Looking across King Arthur's Round Table henge to the houses of Eamont Bridge, near Penrith
12 July 927 · 1,100 years in 2027

Eamont Bridge and the birth of England, 927

In 927 the rulers of the north and of Wales met King Athelstan at Eamont, and the meeting is generally seen as the founding of England. What happened, where it may have been, and the anniversary festival in July 2027, from a family who live a mile away.

Written by Peter, who lives a mile away Visited Sunday 18 October 2026
927
The kings meet, 12 July
1,100
Years in July 2027
10–12 Jul
Eamont 927 festival, 2027
3
Possible meeting places to visit
What happened Where they met Visiting 2027 festival Bank holiday? FAQ

The short answer

When was England founded?

England is generally seen as founded on 12 July 927. That day, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the rulers of the north and of Wales met King Athelstan at a place it calls Eamotum and made peace with him. Eamotum is taken to be the land around Eamont Bridge, a mile south of Penrith.

So how old is England? In July 2027 it is 1,100 years since that meeting, and there is a festival here to mark it.

We live a mile from Eamont Bridge, and the henges where the kings may have met are part of our walks. For all its history, there is nothing on the ground marking 927 yet: no sign, no plaque, no board. We'll update this page when something goes up.

The meeting of kings

What happened on 12 July 927

The meeting at Eamotum

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says Athelstan "governed all the kings that were in this island" and names them: Hywel, king of the West Welsh; Constantine, king of the Scots; Owain; and Ealdred, son of Eadwulf, of Bamburgh. The Chronicle puts Owain in Gwent. William of Malmesbury, writing later, makes him Owain of Strathclyde, and the local Eamont 927 project follows him. Ealdred ruled northern Northumbria, but he wasn't a king.

They made their agreement "with covenants and oaths" at Eamotum, on the fourth day before the ides of July, which is 12 July in our calendar. They renounced idolatry, and then went home in peace. The Eamont 927 project reads the idolatry part as a promise not to make alliances with the pagan Vikings.

Wikipedia says the northern rulers accepted Athelstan's overlordship, and that his triumph brought seven years of peace in the north.

The single standing stone inside Mayburgh Henge with sheep grazing beyond it and the Lake District fells on the horizon
Mayburgh's standing stone, with the fells behind.

Why 927 counts as the birth of England

927 was also the year Athelstan took York, the last Viking stronghold, and started calling himself king of the English. Wikipedia says the meeting at Eamont is generally seen as the date the Kingdom of England was founded, and that modern historians regard Athelstan as the first King of England.

His hold on the north didn't last unchallenged: Wikipedia notes that it was his successors who conquered Viking York for good, and that his position in the north was much shakier than in the south. You'll also hear it called the "Treaty of Eamont" and the meeting of "five kings". Both are later labels: the Chronicle says agreement, not treaty, and Ealdred wasn't a king.

The standing stone at Mayburgh Henge close up, with cobbles at its base and sheep in the field behind
The stone close up.

Nobody knows the exact spot

Where did the kings meet?

The Chronicle only says Eamotum. The Eamont 927 Partnership takes it to be the land between the rivers Eamont and Lowther, a meeting place since before the Romans. English Heritage, one of the partners, names three possible sites there, all within a short walk of each other.

Possibly Mayburgh Henge

A huge ring of river cobbles with one standing stone left in the middle, about 4,500 years old by English Heritage's dating. The 2027 Ceremony of the Kings is planned here. More on the henge itself on our Eamont Bridge walk.

Possibly King Arthur's Round Table

The smaller henge less than 400 metres east of Mayburgh, by the road through the village. It has nothing to do with King Arthur. More on it on our walk page.

Possibly the Roman fort at Brougham

The Roman fort of Brocavum, beside Brougham Castle, where the Eamont and the Lowther meet. English Heritage lists it as the third possible site. You can see its earthworks from the top of the castle keep.

Or Dacre?

William of Malmesbury put the meeting at Dacre, a few miles west, though historians doubt him. The Eamont 927 project tells his version: Constantine and Owain came to the monastery at Dacre to make peace, and Athelstan stood godfather to Constantine's son.

Inside King Arthur's Round Table henge at Eamont Bridge, a flat grassy circle inside its ditch and bank, with Cass, a black Staffordshire Bull Terrier, in the foreground
Inside King Arthur's Round Table, with Cass.

Go and stand there

Visiting the possible meeting places

Both henges are English Heritage sites, free, and open at any reasonable time in daylight. Ten minutes at each is plenty, and they are a few hundred metres apart.

Parking. Mayburgh Henge has a small parking area for six or seven cars at ///opposing.brings.ditching. King Arthur's Round Table has a layby for about three cars right outside, at ///enlarge.terms.commuting.

Walk all three. Our Eamont Bridge circular takes in both henges, Brougham Hall and Brougham Castle, beside the Roman fort, in 4.6 miles. It took us just over two hours with stops.

The small parking area for Mayburgh Henge at Eamont Bridge, with one car parked under the trees
The parking area at Mayburgh Henge.

Dogs. Sheep graze at Mayburgh, and on our visit a farmer's sign at the gate said no dogs. Follow the sign on the day.

Food. We finished at The Beehive in Eamont Bridge, which has a big garden. The Hideaway Café at Brougham Hall is on the walk.

A brown English Heritage fingerpost for Mayburgh Henge beside a lane, with the grassy henge bank and a gate ahead
The fingerpost and the lane up to Mayburgh.

The stone you'll see beside Mayburgh isn't a 927 memorial. The Eden Millennium Monument is a granite block carved with a cross and "2000"; its plaque says it was dedicated on 2 July 2000 by the Bishop of Penrith.

The Eden Millennium Monument near Mayburgh Henge: a large granite block carved with a cross and the number 2000
The Eden Millennium Monument, from 2000.

England's 1,100th

The Eamont 927 festival, 10 to 12 July 2027

The Eamont 927 Partnership, chaired by Lord Inglewood, is running the festival at Eamont near Penrith. It is organised through the E927 Community Interest Company, which four Westmorland and Furness councillors set up in May 2026; its directors are unpaid volunteers.

Inside Mayburgh Henge at Eamont Bridge: the single standing stone, the cobble bank and scattered river cobbles in the grass
Inside Mayburgh Henge, where the Ceremony of the Kings is planned for 12 July 2027.

What's on, as listed so far

Last checked 18 October 2026. The programme is still being announced, so check the partnership's events page before you go.

  • Monday 12 July 2027, midday: Ceremony of the Kings at Mayburgh Henge. The partnership says representatives of the five kingdoms will gather again. A church service at St Andrew's, Dacre follows at 3pm.
  • Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July: Living History re-enactment, 10am to 5pm each day.
  • That weekend: a historical conference at Rheged, and the Court of Athelstan at Brougham Hall (the partnership's pages give its dates as both 9 to 12 and 10 to 11 July).
  • Around it: an exhibition at Penrith Museum from 28 June, a play at Penrith Playhouse from 9 to 12 July, and summer talks in Penrith on 17 and 24 July.

The community projects

  • The Eamont Tapestry. Ten embroidered panels, launched at Appleby Heritage Weekend on 19 September 2026. After the festival they are due to go on permanent display at St Wilfrid's Chapel, Brougham.
  • The Eamont Quilt and Parish Treasures, two more community projects on Visit Eden's list.
  • The Athelstan Way. A project to link the meeting of the rivers with Dacre. The partnership calls the route "an aspiration" for now, so it isn't a walk you can follow yet.

We'll be there

We'll be at the Ceremony of the Kings at Mayburgh on 12 July 2027, and we'll update this page that week with our photos and how it went. If you are coming, bear in mind that the henges have parking for only a handful of cars, so expect it to be far busier than usual.

Beyond Eamont

Is 12 July 2027 a bank holiday?

As things stand

Not in England, as things stand. As of October 2026, gov.uk's published list of 2027 bank holidays for England and Wales doesn't include 12 July. In Northern Ireland 12 July is a bank holiday every year, for the Battle of the Boyne, which has nothing to do with 927.

The national campaign

There has been a national push for one. A petition on the Parliament website called for a one-off bank holiday on 12 July 2027 for the 1,100th anniversary, and the call was covered by the Telegraph and the Daily Mail in December 2025 and by the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror in June 2026. Tim Farron tabled an early day motion in June 2026 on the birth of England in Westmorland in 927.

Outside the local partnership, the Kettering-based Birth of England Project has a crowdfunder on Crowdfunder UK, raising money for a festival at Brougham Hall in July 2027.

Good to know

Eamont Bridge and 927: FAQ

When was England founded?
England is generally seen as founded on 12 July 927, when the rulers of the north and of Wales met King Athelstan at Eamont, near Penrith, and made peace with him. That makes July 2027 the 1,100th anniversary.
What happened on 12 July 927?
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, King Athelstan met Hywel of the West Welsh, Constantine of the Scots, Owain, and Ealdred of Bamburgh at a place called Eamotum. They made their agreement with covenants and oaths, renounced idolatry and went home in peace. The meeting is generally seen as the founding of the Kingdom of England.
Who was the first king of England?
Modern historians regard Athelstan as the first King of England. In 927 he took York, the last Viking stronghold, called himself king of the English, and met the northern rulers at Eamont.
Where did the kings meet in 927?
Nobody knows the exact spot. The Chronicle calls it Eamotum. The Eamont 927 Partnership takes it to be the land between the rivers Eamont and Lowther at Eamont Bridge, and English Heritage names Mayburgh Henge, King Arthur's Round Table and the Roman fort beside Brougham Castle as possible sites. William of Malmesbury placed the meeting at Dacre, though historians doubt him.
When is the Eamont 927 festival?
10 to 12 July 2027, at Eamont near Penrith, run by the Eamont 927 Partnership. Its programme includes living history, a historical conference and, at midday on Monday 12 July, a Ceremony of the Kings at Mayburgh Henge. Check eamont927.co.uk for the latest programme.
Is 12 July 2027 a bank holiday?
Not in England. As of October 2026, gov.uk's published list of 2027 bank holidays for England and Wales doesn't include 12 July. A parliamentary petition has called for a one-off bank holiday on that day for the 1,100th anniversary. In Northern Ireland, 12 July is already a bank holiday every year, for the Battle of the Boyne, which has nothing to do with 927.
What is Eamont Bridge known for?
The meeting of kings in 927, generally seen as the founding of England, and two prehistoric henges, Mayburgh Henge and King Arthur's Round Table. The village is a mile south of Penrith and takes its name from its old stone bridge over the River Eamont.

Keep exploring

More around Eamont Bridge

Eamont Bridge walk

The 4.6-mile circular past both henges, Brougham Hall and Brougham Castle.

Brougham Castle

The castle beside the Roman fort of Brocavum, on the River Eamont.

Brougham Hall

The hall due to host the Court of Athelstan in 2027.

Penrith

Where to stay, eat and park for the festival weekend.