Caer (; or kair) is a Welsh placenames in Welsh language meaning "stronghold", "fortress", or "citadel",[Carlisle, Nicholas. Topographical Dictionary of the Dominion of Wales, "Glossary", p. xxx. W. Bulmer & Co. (London), 1811.] roughly equivalent to an Old English suffix ( -ceaster) now variously written as , , and .[Allen, Grant. "Casters and Chesters" in The Cornhill Magazine, Vol. XLV, pp. 419 ff. Smith, Elder, & Co. (London), 1882.]
In modern Welsh orthography, caer is usually written as a prefix, although it was formerly—particularly in Latin—written as a separate word. The Breton language equivalent is kêr, which is present in many Breton placenames as the prefix Ker-.
Etymology
The term is thought to have derived from the Brittonic *
kagro- and to be cognate with
cae ("field, enclosed piece of land").
[ Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, vol. 1, p. 384.] Although stone
were largely introduced to
Wales by the invading Normans, "caer" was and remains used to describe the settlements around some of them as well. An example is the
Segontium at
Caernarfon, formerly known in Welsh as
Caer Seiont from its position on the
Afon Seiont; the later Edwardian castle and its community were distinguished as
Caer yn Arfon ("fort in Arfon", the latter being a district name (
Cantref Arfon) from "ar Fôn", "(land) opposite Môn or
Anglesey").
However, the modern names of the Roman fort and Edwardian castle themselves are now
Segontiwm or
Castell Caernarfon, while the communities carry on the name
caer.
Note that the term is not believed to be related to the Irish language cathair ("city"), which is instead derived from Proto-Celtic * katrixs, * catarax ("fortification").
Britain
Gildas's account of the Saxon invasions of Britain claimed that there were 28 fortified Roman cities () on the island, without listing them. The
History of the Britons traditionally attributed to
Nennius includes a list of the 28, all of which are called "caer".
["JTK". "Civitas" in Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 451. ABC-CLIO (Sta. Barbara), 2006.] Controversy exists over whether this list includes only Roman cities or a mixture of Roman cities and non-Roman settlements.
[Breeze, Andrew. "Historia Brittonum" and Britain's Twenty-Eight Cities at Journal of Literary Onomastics . 2016.] Some of the place names that have been proposed include:
Wales
The element
caer, sometimes anglicized as
car, is found in several place-names in Wales such as:
-
Caerau, Glamorgan ("Forts")
-
Caereinion, Montgomeryshire ("Fort on the Einion")
-
Caerfallwch, Flintshire ("Afallach's fort")
-
Caerfarchell, Pembrokeshire ("Marchell's fort")
-
Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire ( Caerfyrddin, "Merlin's fort").
-
Caergeiliog, Anglesey ("Fort of the cockrell")
-
Caergwrle, Flintshire ("Fort of the crane-wood")
-
Caerleon, Glamorgan ( Caerllion, "Fort Legion")
-
Caernarfon, Caernarfonsire ("Fort Cantref Arfon")
-
Caerphilly, Glamorgan ( Caerffili, "Fort Saint Ffili")
-
Caerrhun, Caernarfonshire ("Fort of Rhun")
-
Caersws, Montgomeryshire ("Susan's (Shoshana's) fort")
-
Caerwent, Monmouthshire ("Fort Venta Silurum")
-
Cardiff, Glamorgan ( Caerdydd, "Fort River Taff")
-
Carew, Pembrokeshire
-
Gaerwen, Anglesey ( Caerwen, "white fort")
-
Holyhead, Anglesey ( Caergybi, "Fort Saint Cybi")
England
The Cumbric language was spoken in Northern England until the Medieval era in which the element
caer ("fort") was used in naming places.
It also appears in Cornish place-names as
Ker-.
-
Caer Mote, Cumberland ( Caermollt, "Fort of the wether")
-
Cardew, Cumberland ( Caerdu, "Black fort")
-
Cardunneth, Cumberland ( Caerdunawd, "Dünǭd's fort")
-
Cardurnock, Cumberland ( Caerdwrnog, "Fort of the fist-sized stones")
-
Cargo, Cumberland ( Caergoll, "Fort of hazel")
-
Carhullan, Westmorland ("Fort of Holland")
-
Carrick, Northumberland ( Caerwig, "vicus fort")
-
Carlatton, Cumberland ("Fort of the leek enclosure")
-
Carlisle, Cumberland ( Caerliwelydd, "Fort Luguwalion")
-
Carmolt, Cumberland ( Caermollt, "Fort of the wether")
-
Carrycoats, Northumberland ( Caerycoed, "Fort of the wood")
-
Carvoran, Northumberland ( Caerferin, "Fort of the Morini")
-
Kerrier, Cornwall
[A. D. Mills, A Dictionary of British Place Names (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), s.v.]
Caer is also found in Welsh exonyms for English cities.
Scotland
Cumbric and
Pictish were Brittonic languages spoken in Scotland until around the 12th century, and
caer ("fort") was a place-naming element in both languages.
-
Caerketton, Midlothian ("Fort of Catel")
-
Caerlanrig, Roxburghshire ( Caerllanerch; "Fort Clearing")
-
Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire ("Fort of Llywarch")
-
Carcluie Loch, Ayrshire ("Fort of Clewein")
-
Carden, Fife. Formerly Cardenni
-
Cardonald, Renfrewshire ("Duμnwal's fort")
-
Carleith, Dunbartonshire
-
Carmichael, Lanarkshire ("Fort of Saint Michael")
-
Carmuirs, Stirlingshire
-
Carmurie, Fife ("Fort of the Sea")
-
Carmyllie, Angus ("Fort of the warrior")
-
Carpow, Perthshire ( Caerpwll; "Fort of the sluggish stream")
-
Carriden House, West Lothian ("Fort Eidyn")
-
Carruthers, Dumfriesshire ("Fort of Rhodri")
-
Carstairs, Lanarkshire ("Fort of the Tarras")
-
Crail, Fife ("Fort of the rock")
-
Cramond, Midlothian ("Fort Almond")
-
Kair, Kincardineshire ("Fort")
-
Keir, Aberdeenshire ("Fort")
-
Keir, Dumfries-shire ("Fort")
-
Keir, Stirlingshire ("Fort")
-
Keirhill, West Lothian
-
Keirs, Ayrshire
-
Kirkbuddo, Angus ("Fort of Buiteoc")
-
Kirkcaldy, Fife ( Caercaledin; "place of the hard fort" or "place of Caled's fort")
-
Kirkintilloch, Dunbartonshire. Formerly Caerpentaloch
In fiction
-
Caer Benowyc, Caer Berkstead, Caer Boldiam, Caer Caddug, Caer Diogel, Caer Erasleigh, Caer Gothwaite, Caer Hurbury, Caer Renaris, Caer Sidi, Caer Sursbrooke, Caer Ulfwych, and Caer Witrin from the video game Dark Age of Camelot
-
Caer Bocram from the video game Tales of Vesperia
-
Caer Bronach and Caer Oswin from video game
-
Caer Cadarn from the novel series The Warlord Chronicles - set in Cadbury Castle, Somerset, according to the author's note in The Winter King.
-
Caer Dallben from The Chronicles of Prydain novel series
-
Caer Darrow from the video game World of Warcraft
-
Caer Dhú from the novel The Sword of Rhiannon
-
Caer Llyr and Caer Secaire from the novel The Dark World
-
Caer Lyon from the video game Wizard101
-
Caer Siorai from the video game Death's Gambit
-
Caer Xhan from the video game Breath of Fire III
-
Cair Paravel from the Chronicles of Narnia novel series
-
Kaer Morhen and Kaer Trolde from The Witcher novel series
-
Kaer Norvent from the video game Final Fantasy XVI
-
Kêr-Is (Ys), of Breton mythology
-
Kerrith, town mentioned in the novel Rebecca, set in Cornwall
-
The Rabbit of Caerbannog from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail
-
Caer-Konig & Caer Dineval from the D&D Campaign "Rime of the Frost Maiden
See also
