‘Deacon’ McCormick and the Madoc Myth

Abstract

‘Deacon’ McCormick’s (1967) Madoc and the Discovery of America: Some new light on an old controversy was advertized on the dustcover as

an authentic documentary of a little-known piece of history, so thoroughly researched and cross-referenced that it must become a standard work on the subject.

‘Deacon’ McCormick’s work is very readable and, on the face of it, very plausible: he portrayed himself as a genuine scholar, writing factual history based on sound, painstaking research. Does the evidence support this ‘credible scholar’ impression — or was he a charlatan?¹