Britain's Secret Treasures

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Britain's Secret Treasures Page 24

by Mary-Ann Ochota


  It’s a compelling window into Yorkshire’s tumultuous history. Leeds City Museum worked hard to raise the funds to acquire the Ring Hoard, and these treasures will now rightly stay in the region.

  See also:

  Vale of York Hoard

  Saltfleetby Spindle Whorl

  Holderness Cross

  SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND

  NORTHERN IRELAND is a region where you’re never much more than 30 minutes’ drive from the sea coast. That coastline can be unforgiving; plenty of ships and men have met their end in the treacherous waters. The incredible tale of the Girona Wreck Cameo is one tiny piece of the story of the Spanish Armada.

  The land can be hard too. The Sperrin Mountains, the Antrim Hills and the Mountains of Mourne have always been wild territories, but have offered places of protection and defence. The Mournes give you views of Strangford Lough to the north-east and across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man.

  The historic cities of Belfast, Derry-Londonderry and Armagh are rich with modern and ancient political and religious history that has impacted the whole country and beyond. St Patrick and the early Church in Armagh is beautifully represented by the Clonmore Shrine.

  And then there is the mix of land and water, the half-wet, half-dry edges that the prehistoric peoples of Ireland appear to have worshipped at, just like the people around the rest of the British Isles. The watery inland could be as important as the magnificent coastline, and Northern Ireland has both. The Horns and Crotal Musical Instruments are fascinatingly odd finds from bogs.

  SCOTLAND boasts equally varied landscape, from the barren, snow-scalded Cairngorm mountains high above the tree line, to the gentle, fertile border country that’s protected from the worst excesses of the weather.

  The borders have long been a target for visitors and invaders witnessing wave after wave of rebellion, territorial battles, raids and disputes. The Highlands appear to be a natural, pristine landscape, but they’re strongly shaped by humans. Deforestation began in prehistory, and our ancestors’ skilled use of timber is revealed in exquisite glory with the Carpow Logboat.

  Aristocratic pursuits like hunting transformed the countryside. On many large Scottish estates, land management is still focused on developing the best ‘wilderness’ to maintain prestige sports. Finds like the Newton Stewart Dog Lead give us a tiny hint of the grandeur and importance these activities have had for centuries.

  Determinedly independent, Scottish communities often focused their economic, social and political attentions out across the sea. From the very earliest times, people in Scotland weren’t inward-looking. The Blair Drummond Torc Hoard is evidence that they were part of a powerful and far-reaching network. Items like the Rosemarkie Trade Weights demonstrate the smart, entrepreneurial approaches to trade and commerce in busy port areas.

  Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules regarding Treasure. In Northern Ireland, metal detecting for archaeological artefacts is illegal unless professionally licensed. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, all archaeological finds need to be reported to the appropriate authorities. Local museum staff will take you through the appropriate steps of how to report a find.

  Kirkcaldy Heart Brooch

  A talisman to protect from violent death

  Date: Around 1350, Medieval

  Where, when and how found: Kirkcaldy, Fife; 2012; metal detecting

  Finder: Karl Driske

  Where is it now? Fife Museum

  www.fifedirect.org/museums

  Also visit: National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

  www.nms.ac.uk

  Karl Driske was metal detecting in Kirkcaldy when he struck a series of signals that revealed a range of artefacts. Amongst the medieval coins, musket balls and buttons, there were two rings and this striking silver heart-shaped brooch.

  The brooch has some intriguing features: Firstly, the front is plain, and the back is inscribed. The inscription has been carefully engraved in a style known as ‘Lombardic lettering’ and reads: ‘+ ihesus nazaren’, a short form for the popular inscription ‘IHESUS NAZARENUS REX IUDEORUM’, meaning ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’.

  It was a common phrase to have engraved on to jewellery throughout Europe in the 1300s, even though many people couldn’t read. Often, even the person engraving the badge wouldn’t be able to read, they’d simply copy the shapes of the letters. What was important was that you knew the phrase was on the badge, not whether you could read it.

  Many medieval people thought that wearing Jesus’ name would act as a talisman, hopefully protecting you against illness, disease and accidents. It’s likely that someone in 14th-century Fife bought this brooch for a loved one to wear.

  It’s estimated that at least one in three children didn’t survive childhood, and if they did, average life expectancy was between forty and fifty years old. Common illnesses like measles, infected water and food, virulent pandemics like the plague, household and occupational accidents, and for women, childbirth, all massively increased the risk of dying young and dying badly. Belief in the supernatural infused everyday life, and miracles, marvels and evil spirits were a part of the natural order of things. Christian belief, magic and superstition weren’t separate – God controlled all things, so charms and talismans weren’t usually considered ‘pagan’ or irreligious at this time.

  Putting an inscription on the back of a brooch is a more common practice with obviously ‘amatory’ (romantic) messages, often written in Norman French – that way, a casual observer wouldn’t see your lover’s words, but you could keep them close to your heart. ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ inscriptions were more often on the front, visible to all. Using the Jesus of Nazareth phrase is unusual for a romantic gift, but it possibly shows that this badge was both a love token and a talisman for good fortune, all rolled into one.

  Together with the style of the brooch pin and the form of the lettering, experts have dated this brooch to the mid-1300s, much earlier than most other examples of heart-shaped brooches. Heart brooches are relatively rare until the 15th century, but recently a similar heart-shaped badge inscribed with ‘+ ihesus nazaren’ was discovered in Dumfries and Galloway. Based on the rarity of the design from this period and the identical shapes in the engraved lettering, it’s likely that both badges were made by the same fashion-forward jeweller.

  See also:

  Rochester Cufflink

  Hockley Pendant

  Mourning Ring

  Clonmore Shrine

  The earliest Christian metalwork in Ireland

  Date: 650–700AD, Early Medieval

  Where, when and how found: Dredged river silt, Clonmore, County Armagh; 1990, 1991, 2000 & 2001; metal detecting (1990) and systematic search organised by Ulster Museum

  Finders: Eamon McCurry & James Walshe (1990); Ulster Museum staff

  Where is it now? Ulster Museum, Belfast

  www.nmni.com/um

  Also visit: Armagh Cathedral, Armagh City

  www.stpatricks-cathedral.org

  Armagh County Museum

  www.nmni.com/acm

  Before the River Blackwater reaches Lough Neagh, the largest inland body of water in Ireland, it runs past several fields in the townland of Clonmore in County Armagh. In the 1970s and late 1980s, attempts to reduce the risk of the River Blackwater flooding saw tonnes of river silt dredged and dumped in the fields bordering the Blackwater riverbanks.

  It was in one of these fields that Eamon McCurry and James Walshe discovered the first four pieces of this incredible 8cm by 3cm by 8cm long tomb-shaped shrine. Further parts of the shrine were uncovered periodically in systematic searches organised later by the Ulster Museum. These included a hinge to allow the shrine to be opened; a locking mechanism and part of a carrying attachment. Conservators have carefully put the shrine back together, now almost complete. It turns out to be the earliest example of Christian metalwork ever found in Ireland – over 1,400 years old and dating to the 600s AD.

  The Clonmore Sh
rine was designed to hold the relics of a saint inside. The surfaces have swirling designs all over them, and there would have been a dramatic colour contrast between the silvery tinned sections and the golden parts of the pattern. The decoration is influenced by earlier Iron Age ‘Celtic’ patterns but is combined with new design ideas that had become popular in religious manuscripts from the 600s AD. The combination of these artistic traditions, as well as the exquisite level of craftsmanship, reveals just how well-connected and wealthy the early Irish Church was.

  The importance of Armagh

  Armagh was an important early Christian power base – St Patrick is said to have ordered a church to be built on a hill known as Druim Saileach (‘Sallow Ridge’) in 455AD, which is now the site of the current Church of Ireland Cathedral. Armagh’s religious community grew up around St Patrick’s church, and Armagh became a destination for scholars, priests, pilgrims and craft workers. The Clonmore Shrine is likely to have been made in Armagh itself.

  “The fact that the Clonmore Shrine survived at the bottom of the Blackwater for hundreds if not a thousand years, is close to a miracle in itself”

  A key historical manuscript, The Book of Armagh, was written around 807AD by the educated, literate monks and scholars living in the city. It explains that one reason why Armagh is so important is because of the relics it holds of St Peter, St Paul, and the linen shroud of Jesus Christ. These were thought to be incredibly potent items, infused with the Holy Spirit and the power of the saints. Armagh became an important pilgrimage site in Ireland, and devoted Christians travelled a long way to worship in the city.

  The Book of Armagh also reports the parading of relics around the streets of Armagh, and it’s possible that the Clonmore Shrine was used in these processions. Such a beautiful artefact would have reflected the importance of the items inside. The design of the Clonmore Shrine means it both celebrates and conceals the relics inside, all at the same time.

  The Clonmore shrine is very similar to another reliquary shrine known as the Bobbio Shrine. Bobbio, a town in northern Italy, was founded by the Irish monk St Columbanus, who died there in 615AD. The similarity of the Bobbio and Clonmore shrines suggests that they were both made in Armagh, and close links between the Irish and the north Italians must have continued for generations after St Columbanus’ death.

  We don’t know how the Clonmore Shrine ended up in the Blackwater River, some miles from Armagh. It could have been lost in the early medieval period itself – an entry in the Annals of Ulster in the year 1118 records a priest falling into the River Blackwater with fine church metalwork, but we have no way of knowing whether the entry is describing this little shrine. The fact that the Clonmore Shrine survived at the bottom of the Blackwater for hundreds if not a thousand years, is close to a miracle in itself.

  See also:

  Holderness Cross

  North West Essex Ring

  Hockley Pendant

  Newton Stewart Dog Lead

  A stylish medieval accessory for man’s best friends

  Date: 1100–1200, Medieval

  Where, when and how found: Newton Stewart, Galloway; 2010; metal detecting

  Finder: J. A. Spencer

  Where is it now? Stranraer Museum, Stranraer

  www.dumfriesmuseum.demon.co.uk/stranmuse.html

  Also visit: The Dog Collar Museum, Leeds Castle, Kent

  www.leeds-castle.com

  We’ve always been a nation who loves our dogs, and that was never more true than when hunting was a sport of nobles, and man’s best friend could give you a leg up the social ladder.

  This is a bronze swivel ring attachment for joining two dog leads to a central point, so that one handler could hold and release two hunting dogs easily. It dates to the 12th–13th centuries, a time when cultural attitudes across Scotland, England and the whole of western Europe were shifting. Previously, a nobleman’s status and power came primarily from his ability and willingness to raise armies and fight with, and for, other lords. Loyalty and obligation was the glue that stuck the social system together. Lords would provide protection and support to the people living on their land, and in exchange, workers and labourers were expected to support their nobles in conflicts and battles, and pay their dues.

  But increasingly, an aristocrat’s social etiquette and chivalry was just as important as his prowess in battle. Off the battlefield, getting ahead in elite Scottish society depended on demonstrating your manliness and your skill in other physical pursuits – and there was no better arena to show off than during the hunt.

  Medieval hunting

  Hunting was an incredibly important activity in a medieval nobleman’s life. It wasn’t just an entertaining pastime, but was a way to demonstrate your charm, your prowess and your understanding of the finer details of courtly etiquette and chivalry. This was an age when your fortunes, and even your life, depended on finding favour with the people in charge. If you were a noblewoman hoping to marry well, your fate would be determined to a great extent by how well your father, brothers and uncles could carry themselves at court, in battle and during ‘the Chase’.

  Dogs would have been trained by servants as well as perhaps by their owners. A man’s prestige was demonstrated by his horses, his hounds and his hawks – how good they were at working, and how well turned-out they were on the hunting field.

  There are many rituals associated with medieval hunting, including butchering the hunted prey in the forest in a formalised and ritual manner. It was another opportunity to demonstrate your nobility – you could show that you knew the correct terms for the different stages and the different parts of the animal, and were good at the skilled butchery process. The first hunting manuals are written in the 1100s, helping the upwardly thrusting young noble to do his homework and get a headstart. The allocation of meat from hunts was also a way to demonstrate your social status – the modern phrase to eat ‘humble pie’ originates from the medieval English word for offal – umbles. If you were eating ‘umbles pie’, it showed that you were lowly and at the bottom of the pecking order.

  The medieval dog

  The dog lead found in Newton Stewart is finely crafted, and shows how much people invested in their hunting equipment. The swivel ring section is shaped like a clenched human fist gripping the larger oval, and the loop and dog lead attachment plates are engraved with little patterns around the borders and rivets. The practice of working hunting dogs as a pair, known as a ‘couple’, was common across Europe.

  “There are many rituals associated with medieval hunting, including butchering the hunted prey in the forest in a formalised and ritual manner”

  This lead would have been used to clip a couple of hunting dogs to a huntsman’s wrist. The actual leather of the leads has survived in part, and its thickness suggests that this was a lead for a pair of small- to medium-sized dogs which would have been used for scenting out prey or hunting smaller game like hares. At the appropriate time in the hunting field, the huntsman would ‘loose’ the dogs and they would be able to run out and work.

  Dog breeds as we know them now didn’t exist in medieval times – but an intelligent, athletic hunting bitch would be mated with an intelligent, athletic hunting dog, in the hopes that the puppies would also be good hunters. The trend towards a particular type of coat, shape of ear or muzzle would have led from this, but ‘show’ breeds were only invented in Victorian times. In medieval times, regardless of what a dog looked like, if it couldn’t chase down a hare or follow a scent, it was pretty useless.

  See also:

  Carlton Knight

  Hawking Vervel

  Rosemarkie Trade Weights

  Illegal weights from a cosmopolitan coastal village

  Date: 1707–1725, Post Medieval

  Where, when and how found: Rosemarkie, Highlands; 2011; metal detecting

  Finder: Robert Brown

  Where is it now? Groam House Museum, Rosemarkie

  www.groamhouse.org.uk

  Sometimes t
he most functional of items can give us an evocative insight into the lives of our ancestors. This set of nested weights was discovered by Robert Brown at Rosemarkie, a small village overlooking the Moray Firth, twelve miles north-east of Inverness.

  Known as ‘Trade Weights’, they would have been used by merchants to measure their goods. The Rosemarkie set measures in ‘troy ounces’ (1 troy ounce is about 31 grams), a measure traditionally used for precious metals and gemstones.

  Maker’s marks on the set reveal that it was made in Nuremburg, Germany, by a founder named Hans Leonhard Abend, between 1707 and 1725. Given Rosemarkie’s relative isolation from the main centres of trade in Britain, it’s possible that locals had easier access to imported continental items than items from southern Scotland or England. Metal detectorists in Scotland have found a number of knives, toys and dress accessories made in Germany and Holland, and each find is drawing a clearer picture of 1600s and 1700s east-coast Scotland being more cosmopolitan than we’d previously thought.

  Law makers attempted to control and standardise trade weights, protecting buyer, seller and their own tax revenues. The Rosemarkie set has authentication marks from the city of Emden, a sea port in modern Germany. Rosemarkie itself never had a harbour – instead, mariners came to nearby Fortrose and goods and coinage would have been traded out from there.

  “Maker’s marks on the set reveal that it was made in Nuremburg, Germany, by a founder named Hans Leonhard Abend, between 1707 and 1725”

 

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