Brutus of Troy: Founder of London
We know that London was a Roman city, Londinium, but it's also reputed to be an expansion of a much earlier settlement. Sources, especially those who have delved into London Stone, often cite 'Brutus of Troy' as being the legendary founder of London. Legend, being the operative word. Who is 
this Brutus, how did he get here and why is information about him so sketchy?
Much of what we know about this period, is based on the work of medieval chroniclers, including Jeffery of Monmouth and his 'History of the Kings of Britain' from the 12th century: a mere 2,000 years after the event. So exaggeration and a desire to neatly fill in gaps with dramatic events, beats strongly in Jeffery's veins.
Æneas was a lieutenant of Hector in the Trojan War, and when the city was destroyed (after deployment of the infamous Trojan Horse) he fled to Italy where the settlement he founded (Alba Longa) was later to become Rome (Virgil's: Aneid covers this particular 'history'). His grandson, had direct descendants which were Greek, Latin and Trojan - and he was named Brutus. His mother died in childbirth and he accidentally killed his father in a hunting accident, so was banished for being 'unlucky'. He visited Greece and from there set off in search of new lands. The defeated Trojans, an underclass living poorly in Greece adopted him as their leader and they became collectively known as 'Britons' (after Brutus). They headed past the Pillars of Hercules (Straits of Gibraltar), had a brief contretemps with the French in Gaul (who doesn't?) where they were advised of an island to the north, much more up their street - known as Albion, pretty deserted and a good bet for settlement and subjugation. The date is set some time between 1170-1100 BC.
Albion was inhabited by an island race of giants (they always are when distant from home, and it's 
unlikely the Gauls thought to mention such detail). Corineus, a warrior of great repute, wrestled with the giant race's leader, Gogmagog before hurling him over the cliffs of Plymouth Hooe. His giant-killing skills passed into legend and due to its many coves and caves, Cornwall was his next target - which he systematically relieved of its giant population. Cornwall is named after Corineus in appreciation. It's worth noting that at the Guildhall in London, there are two giants called Gog and Magog, who were reputedly slain by Brutus. Gog and Magog are representative of Corineus (elevated to 'giant' status) and Gogmagog however.
London - or should I say: New Troy.
Brutus and his Britons sailed up the Thames after the protracted, giant-slaying episode and stepping out, founded a new city 'Troia Nova', later 'Trinovantum' (early Londoners were known as 'Trinovantes'). Brutus's palace was sited where the current Guildhall is located and the Temple to Diana is supposed to have existed where modern day St. Paul's Cathedral resides. The alter stone of the temple is the apparent source of the mythical London Stone in Cannon Street. Brutus ruled the land for 24 years and left 3 children, among whom the kingdom was divided (Locrinus, Albernactus and Kamber).
Later 'Chronicle Kings' did little of note, until King Lud. He enlarged Trinovant (as it was also known) and built the first wall around the city, renaming it in the process: "Caer-Ludd" (Ludd's Town), which became Kaerlundein and later Lundein (London). Lud was buried near the city gate, PorthLud which still bears his name - Ludgate, from the Saxon interpretation. Ludgate Hill leads up to St. Paul's Cathedral, after travellers descend Fleet Street on the main route from the City of Westminster, to the City of London.
Tysilio's "Chronicle of the Kings of Britain" is not so instantly dismissed as Jeffery of Monmouth's version of events, or Nennius's Historia Brittonum from the 
8th century, partly because it was written in approximately 640 AD, being somewhat earlier and also because it was supposedly a translation of another much more ancient work. This was likewise debunked, until a paper submitted by Sir Flinders Petrie (whose Egyptian collection forms the basis of the Petrie Museum in London) entitled "Neglected British History" in 1917, lent it the merest shred of credibility.
So, London has a theoretical history spanning 1,000 years before the Romans arrived; that is part Trojan, part Latin and part Greek. Disappointingly, it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. London Stone, part of the alter at the Temple of Diana is according to experts and learned scholars - likely to be Roman in origin. Also, London is teeming with Roman archaeological remains. Every time a building is redeveloped, evidence of some kind, is churned from the soil. Not so for Troia Nova which remains mute and unforthcoming about its past. I for one however, will always keep an eye out for the 'missing translation' which Tysilio cites, or perhaps failing that - the skeleton of Gogmagog, just might swing it.
