Tintagel (; ; originally Trevena from ) is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.

Toponymists have had difficulty explaining the origin of ' Tintagel ': the probability is that it is Norman French as the Cornish of the 13th century would have lacked the soft ' g ' (' i / j ' in the earliest forms: see also Tintagel Castle ).

The parish feast traditionally celebrated at Tintagel was October 19, the feast day of St Denys, patron of the chapel at Trevena ( the proper date is October 9 but the feast has moved forward due to the calendar reform of 1752 ).

The Ravenna Cosmography, of around 700, makes reference to Purocoronavis, ( almost certainly a corruption of Durocornovium ), ' a fort or walled settlement of the Cornovii ': the location is unidentified, but Tintagel and Carn Brea have both been suggested.

( If this is correct then it would have been on the site of Tintagel Castle.

Two of the Roman milestones found in Cornwall are at Tintagel ( the earlier of the two is described under Trethevy ): the later one was found in the walls of the churchyard in 1889 and is preserved in the church.

" King Arthur's Footprint " is a hollow in the rock at the highest point of Tintagel Island's southern side.

It stands on the cliffs between Trevena and Tintagel Castle and is listed Grade I.

The name commemorates the abbey in France which held the patronage of Tintagel during the Middle Ages ( the commune is now known as Fontevraud-l ' Abbaye ), founded by Robert of Arbrissel.

For the purposes of local government Tintagel is a civil parish and councillors are elected every four years.

The coastline around Tintagel is significant because it is composed of old Devonian slate ; about a mile southwards from Tintagel towards Treknow the coastline was quarried extensively for this hard-wearing roofing surface.

The turquoise green water around this coast is caused by the slate / sand around Tintagel which contains elements of copper: strong sunlight turns the water a light turquoise green colour in warm weather.

The beach at Bossiney Haven is close by and Trebarwith Strand, just half an hour's walk south of Tintagel, is one of Cornwall's finer beaches, boasting clear seas, golden sands, and superb surf: there is a small beach at Tintagel Haven immediately north of the castle.

The Roman Catholic parish of Bodmin includes a large area of North Cornwall and there are churches also at Wadebridge, Padstow and Tintagel.

Tintagel has also the Catholic church of St Paul the Apostle which has a thirty-thousand piece mosaic of the saint within its walls.

People from many other countries also come to Tintagel to view the names of their babies who have been lost due to miscarriage, stillbirth or other cause.

Hardy and his first wife visited Tintagel on various occasions: she drew a sketch of the inside of the church as it was about 1867 R. S. Hawker's poem about the bells of Forrabury refers also to those of Tintagel, but more notable is his one on the Quest for the Sangraal ( first published at Exeter in 1864 ).

Edward Elgar also composed while on a visit to Tintagel.

It was also the occasional residence of John Douglas Cook, founder editor of the Saturday Review ( d. 1868 ) who is buried at Tintagel.

* Tintagel Castle in Cornwall ( also said to be Arthur's birthplace by Geoffrey of Monmouth.

" Geoffrey of Monmouth's story goes on to explain how the wizard Merlin was summoned, and in order to help get them into Tintagel Castle, he magically changed Uther's appearance to that of Gorlois, whilst also changing his own and Ulfin's appearances to those of two of Gorlois's companions.

Heysham also contains one of only three sites in Britain and Ireland that contain a pre-roman labyrinth, the others being located at Tintagel, Cornwall and Hollywood, Co. Wicklow, Ireland

They were also strong in the Isle of Wight amongst farm labourers, largely due to the inspirational teachings of Mary Toms of Tintagel, Cornwall.

Near Dunderhole Point on Glebe Cliff stands a building from the former slate quarry: this has been used as Tintagel Youth Hostel ( managed by YHA ( England and Wales )) for many years.

Tintagel is used as a locus for the Arthurian mythos by the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson in the poem Idylls of the King and Algernon Charles Swinburne's Tristram of Lyonesse is one of the versions of the Tristan and Iseult legends where some of the events are set at Tintagel.

However, there has been some dispute amongst archaeologists as to exactly what the site of Tintagel Island was used for in this period: in the mid twentieth century, it was typically thought that there was an early Christian monastery on the site, but " since about 1980 ... thesis ... has ... had to be abandoned ", with archaeologists now believing that it was instead an elite settlement inhabited by a powerful local warlord or even Dumnonian royalty.

Tintagel and its castle are associated with the conception of the legendary King Arthur and a 15th century house that was later used as a post office.

Tintagel Old Post Office | The Old Post Office, an historic building run by National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty | The National Trust

Glasscock was resident at Tintagel ( in the house " Eirenicon " which he had built ) and responsible for the building of King Arthur's Hall ( an extension of Trevena House which had been John Douglas Cook's residence and had been built on the site of the former Town Hall and Market Hall ).

The cliffs from Backways Cove, south of Trebarwith Strand to Willapark just to the south of Boscastle are part of the Tintagel Cliffs SSSI ( a Site of Special Scientific Interest ), designated for both its maritime heaths and geological features.

' contributes: " Within easy reach of Tintagel at least 385 varieties of flowers, 30 kinds of grasses, and 16 of ferns can be found ... a ' happy hunting ground ' for botanists " and a list of thirty-nine of the rarest is given.

The crew were able to get onto the rock and apart from a youth of 14 were saved by four men ( three of these from Tintagel: one of them Charles Hambly received a Vellum testimonial and three medals for bravery afterwards ).

Opposite the Wharncliffe is the former Tintagel Hotel, once commonly known as Fry's Hotel: this was the terminus for coaches in the days before the railway to Camelford Station and stands on the site of the medieval chapel of St Denys.

It is probable that the surname he chose was derived from the original name for Tintagel, though his writings are concerned mainly with Devon.

Tintagel was the venue for the Gorseth of Cornwall in 1964.

* Online Catalogue for Tintagel, Cornwall Record Office

Gorlois sends Igerna to the impregnable castle of Tintagel for protection while he himself is besieged by Uther in another town.

One of his first intimate meetings with art music was through Tristan und Isolde and its influence is seen in many of his later works, Tintagel for example.

In 1225 Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, swapped the land of Merthen ( originally part of the manor of Winnianton ) with Gervase de Tintagel for Tintagel Castle.

The locomotive ' Tintagel Castle ' was built for the Great Western Railway in the 4073 series and was in service 1927-1962.

Besieging Dimilioc, Uther tells his friend Ulfin how he loves Igraine, but Ulfin replies that it would be impossible to take Tintagel, for " it is right by the sea, and surrounded by the sea on all sides ; and there is no other way into it, except that provided by a narrow rocky passage -- and there, three armed warriors could forbid all entry, even if you took up your stand with the whole of Britain behind you.

* Thomas, Charles ( 1988 ) Tintagel Castle ; in A reassessment of the evidence proposing a Celtic royal history for the site.