Why Camelot May Have Been a Real Place

 From The Collector:

Therefore, the fact that Camelot was first mentioned in the 12th century does not mean that it was not based directly on a real location. Chretien may well have been thinking of a real place, but given it a fictional name. Similarly, Jane Austen gave the fictional name “Sanditon” to her version of the perfectly real town of Bognor Regis.

While this is all well and good in theory, is there any evidence that the medieval romance writers were actually describing a specific, real location when they referred to Camelot? As it happens, we find such evidence in the preface of Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, written in the 15th century. This preface was written by William Caxton, the publisher. He refers to the fact that the grand stone walls of Camelot were still visible in Wales and were regularly visited by many people.

This does not necessarily tell us anything about any potential historical connection between Arthur and Camelot. It does, however, tell us that William Caxton evidently had a specific place in mind when he referred to Camelot. The Camelot that Caxton mentioned was, therefore, by definition, a real place. Of course, this does not necessarily mean that all the other writers who mentioned Camelot were thinking of the same location. What do Thomas Malory’s own words indicate regarding this? (Read more.)