE, sheriff of
Connaught. Also, in 1640 a John Blake (alias) CADDELL presented a
petition to the commissioners of the transplantation of the Connaught
wherein: "...he (CADDELL) and his ancestors were by lineal descent of 11
generations of provable by many ancient and authentic documents were
seized of their inheritance of the castle and two saw mills of
Kiltorragh and a Moiety of land thereto belonging and of two quarters
and a half in Slew Clare, etc. and that the petitioner and his ancestors
did plant thereabout being an ancient English family and there continued
without change of language, manners of habit and without once matching
with any Irish family since the 9th year of Edward II and that said
premises have been ever English land exempt from Irish jurisdiction, or
extraction as free as any within the Plae same having been purchased
from Thomas Hobridge by the petitioner's ancestor Richard CADDELL called
'The Black.'
Bill Caddell