Month: March 2014

Viking Age in North Yorkshire – Myth, Legend and Folklore

Northallerton & District Local History Society’s next guest speaker is Martin Arnold, Reader in Old Northern Studies at the University of Hull. His specialist area is Old Norse myth, legend and culture. Dr Arnold has published books on Icelandic sagas and the history of the Viking Age. His latest book, “Thor: Myth to Marvel”, traces the history of the Norse god from ancient times through to his depictions in contemporary popular culture.

Martin’s presentation examines the traces of Woden/Odin worship that can be glimpsed in North Yorkshire’s folklore. His main focus is on the Roman road that runs from Malton to Runswick Bay which has since become known as Wade’s Way. Folklore has it that a giant known as Wade, along with the sometimes testy assistance of his wife Bel, built this ancient pathway. Martin will argue that Wade actually signifies the chief of the Norse gods and that this single folk-tale offers a remarkable window onto a great swathe of early Germanic myths and legends, first imported by the Anglo-Saxons and revived once again by the Viking colonists.

This illustrated presentation promises to shine a new light on an adventurous people who left a significant mark on Yorkshire history and whose genes are carried by many of us today.

It will take place at the Sacred Heart Church Hall on Thirsk Road, Northallerton, where limited parking is available, at 7.00 pm on Tuesday, 11th March. Non-members are welcome to attend at a nominal admission charge of £2.50, while students under 18 will be admitted free.

Archaeology Festival Volunteer, Conisbrough Castle

Do you have a passion for the past and an interest in archaeology?

Conisbrough Castle is currently undergoing a £1m re-development project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Doncaster Council and English Heritage. As part of this programme we will be undertaking the first excavations at Conisbrough Castle in almost 40 years this June and we would like to involve as many members of the community as possible by having a community and a schools dig alongside the works.  We need volunteers to help us do this!

Would you like to train in archaeological skills?  Would you have the confidence to talk to groups of people and to perhaps supervise a small hands on activity?  Do you enjoy working as part of a team?  Are you friendly, flexible and reliable?  Then we’d love to hear from you!  This rare opportunity to get involved with a community wide archaeology project at the castle begins with a full training programme so no previous experience of archaeology is necessary, however to join the training, which starts in April, you will need to be available during the two week dig (1st – 14th June 2014).

For full details about the training and the role on offer please see the role description on our volunteering website.  Please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/volunteering and search for Conisbrough Castle to see more details and to find an application form.  Or email volunteer.enquiries@english-heritage.org.uk if you have any queries.

Closing Date: 16th March 2014

 

A Kingdom of Elmet Bibliography

This being a first attempt to pull together something of a reading list for the topic of the Kingdom of Elmet. I make no claims that this to be complete but we have to start somewhere and if, at the very least, it provides an incentive to update the card index at Claremont, it will have served a useful purpose. I will gladly post any additions that section members may care to send me. Bryan

Edmund Bogg (1902) The old kingdom of Elmet: York and the Ainsty district: a descriptive sketch of the history, antiquities, legendary lore, picturesque features, and rare architecture London: J.Heywood

Andrew Breeze (2002)  ‘The Kingdom and name of Elmet’, Northern History 39, 157-171.

C.Cessford (1997)  ‘Northern England and the Gododdin poem’, Northern History 33.1, 218-222.

F.S.Colman (1908) ‘History of the Parish of Barwick in Elmet’ Thoresby Society Publication, 17,

M. Faull (1974) ‘Britons And Angels In Yorkshire’, Studium, 6 (Sydney), 1-23.

M. L. Faull, ‘Roman and Anglian Settlement Patterns in Yorkshire’, Northern History,
IX (1974), 1-25.

M.Faull (1977) ‘British Survival in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria’, in L.Laing (ed.) Studies in Celtic Survival British Archaeological Reports, 1-55.

M.L.Faull (1981) ‘West Yorkshire in the Post Roman Period’. In M.L.Faull and S.A.Moorhouse (eds.) West Yorkshire: an archaeological survey to A.D.1500 Wakefield, West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council, 171-224.

R.Geraint Gruffydd (1994) ‘In Search of Elmet’, Studia Celtica 28, 63-79.

Nick Higham (1993) The Kingdom of Northumbria AD 350-1100 Stroud, Allen Sutton

N.J.Higham (2001) ‘Britons in Northern England in the early Middle Ages:Through a Glass Darkly’, Northern History 38.1, 5-25.

G.R.J.Jones (1975) ‘Early territorial organization in Gwynedd and Elmet’ Northern History 10(1), 3-27. 16;

A. Longbottom (1936?) ‘The old kingdom of Elmet: a lecture given at the Faith Preceptory, No.13, held on Thursday, November 26th, 1936, in the Freemasons’ Hall, Manningham Lane, Bradford’ Bradford : Waddilove and Co. John Rylands Library Manchester Masonic Research Collection (R204039.2)

Mary-Ann Ochota (2013) Britain’s Secret Treasures London Headline pp.252-3.

A.L.F.Rivet and C.Smith (1979) The Place-Names of Roman Britain London Book Club Associates

Ian Roberts, Burgess, A. and Berg, D. eds. 2001. A New Link to the Past: The Archaeological Landscape of the M1-A1 Link Road, Yorkshire Archaeological Monograph 7, Leeds.

Ian Roberts, (2014) ‘Rethinking the Archaeology of Elmet’, in F.K.Haarer et al. (eds), AD 410: The History and Archaeology of Late and Post-Roman Britain (Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies), 182–194.

Ian Sanderson & Stuart Wrathmell (2005) Archaeology from the end of the Roman Conquest to the Norman Conquest West Yorkshire Research Agenda

A.H.Smith (1961-3) The Place-Names of the West Riding of Yorkshire Cambridge – 8 volumes; Kenneth Cameron (1968) ‘Eccles in English place-names’. In M.W.Barley and R.P.C.Hanson (eds.) Christianity in Britain 300-700 Leicester, 87-92.

C.M.Taylor (1992) ‘ELMET: boundaries and Celtic survival in the post-Roman period’, Medieval History 2.1, 111-129.

Charles Thomas (1981) Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500. London, Batsford

T.D Whitaker (1816) Loidis and Elmete: or, an attempt to illustrate the districts described in those words by Bede; and supposed to embrace the lower portions of Aredale and Wharfdale, together with the entire dale of Calder, …. Leeds

P.N. Wood (1996) ‘On the little Kingdom of Craven’, Northern History 32.1, 1-20.

Alex Woolf (2004) ‘Caedualla Rex Brettonum and the passing of the old north’, Northern History, 41.1, 5-24.