There are two reviews here, of two different editions. The later one is below this earlier review.
Title: The Trials of Arthur: The life and times of a modern-day king
Authors: Arthur Pendragon and C J Stone
Reviewed by: Marc Rhodes Taylor. 2012
This is the second edition of a book which I have read before; the original was published some time in the 90s and has Arthur standing on a hill silhouetted against a sunset. I am convinced that I have also seen a book somewhere, possibly this 90s edition, which has a section showing Arthur in some black and white photos at least one of which was a protest scene.
Author and journalist C J Stone has the perfect style to both inform and to entertain, and here he has chosen the perfect subject to write about, Arthur Pendragon. Together Stone and Arthur have come up with this book, sometimes you can tell there are two authors because they will point this out for you. The story that is presented here is certainly very unique and colourful, there is no-one else like Arthur.
Certain moments stand out within this book, such as the accidental discovery of Excalibur (once a prop for the John Boorman film of the same title), or a brutal encounter with an aggressive driver of a Jaguar during a protest (Arthur was badly injured in a hit and run incident, getting to the truth involved court and a lot of digging as one of the officers involved was not trying to get to the truth and several witness accounts were heavily prejudiced against Arthur and his Warband). It should be pointed out that Arthur and the druids were holding a peaceful circle including women and children at the time, and that the jaguar simply drove straight into this group. This is pretty frightening and suggests that at the time Arthur had real enemies who would go to any lengths to stop him. These people were clearly the victims in this incident, yet the initial impression was wrongly given that they played some part in triggering the incident (the driver’s rear window did get broken as he drove away).
At one point a television studio is broken into by a knight in order to steal a dragon from an island, to make a point and to raise money for the homeless. In another incident, Arthur is taken to court after fighting his way through a barbed fence with cutters, destroying a large section of fence and cutting his hands up so badly that his fingerprints cannot be taken. This shows a lot of courage and determination making Arthur a truly heroic protestor. some account of this can be found from a witness on youtube. Arthur sometimes defuses situations by randomly knighting people with his sword, such as when he is protesting up a tree and dubs the chainsaw operator trying to take the tree down Sir Chainsaw Guy. He actually tried to put his own arm in the way of the chainsaw.
Sometimes things go wrong. A running joke about Monty Python and the Holy Grail backfires when Arthur unwittingly flings an insult at a french television crew trying to interview him as he had been facing away from them when they came up to him, and assumed that it was someone playing a prank. In another, an innocent woman is punched in the face when Arthur, not facing her, spins around and mistakes her for someone else; reacting before thinking.
Arthur was once named as the tenth most outrageous person in Britain due to dropping his clothing in front of a judge whilst being tried. One of the common occurrences during Arthur’s frequent arrests for trespass is that he has been put into a prison cell and asked to wear a standard uniform. Arthur usually responds to this challenge by stating that he will only wear his druid robes. this has caused some hilarious encounters within the police system, with an eventual concession allowing Arthur to wear his robes under limited circumstances. This does come across as an interesting challenge to the legal system. does a prisoner have the right to make such a request?
Another story which i remember well from the newspapers is Arthur’s sword Excalibur being confiscated by the police during an arrest, and the resulting legal challenges this posed and the attempt to then rescue the sword. In an indirect way these challenges, when eventually won through understanding or sheer determination, have given Arthur an unexpected but useful kind of recognition.
There is a lot of humour and light heartedness throughout this highly entertaining tale. Arthur is a real maverick and seems to take great delight in challenging authority and in either bending or breaking the rules. This happens when he leaves the army, for instance, and on many occasions afterwards, with constant brushes with the police and the law. Arthur’s background as a biker is really important here, and features heavily into his story; including some of his more anarchic traits. How much of Arthur’s willingness to challenge authority comes from his biker background, how much of his willingness to stand up to the courts and to the police? Did this allegiance inculcate an anti law, anti police stance?
Arthur shows no fear in challenging what he believes to be wrong or in standing up for what he believes is right. Often what he does will earn him respect as well as making people laugh, even under serious circumstances. Arthur has been arrested many, many times, often for crossing police lines or trying to get to somewhere where they don’t want people to be. At one point during his biker days it is mentioned that Arthur used to carry a double headed axe quite openly. What most people did not know is that he also carried a zip gun with about thirty rounds, which he never told anyone about, just in case. It is never said whether these weapons were drawn or used; hopefully this never occurred and there is no mention that it ever did happen, but this shows that Arthur used to move within very rough circles.
Serious questions are raised within this book regarding legal boundaries and civil rights, there are some serious issues to think about beneath the laughter and the confrontations. At one point Arthur crosses a police line and is not arrested due to having a BBC Radio 4 crew with him; where is the justice in this? Apparently some people can get away with entry and some can’t, some people appear to be targeted by the law. A major organisation like Radio 4 can be recognised by the authorities and by the police, while druids and protestors are not (though they can still be challenged and arrested). Eventually Arthur decided to join the Druids, becoming involved in COBDO the Council of British Druid Orders at one point. Another issue is raised here which you will only be able to answer yourself in your own way: is it enough to be spiritual, or must one fight for what one believes in using protest, the law and politics? The conclusion drawn by the authors is that activism is necessary in order to achieve results. certainly Arthur has never been afraid of confrontation or of speaking his mind.
Arthur did stand as a candidate in his local elections; C J Stone does not mention this, which is a bit of a shame because it would be really interesting to find out what happened here and whether any progress was actually made. It would also be interesting to find out what principles Arthur supported as a potential leader.
Recently Arthur broke the rules once again during the Summer Solstice, holding a ritual outside the stones near the Heel Stone on the morning of the Solstice (people were in the area since at least the night before), as reported in a newsletter, C J Stone was there as well showing that the two are still connected after some twenty odd years. The Round Table mentioned in this book is still active and still trying to work for more open access to Stonehenge, and I have met Arthur there from time to time. The Battle of the Beanfield incident and the travellers still seem to be remembered a long time after the 80s, and is still having an effect on people’s opinions of authority. The mission to open up Stonehenge is still being fought long after the events mentioned in this book. The proposed A303 tunnel will hopefully not go ahead and damage the landscape and possibly undiscovered historical artefacts, Holehenge being recent proof of the need to avoid this, but you can never tell what the authorities are going to do in the end. Numerous round tables and public consultations have taken place so far.
There is some occasional sadness as you read accounts of people who have since passed away. Another sad moment is the human destruction wrought during the Battle of the Beanfield, which is mentioned herein. This is not really the main focus of the book, which is covered elsewhere by other authors such as Andy Worthington.
If you like this book you might like to try Andy Worthington’s Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion, or any other of C J Stone’s books. Worthington provides a lot of background on Stonehenge if that one of your interests.
Marc Rhodes Taylor 2012ce
Title: The Trials of Arthur – The Biker Who Would Be King (4th Edition)
Authors: Arthur Pendragon and C J Stone
Reviewed by Mark Rosher. 2026 LINK
I’m deliberately publishing my review under Marc’s. I own a copy of the original Thornson printing, and now I’ve been sent a digital copy of the fourth edition, which is greatly expanded on the book I read back in the early two thousands. Checking them out, side by side, and assuming the print version will use the same font and spacing as the digital, this is a large book – larger than the 250 plus page original. I try not to read from the screen – I squint at screens far too much already – but this is an attractive pressing, running to 500 pages. There is a new review by Professor Ronald Hutton of Bristol University, who clearly places Arthur as a person of significance in the story and the evolution of Druidry, and far more photographs than were in my old copy (and better copies of them too).
This is a book about a living person, and his deep connection with one of the most significant figures of British Mythology. It may be that you’ve met Arthur, or heard him speak. It may be that you’ve heard rumours of his lifestyle… it is always best to try and get to the truth rather than rely on gossip, and for sure there is clarity in this book – some of the rumours are true, some are probably exaggerations and (like so much in Druid lore) some of it is surely made up by hostile commentators. I’ve encountered Arthur albeit not often and I’ve heard Arthur speak, and it’s clear to me he has a well thought out agenda and the drive to push it forwards at every opportunity. He is an interesting man, and likewise a Druid of commitment. We all walk our Druid path, and all our paths are ours. In that same way Arthur has his path and it is a worthwhile read to find clarity and understanding of it.
Here is a story of the biker Druid who insisted Stonehenge be open to the public, who took on the courts for the right to bear Excaliber in public, and who stood for political office. He is the Arthur for our times. It is easy for me to skip through these pages… I have previously read the book, after all. But mingled in with the old is a lot of new, and I slow, and read more carefully. I am amused by the appendix relating how many times, when and for what Arthur has been arrested over the years. And there is a new appendix too, written by Sir Keir Starmer (yes, that one). My copy of The Trials of Arthur – The Life and Times of a Modern-Day King, is now showing signs of age, with yellowed pages and a slightly foxed cover – possibly a little badgered too. I like this new version, and recommend it as a tale of Druid protest and how one man (or king) took, and still takes, a stand.