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Kit's Coty

Dolmen / Quoit / Cromlech

Fieldnotes

Some call it simply Kit's Coty, because 'coty' means the same as 'house'. The story explaining the name tells us that Kit is Catigern, who, together with his brother Vortimer fought Hengist and his brother Horsa here around 455, which is recorded both in the Historia Brittonum as well as in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:.

Historia Brittonum, chapter 44
He [Vortigern] had three sons: the eldest was Vortimer, who, as we have seen, fought four times against the Saxons, and put them to flight; the second Categirn, who was slain in the same battle with Horsa...

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 455:
the second battle of Vortimer against the Saxons at Episford, where Catigern and Horsa fell.

Both Horsa and he were killed. We don't know who won, but Catigern was supposedly buried here. Indeed, This site is just a few miles north of Aylesford, which is usually identified with the Episford of The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. That a battle once raged here may be supported by another reference to this place as the battle of 'Cit Coit'. This battle is also a legendary Celtic battle ('Battle of the Woods'), but not connected with any specific site. A possibility therefore remains that both are the same thing, as 'Cit' (or 'Kit') is in fact the same as 'Cat', the Celtic word for 'battle', which is of course the first part of Catigern's name.
(http://www.vortigernstudies.org.uk/artgra/kitcoit.htm)
Vortigern Posted by Vortigern
20th June 2001ce

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