Mulmutine Laws

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

The code of Dunvallo Mulmutius, the sixteenth legendary King of the Britons (about 400 B.C.), son of Cloten, King of Cornwall. It is said to have been translated by Gildas from British into Latin, and to have formed the basis of King Alfred's code, which obtained in England till the Conquest. (Holmshed: History of England iii, 1.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Mulmutine Laws” mean?

The code of Dunvallo Mulmutius, the sixteenth legendary King of the Britons (about 400 B.C.), son of Cloten, King of Cornwall. It is said to have been translated by Gildas from British into Latin, and to have formed the basis of King Alfred's code, which obtained in England till the Conquest. (Holmshed: History of England iii, 1.

Is “Mulmutine Laws” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.