Talk Reports 2022

On this page are reports, in reverse chronological order, on nine talks that were given at SWAAG monthly meetings in 2022. To jump to any one report, click the relevant link:

Dec – The other Maiden Castle
Nov – West Yorkshire – the Kingdom of Elmet?
Oct – Aurochs and Elk
Sept – Elbolton Cave, near Grassington
Jun – Cumbria – the last outpost of English resistance?
May – Bishops, Castles, and Palaces
Mar – Touching the Past
Feb – Here, there and who knows where?
Jan – Rare earths

December – The other Maiden Castle
The stimulus for December’s talk was an organised walk in July 2022 to Maiden Castle, a small Roman fortlet overlooking the A66 and the Eden Valley, led by Judith and Alan Mills; ten people came on the walk including John Nolan of the Northumberland Archaeology Group. (See item 158 on the news archive.)

Alan began by contrasting the subject of this talk with both a ‘normal’ Roman fort such as that at Birdoswald on Hadrian’s Wall and the probable Iron Age Maiden Castle on the north facing slopes of Harkerside, Swaledale. The Roman Maiden Castle is considerably smaller than both and is one of approximately 50 known Roman fortlets, mostly found in the Scottish borders and North of England. They are characterised by the lack of a principia, the administrative centre of an ordinary fort, and only being of sufficient size to hold one or maybe two ‘centuries’ of troops; 80 -200 soldiers. They are typically found guarding strategic points such as river crossings or as here, important roads– the Roman road through the Pennines from York to Carlisle.

He went on to consider the fortlet’s place in the Roman landscape. It was an interval fort, set between the major Roman forts at Bowes and Brough. He explained how it fitted in with the three earlier marching camps at Rokeby Park, near Greta Bridge, Rey Cross and Crackenthorpe, thought to date from Governor Cerialis’ invasion of around 70AD and the later construction of the road, the forts along it and Maiden Castle, all probably part of Governor Agricola’s campaign a decade or so later.

In addition to the Roman road, marching camps, and forts there are a number of what are thought to be the sites of Roman Signal Stations or Watch Towers. It has been suggested that these were part of a chain of Signal Stations for the rapid transmission of information along the line of the road. Alan spent some time considering this and was of the view that the likelihood of inclement weather, and the absence of any evidence of long-distance transmission of information in this way, made it much more likely that the sites were Watch Towers; that is to provide early warning of incursions, for example, to the nearby forts. He concluded that an early form of ‘Pony Express’ would be the quickest and most reliable form of communication between York and Carlisle!

Alan Mills

November – West Yorkshire – the Kingdom of Elmet?
This was the question posed by November’s speaker, SWAAG member Ian Earnshaw. Many people believe that after centuries of inter-marriage between Roman, Irish, Jute, Saxon, Angle, Viking and Norman French invaders with the pre-Roman Celtic population, that the DNA signatures of the population of the UK would be consistent across the whole country.

A report published in The Nature Magazine during 2015 (Peter Donnelly & Ewen Callaway), actually did confirm that in the main, the spread of DNA signatures across the UK (with the participants being people who could trace the birth of their own 4 Grandparents & their Families back to within 80km of each other) was as expected.

However, the report also identified some clusters in the UK that do have DNA differences from the majority population. When you overlay the post-1974 UK map on the location of these DNA differences the areas appear as: Cornwall; Devon; North Wales, Cumbria, Scotland, South Wales, Northern Ireland and West Yorkshire.

As someone who can trace their own family back to living in West Yorkshire in the late 18th Century, Ian questioned how West Yorkshire came to be so different not just from the UK but also from North or East Yorkshire. Why is it even called West Yorkshire and why is it located where it is?

The story of West Yorkshire starts in 383 AD, when the soon-to-be Roman Emperor, Magnus Maximus, known as Macsen Wledig in Gaelic, made local British ruler Coel Hen “Protector” of the Old North, which extended from the Humber up to Hadrian’s Wall and even to the Antonine Wall. Coel Hen, who was more than likely the leader of the Brigantes Confederation and his family, then went on to rule Northern Britain in one form or another for the next 250 years before finally being conquered by the Angles and later the Vikings.

In around 470 AD, out of the Old North, came the Kingdom of Elmet on land controlled by the “Ledees” tribe which was “Betwixt the Aire and Wharfe rivers”. This area was then attacked by both Angles and Vikings between 627 AD and 886 AD but in the main, was never colonized by them, leaving the resident Celtic-Christian population in situ. Examples of their presence can be found in the Celtic names of the rivers and hills within the area that we still use today.

Following the Danelaw agreement in 886 AD, the Vikings took over the North of England, except for Northumbria and Cumbria, and renamed it Jorvik-Scir (Yorkshire) after their main city Jorvik. They also divided the area in “Thrydings” creating the Ridings of Yorkshire with the West Riding of Yorkshire extended westwards from the River Ouse between York and The Humber to the border with the Kingdom of Cumbria.

Finally, after the Battle of Brunanburgh in 937 AD, the great King Aethelstan created the “Liberty of Cawood, Wistow and Otley” giving royal protection to local Celtic-Christian population from pagan Viking attacks originating from North and East Yorkshire This Liberty lasted until 1864 when it was merged with the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Finally, as a Christmas Mystery, new research by a local author, Alistair Hall, points to the possibility of the actual existence of “King Arthur” and for him to have been a North Britain Warlord and not associated with the South.

It is thought that his famous series of 12 battles against the Jutes and Saxons Invaders, quite possibly took place along the southern border of the Kingdom of Elmet and between the Humber and the Wash. The final battle at Mount Badon, was now thought to have taken place in 469 AD at Bardon Hill, Leicestershire.

At this time and with such locations, the name of “King Arthur” may have been Arthwys ap Mor Pendragon (fl. 450 – 520), great-grandson of Coel Hen, the “Protector” of the Old North.

Ian Earnshaw

October – Aurochs and Elk
Following his talk on Neolithic Farming, we were delighted to welcome back Professor Emeritus Peter Rowley-Conwy to tell us about “Hunting the Biggest Beasts: Aurochs and Elk in Prehistoric Europe”. His talk discussed how prehistoric man might have killed these large animals and looked at evidence for the hunting techniques in the archaeological record.

Elk or moose were stalked and then hunted using tanged point arrows. Prehistoric sites where elk bones have been butchered have often been found close to water, suggesting that the animals may have been hunted in lakes. Some rock art paintings appear to show such scenes. Ethnographic evidence provides insight into the more recent hunting of moose using canoes and harpoons.

Aurochs, we learned, were huge, muscular, and intelligent. With huge horns they stood at 180cm at the shoulder and weighed up to 900kg, they were 50cm taller than a modern Spanish fighting bull and were nearly double the weight. Getting close would have been highly dangerous, so hunting techniques were different. The skeleton of the Prejlerup Auroch, from Denmark, was found to contain flint microliths, showing that bows and arrows were used to hunt these animals. Mesolithic bows have been found in Europe, although none so far in the UK. They are carved from the dense wood of elm saplings, which gives the bow its spring. The size of the aurochs suggests a more substantial weapon, such as a spear, would have been needed to complete the killing. Considerable skill and expertise would have been required.

It was a fascinating talk and we all enjoyed having a speaker with us again in the hall and having the opportunity to chat afterwards.

J. H.

September – Elbolton Cave, near Grassington
Our programme of talks began in September with a presentation by Joe Ogden, one of our student members. He has just completed his MSc in Landscape Archaeology and Digital Heritage, at Bradford University. He explained how, as part of his research, he had created 3D digital models to visualise the interior of Elbolton Cave, near Grassington. The prehistoric human remains, artifacts, and animal bones removed during various excavations have been digitised. Using information from historical records they have been positioned in the digital cave, giving the viewer an insight into how the cave might have appeared at the time of discovery.

J.H.

June – Cumbria: the last outpost of English resistance?
In June, thanks to the wonders of modern technology and the expertise of Mike and Mike, SWAAG members had the option of joining the speaker in Fremington Sunday School or watching Zoom from home.

King William’s conquest of England in 1066 was something like the blitzkrieg of its day – a single massive defensive battle in which Saxon infantry faced armoured cavalry for the first time, resulting in English defeat and their almost immediate subjugation. The new king’s control reached from the Tamar to the Tyne within a year, although repeated rebellions took another 5 years to subdue. 

Member Rod Flint discussed why it was that the small north-west corner of the kingdom, and the central fells of the Lake District in particular, remained outside the King’s control for 91 years, and even after the Normans finally set foot there, why it took them 65 years before it was fully under their control. Geography, international politics, and the egos of competitive and powerful men all played their role.

Rod’s talk explored the politics of pre- and post-conquest northern England, looking at who the ‘strongmen’ of the north-west were, and why the King’s writ didn’t extend beyond Carlisle until late in the reign of Henry I.

R.F.

May – Bishops, Castles, and Palaces
In May SWAAG members heard about the recent excavations taking place at Auckland Castle, which was the seat of the rich and powerful Prince Bishops of Durham. The talk was given by John Castling, the Auckland Project’s archaeology curator and a doctoral researcher at Durham University.

Auckland Castle, with its parkland setting, is one of the North East’s most important medieval residential complexes. Historical documents have provided information about its occupants and the functions it served, but excavation has revealed the nature of the buildings, as well as uncovering artefacts from down the centuries. The most recent discovery is that of a magnificent, early fourteenth century, two-storey chapel, built by Bishop Bek. This was on a scale comparable to St. Stephen’s Chapel, in the old Palace of Westminster, and Sainte-Chapelle, in Paris. The chapel was deliberately destroyed at the time of the Commonwealth, in the seventeenth century. There is evidence of burning and the use of gunpowder, as well as systematic dismantling. The ruins of the chapel can be visited until they are covered over again, in July 2022.

J.H.

March – Touching the Past
A select gathering came together in a pub in Reeth to touch, hear, and think about lithics – worked and used stone objects derived in the main from flint and chert, under the knowledgeable and passionate guidance of Ric Carter, SWAAG trustee, and Heather, a fellow SWAAG member. 

Following a description of the characteristics of flint and chert (hard siliceous stones which can be quickly split into conchoidal pieces and shaped to form sharp edges) Ric and Heather passed round some of their collection of scrapers, saws, arrowheads, small sharp barbs, and lumps of partially worked and unworked stone. Mesolithic and Neolithic ancestors used the worked pieces for hunting, butchery, and other tasks, including trepanning. Their tools for doing this were hard stones and antler tips. In the Neolithic flint knapping became specialist work. Despite metal becoming available to produce artefacts, chert and flint continued to be worked. Looking at a barbed flint arrowhead, dated as Bronze Age, we considered the pride and artistic endeavour which would have been part of this activity. We also discovered that flint has a distinctive smell when split, that Mesolithic artefacts have more patina than Neolithic ones, and that the term “weapons grade chert” was coined by Tim Laurie.

Chert is found locally near Reeth whereas flint is often found at distance from the place of its geological formation. These hard stones were highly valued, and nodules would be worked (knapped) till they were too small for it to be possible to continue doing so. In some cases, the core of a stone could be “rejuvenated” by reshaping to make the last of it more workable.

We were reminded by Les Knight that finds of worked and unworked flint, in areas where flint is not part of the local geology, may not necessarily be because of importation by humans. Glaciation is likely to account for nodules of flint found in boulder clay in areas remote from the place in which they were formed, thus spreading the availability of a good material for tool and weapon making. Les also showed us a piece of worked stone (possibly volcanic) from the Lake District.

But the best was saved for last! We all handled a crude chopping flint, comfortable to hold, which Ric and his dad found (some time ago) down south in their garden. Having sought expert opinion on the age of this find they were informed that it was 300,000 years old! So, what is in your garden?

S. I.

February – Here, there and who knows where?
In February members Alan Mills and Richard Hunt gave a talk with the intriguing title ‘Here, there and who knows where?’ The subject was King Athelstan and his ‘great battle’ of 937AD. Athelstan, who ruled the Anglo-Saxons from 924, is hardly a household name, unlike his grandfather Alfred the Great. He is, however, often regarded as the first King of all England, following his defeat of the Viking Kingdom of York and the submission of the Scots and Welsh kings in 927. Athelstan had the inscription ‘Rex Totius Brittanniae’ minted on his coinage.

Athelstan waged war several times during his reign, taking his army to the far north of Scotland in 934. At the Battle of Brunanburh in 937, Athelstan and his half-brother Edmund, defeated the combined forces of the Irish Vikings led by Anlaf Guthfrithson, the Scots under King Constantine, and the Strathclyde Welsh under King Owain.

Exactly where the battle took place is unknown. Nearly thirty possibilities have been suggested to date. Different sources and translations spell the name in different ways – Brunanburh, Brunnaburh, Brune, Brunandune, Wendune and Brunanwerc are some of these. The most popular contenders for the site are modern day Burnswark in the Scottish Borders, Bromborough in the Wirral, and Burghwallis in South Yorkshire. So far there has been little in the way of archaeological evidence to support the claims, except at Bromborough and even that has been questioned. Alan and Richard presented some of the arguments in favour of these three locations, based on the likely routes of the invading forces and place name evidence. Alan favoured the Scottish site, whilst Richard favoured South Yorkshire. The subject is still being debated amongst academics. After the talk members discussed some of the other contenders for the battle site. It is probable that unless fresh, convincing evidence emerges the issue might never be resolved!
J. H.

January – Rare earths
In January we had a rather different meeting, when SWAAG member Les Knight gave a very thought-provoking talk on Rare Earths. Although these heavy metals are not household names, they are used in an increasing range of applications from energy efficient light bulbs, rechargeable batteries, and smart phones to super magnets, catalytic convertors, hybrid vehicles, and wind turbines.

They are not particularly ‘rare’, but they occur in low concentrations and mining creates large quantities of toxic and radioactive waste. China has developed a monopoly of rare earth and super magnet production prompting a search for alternative sources.

Rare earths are key resources for the UK’s green industrial revolution, but their importance has received surprisingly little recognition. A low-carbon future will be very mineral intensive. The UK’s first rare earths processing plant on Humberside was granted planning permission in 2021.

The increasing world-wide demand for these materials raises issues of equity, resource availability, resource security and geopolitics.
J. H.