On this page are reports, in reverse chronological order, on four talks that were given at SWAAG monthly meetings in 2019. To jump to any one report, click the relevant link:
Oct – Dairy Days and stack garths in Wensleydale
Sept – Human remains in archaeology
Jun – New research on Viking skeletons in Britain
Feb – How our ancestors cooked and what they ate
October – Dairy Days and stack garths in Wensleydale
Dr Douglas Mitcham, Community Heritage Officer for the Yorkshire Dales National Park, gave a fascinating talk about the Dairy Days Project in general and the excavations of stack garths in Wensleydale in particular.
The Dairy Days project aims to research and share the story of the industry that helped shaped Wensleydale’s landscape, and which still plays such an important part in the local economy. The project is funded by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority with a generous grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
As part of this project there is an exhibition at the DCM in Hawes from 12 September to 31 December. As part of the exhibition, Jane Sammells is conducting demonstrations of home dairy skills on four consecutive Tuesdays in October.
The stack-stands excavation took place in September at Floshes Hill near Hardraw where a team of volunteers, supported by YDNPA professionals investigated two stack-stands and an adjacent field boundary. There is documentary evidence of Wensleydale stack garths going back to the 15th century. Robert White argued that they were the precursors to the field barns which proliferated in the area.
Sadly, no conclusive dating evidence arose from the excavation, but further work in this area may be planned. There was an interesting discussion about the use of stack garths for grain crops and/ or hay making. Some people believe that stacks were thatched to protect them from the weather.
September – Human remains in archaeology
Professor Charlotte Roberts of Durham University gave us a superb overview of her specialism in Bioarchaeology. She has studied the archaeology of human remains for the past 35 years and was PhD supervisor to another of our speakers, Professor Janet Montgomery.
An adult human skeleton contains 206 bones while an infant whose bones have not yet fused, has 850. Our life leaves traces in our bones of diet and disease, of where we have lived, age, sex, height. Muscle attachments and wear and tear give clues about occupations. Anyone who saw Julian Richards’ TV series “Meet the Ancestors” may remember Charlotte’s fascinating explanations of evidence from the skeletons they examined.
Newer techniques are revealing even more detail such as the CT scans finding arterial plaques in Egyptian mummies, indicating heart disease. Isotope analysis tells us about diet and migration. Ancient DNA speaks of kinship, migration and disease. ADNA of pathogens in dental plaque identifies diseases such as TB, Leprosy, Malaria and eColi.
There were some surprises. Contrary to common belief, a survey of some 37,000 skeletons from the Mesolithic to Modern times, showed that average height in the UK has not changed dramatically through time. Charlotte also raised the ethical issues around handling human remains and their subsequent storage. Should human remains be reburied? Is it OK to put skeletons on display? There was a lot to think about.
For those who would like to learn more, there is Charlotte’s book, “Human Remains in Archaeology” Published in 2018 and a Massive Open Online Course on FutureLearn about Scottish soldiers buried at Durham. The MOOC begins in October: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/battle-of-dunbar-1650.
June – New research on Viking skeletons in Britain
Last night Professor Janet Montgomery gave a fascinating talk to a packed room of SWAAG members and visitors. To quote from the abstract of one of her papers on the subject (Finding Vikings with Isotope Analysis: The View from Wet and Windy Islands Janet Montgomery, Vaughan Grimes, Jo Buckberry, Jane A. Evans, Michael P. Richards, James H. Barrett):
“Identifying people of exotic origins with isotopes depends upon finding isotopic attributes that are inconsistent with the indigenous population. This task is seldom straightforward and may vary with physical geography, through time, and with cultural practices. Isotopes and trace elements were measured in four Viking Age (8th to 10th centuries A.D.) skeletons from Dublin, Ireland, and three from Westness, Orkney. These were compared with other data from these locations and contemporaneous skeletons from Britain.
“We conclude that the male skeletons from Dublin have disparate origins, two originating beyond the shores of Ireland, and that the female and two male skeletons from Westness are not indigenous to Orkney. However, the homeland of the female, in contrast to the males, is unlikely to be in Scandinavia.”
Janet also talked about exciting discoveries in the way tooth enamel peptides can enable determination of sex, even in neonate and juvenile skeletons. This new technique will have a wide range of applications in archaeology.
February – How our ancestors cooked and what they ate
For our February monthly meeting we had a very informative and entertaining talk by Jane Sammells of Curriculum Kitchen. For the main course Jane took us through her interest in history and food and explained to us the work she undertakes across the region to educate and inform people how and what our ancestors cooked and ate.
She also brought along Roman style pottery and implements; sherds of which we have found on the Hagg. Jane also explained some of the Roman cooking techniques: lead pellets to sweeten your wine and puddings (did do a lot of good for your health!), edible snails – introduced by the Romans; edible dormice; garum a fermented fish sauce – went with everything; and the best way to get rennet, to make cheese, from a snail – it seems that the big question is whether or not you boil the snail first, a subtlety that some in the audience preferred not to consider.
For dessert Jane had prepared a selection of puddings from different periods: yoghurt flavoured with black pepper and honey; a ‘tart” with a filling of spiced prunes; a “Bishop Auckland custard tart” in which the main ingredients were mashed potatoes and eggs, dried fruit and spices; and boiled barley flavoured with rum, and spices. They were enjoyed by all, samples were taken home to those who missed the evening, and recipes were exchanged.
