Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2018!

Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2018

New Year's Resolution: blog more!

A presto!

Hadriana XX

What's new for 2017? Quid novi?

We have won some

matched EU Leader funding for a small project we are doing at Four Wynds and Hands-on-Latin. More details to follow anon! We are very excited!!!! Have been a bit quiet of late...it has been 9 months in the planning. Brexit was also a slight hiccup too. We are getting there - slowly but surely. As they say 'festina lente' - Hurry slowly! :-)

Happy Christmas and all the very best for 2017!

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and all the best for 2017!

Great plans ahead for 2017. Can't wait to tell you more...!!

Have a wonderful and peaceful holiday season.

Best wishes,

Hadriana 😀

Snow, stones, forts, castles: Walltown, Thirlwall, Bewcastle

Up at Walltown with Jeff, the volunteer ranger, from Northumberland National ParkWe talked about many things on this November Hadrian's Wall Community Champions Project Walk last Wednesday: geology; a missing turret (45B); the Wall (but of course); King Arthur legends; a Roman limestone quarry hereabouts; whinstone quarries (19C.&20C.); Saving the Wall, chives; pele tower at Walltown Farm; stones from Milecastle 45 acting as water troughs at the Farm; the dating of the tower & Bishop Ridley's brother, John Ridley, who inherited the tower. Up on Hadrian's Wall at Walltown in a 'Nick' (a gap) you will see a fence around an old well This is known as King Arthur's Well. Legend has it that King Edwin of Northumbria was baptised by Paulinus at this well or spring at Walltown, some four miles from Haltwhistle. The spring still supplies water to many of the farms and it was probably a Roman shrine. Jeff  confirmed that NNPA archaeologists confirmed that the stones used in this well were Roman.
For more information on Walltown please click on this link: (Walltown Education Pack - Northumberland National Park)

vale to Maria! Hail & Farewell! (ave atque vale!) Maria has done lots of sterling work over the years with Hadrian's Wall Heritage, Hadrian's Wall Trust & Hadrian's Wall Community Champions Project. Maria is off to pastures new...we shall miss her!

Snowy views up at Walltown overlooking the quarry (now a Northumberland National Park nature reserve)

Jeff being very knowledgeable (NNPA)

P & Friends measuring a stone which came from Hadrian's Wall originally at Thirlwall Castle
At Thirlwall castle (under the guardianship of Northumberland National Park) we looked at the origins of the name (it means 'break in the Wall'); the history of the medieval castle with links to Richard III and Edward I who stayed there for 4 nights 710 years ago (during September 1306)

Views of Thirlwall Castle 

We also talked about the legend of the golden table. A widow's son will break the spell and release the keeper of the golden table plus the table itself! For further information click here: Thirlwall Castle History (Romanticism, Reivers, Parliamentarians, Earl of Carlisle and more.)

For conservation of Thirlwall Castle please click here: Robin Kent/Soft Capping

It is also rumoured that there is a tunnel between Thirlwall Castle and Blenkinsopp Castle which is nearby...the name of Thirlwall lives on in Nine Nicks of Thirlwall (now Seven due to the extensive whinstone quarrying) and Thirlwall Parish Council and the surname Thirlwall. (My old French teacher and a Little Mix band member spring to mind. I do not think they were related....!!)

After Thirlwall Castle we had our picnic lunch at Greenhead Village Hall and we then drove along various roads (touching parts of the Stanegate and the Maiden Way) to get to Bewcastle. We passed Triermain Castle and Askerton Castle along the way. Bewcastle is 6 miles north of Birdoswald (Banna) Fort. It has a population of 300 people.

Reverend Rob Brown  (above) expertly explaining the different meanings of the Anglo-Saxon Cross at Bewcastle

St. John the Evangelist with an eagle

West face: John the Baptist holding a lamb and below him the figure of Christ

The east face: the vine

Neolithic Origins/Roman/Christian/Norman/Reiver Bewcastle
Bewcastle (also known as Fanum Cocidii, the Temple of Cocidius) has been the centre of religious life since before the time of the Romans. Traces of burial mounds, cairns and the remains of hut circles date settlement to the Neolithic period (4000-2000BC). There is also evidence of habitation in the Bronze Age and Iron Age. The natives worshipped Cocidius who has been associated with the Roman god, Mars. A local Cumbrian historian, Diane McIlmoyle, who goes by the name of Esmeralda, has produced a great series of posts on Bewcastle/Cocidius/Cumbrian locals at Bewcastle.
Here is her post: Cocidius-Cumbrian God


Silver votive plaques showing Cocidius, found in the strong room of the Roman fort, can be seen at Tullie House Museum in Carlisle.
Please note there was also a Bewcastle Cauldron (which pre-dates the Romans)...also written about by Esmeralda. The real thing can be seen at Tullie House.
The Romans were good at hedging their bets and adopted local gods...here they have matched Cocidius with Mars (God of War and Hunting) but Cocidius is also associated with the God of Forests, Woods and Trees, Silvanus (we know him as "The Green Man"). They built their turf and timber fort in an unusual hexagonal shape (rather than that of a rectangular shape) over the site of the original shrine to Cocidius. Its headquaters and gates were made of stone. Fanum Cocidii is a Hadrianic Fort (and an outpost fort alongside those of Netherby, Castra Exploratorum, and Birrens, Blatobulgium) to Hadrian's Wall via Gillaleas Beacon Roman Signal Station. It was built in AD122-124. The original garrison came from Dacia (modern Romania). They were later replaced by 1000 Nervians from Germany and 250 cavalry.  It is an unusual hexagonal shape, as previously mentioned, and one of the biggest forts at 6 acres.
To get a sense of the scale and see the size/shape of the fort - have a look at it using Google Earth. (Some of my links also show these.)

After the Romans
After the Romans left (or not - as the case may be - please see a timeline here)...Bewcastle continued in a religious sense by possibly having a small monastic cell present within the Roman fort walls and hence the very fine late 7th century (c. 675AD) Anglo-Saxon Cross was built. It is made of sandstone and stands at 14 feet high. Like Roman statues and inscriptions it too would have been vividly painted. It is missing its cross head. (Its sister cross retains its cross head and to a certain extent is better preserved. It was broken up and buried so was not so weather beaten. Nevertheless the Bewcastle cross is absolutely splendid. The resident vicar at Bewcastle, Reverend Rob Brown, did a fantastic job of deciphering what the drawings and the inscriptions all meant. There are different interpretations as the Anglo-Saxons liked their puzzles apparently...

The south face and the famous sundial

St. Cuthbert's church is behind the cross
 (and the sister cross is at Ruthwell in Scotland)

The small but beautifully formed museum at Bewcastle

The converted barn museum (within the church cemetery) is definitely worth a visit as it explains the Anglo-Saxon Cross and the site of Bewcastle (in all its manifestations in great detail).

Bewcastle Church is named after St. Cuthbert who must have visited Bewcastle (to see the Cross)
It was rebuilt in 18C.

Norman Fort/Castle
The castle/Norman fort was built soon after in 1092 in the NE angle of the fort. The present castle was built between 1340-60 by John de Strivelyn (lord of Bewcastle and one of Edward III's generals. It later passed to the de Middleton family who allowed it to decay and then passed it to the Crown. Richard III, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) in his capacity as Warden of the English West March (c.1470-83) is thought to have repaired the castle and to have added the gatehouse on the west side. From the late 15th century until 1608 the castle and the manor were held for the Crown by the Musgraves who acted as Constables. It was abandoned and demolished around 1640. Both Bewcastle Norman Castle and Thirlwall Castle have excellent information panels showing how the interior of both buildings were used and inhabited.

The Norman Fort within the confines of the Roman Fort
also has connections with Richard III

Bucolic Norman Fort/Castle scene complete with hens, sheep and llamas from the neigbouring farm (Demesne Farm)

Many visitors come from abroad to research their surnames and Reiver family heritage.  Two Armstrong brothers (in the 1800s) became noted steam locomotive engineers. Their careers were mainly spent on the Great Western Railway.

A touching reminder in St.Cuthbert's cemetery (this being Remembrance Sunday) of the different communities who lived and died at Bewcastle and elsewhere in different wars down the ages.

Further information about Bewcastle and the Anglo-Saxon Cross can be gained from leaflets inside St. Cuthbert's Church and Reverend Rob Brown.

The incredibly informative Bewcastle website www.bewcastle.com  is in the process of being updated.

Further reading:
Saving the Wall, The Conservation of Hadrian's Wall, 1746-1987
by Stephen Leach & Alan Whitworth

Ancient Frontiers: Exploring the geology and landscape of Hadrian's Wall area - British Geological Survey

Handbook to the Roman Wall (J.Collingwood Bruce) 14th edition David J. Breeze

Romans and After in North Cumbria - Hadrian's Wall Community Champions' Exploration Events

In Gilsland (almost at Poltross Burn)

Yesterday, as part of Hadrian's Wall Community Champions' Exploration Events, we were able to hear about Lauren and Liam's organic farming activities at Willowford Farm (& B&B) and at The Samson Inn. They are a young couple who are passionate about local produce and are dedicated to the area. After Liam's talk we visited Milecastle 48 (at Poltross Burn also known locally as The King's Stables since medieval times). We walked the Roman mile (49) to Birdoswald Roman Fort taking in turrets, the Stone Wall, the bridge abutment, the modern bridge and Milecastle 49 at Harrow's Scar. We were also able to spot inscriptions and phallic symbols in and around Hadrian's Wall along the route.

Milecastle 48/Poltross Burn/King's Stables

Turret 49A (Willowford)

Willowford Bridge Abutment

We, 16 of us, enjoyed a delicious lunch at Slack House Farm where Dianne and Eric Horn farm in an organic, sustainable way. Lunch was served in the Scypen (next door to where they also have a bunkhouse) and where they make their fantastic Birdoswald cheese. They were very welcoming to us and they talked about their farming activities too.

Walking down to the bridge abutment

After lunch we visited the Roman Fort at Birdoswald (also known as Banna) where we discussed the turf wall, the beauty of the landscape, all things Roman, warlords, Arthurian legends (linking King Arthur to Hadrian's Wall) and St. Patrick's possible birth place. The English Heritage team were very helpful. There is talk of an upgrade to the whole site for 2017 which sounds as if it will be fabulous if it does go ahead. Fingers crossed.

At Harrow Scar Milecastle (49)

We went by bus to Upper Denton to the churchyard and the Norman church with Saxon elements. It is just below Birdoswald where we looked up again at the site of the fort. We discussed the effect of the Reivers on Sir Walter Scott. He visited the area several times and one of his novels in particular, Guy Mannering, is based on certain real people and places in Gilsland.  (Will Higgs' website has lots of research on the Guy Mannering characters.) During the day we reflected on all the different historical elements within Gilsland: steam locomotives, railways; the E-W train line (and the campaign to reopen Gilsland station); the history of Gilsland Hotel and Spa, the Scottish/English border wars; the Romans; the Reivers; Romance; Writers and Poets; Religion and so on. We also inspected a fortified vicarage/bastle house and an earthwork which may possibly be Roman given its proximity to the early Stanegate supply 'frontier' road that runs through Upper or Over Denton.

Upper Denton Churchyard & Norman/Saxon Church with Roman arch

All in all, it was a marvellously sunny autumnal day and a good time was had by all.

(Many more things/people/events/history were discussed during the day and I hope to expand this blog post with a further series of posts - expanding on what I have mentioned above.)

vale!

Hadriana

Wonderful praise from BCA Study Abroad and Texas State University

Marta explaining what has been happening with the excavations at Vindolanda, within the fort, this season 

Group listening to Marta, one of the archaeologists, Vindolanda Trust

Texas State University, Department of Communication Disorders

My tour focussed on language, learning and the history of communication at Vindolanda and Hadrian's Wall

Dear Catherine,

I just returned from England with the Texas State University Group and I wanted to take a moment to thank you again taking the time to arrange the visit and meet with our group*. Between your commentary and Vindolanda itself it was a truly memorable day. I know that the students and faculty were delighted with the opportunity to visit with you and the visit contributed greatly to their experience.

I hope that we will have the opportunity to work with you again on future programs.

Best wishes,
Stephen

Stephen Burwood, Ph.D
Chief Academic Officer & Director of Programs
BCA Study Abroad
hhtp://bcanet.orgBCA Study Abroad

* The tour took place a week ago....I gave a guided commentary on the J&M Travel Coach from Newcastle along the route of Hadrian's Wall. We stopped for a tour around Vindolanda and then we finished the tour at Steel Rigg. This is an incredibly picturesque spot on Hadrian's Wall.

My huge thanks goes to BCA Study Abroad, Texas State University Group, The Vindolanda Trust and Marta (plus all the staff at both Vindolanda and The Roman Army Museum), J&M Travel

Communication in the Roman World: What did the Romans ever do for us? Talk

I gave a talk for Hadrian's Wall Community Champions all about communication (and how efficient it was) along Hadrian's Wall/Roman Empire in Hexham last Thursday. It was great fun! It was an incredibly hot day but we (over 20 of us) survived the heat as we all had lots of water (and signals and water clocks) to hand...

The talk was all about what the Romans used for communication. We looked at the Roman road system and the cursus publicus (the Imperial postal system). We looked at signalling methods: an ancient historian, Polybius, described this method to us. In the second photo above you can see that we are trying out that signalling system (which used five flags or torches).

We signalled a word to the audience using the orange flags on sticks. That word turned out to be 'LATRINA' or toilet/loo! Aptly signalling the short break or intermission in my talk.

If you want to see more on this...check out this short clip: from 'What the Romans did for us' with Adam Hart-Davis...(Edge of Empire Part II)

This short clip also looks at the Vindolanda tablets including the famous birthday party invitation from Claudia Severa to Sulpicia Lepidina. This is the first example of a woman's handwriting in the Roman world.

Replica of a wooden tablet and ink dip pen

I talked about wooden tablets (Vindolanda and the recent cache of those at London), wax tablets, inscriptions, verbal messages, visual messages sent via people, flags, torches, smoke, water clocks (covered by Adam Hart-Davis in his series), signal towers and so forth.

An excellent book which looks at Roman signalling is that of D. Woolliscroft: Roman Military Signalling (published by the History Press).

We also looked at levels of literacy in the Roman World and how all these fascinating ways of communication came to be passed to us down into our languages of today.

I pointed out that one of my favourite words from one of the Vindolanda tablets (Masclus asking for more beer) is the Celtic word 'cervesa'
which very definitely comes down to us into the Spanish language and goes out to the world: cerveza (with its different pronunciations).

Naturally the conclusion of my talk was that via their very effective communication methods we bought in to the Roman 'brand'. We are influenced by the Romans in countless ways...e.g.: over 50% of our English language has Latin roots (via 2 different routes); over 90% of Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese (the Romance languages) have Latin roots; culture; art; theatre; medicine; law; astronomy; music; horticulture; religion; language et cetera; all of which the Romans left to us as a legacy.

So to address a very familiar question:'What have the Romans ever done for us?'....just about everything...without us even really being aware of it....!! How's that for efficient communication!