A bit of extra listening

I’m pleased to announce that a conversation about the study and nature of history I had with Mr. Nigel Killick of the great project Peopletalk is now available on the Peopletalk site. Mr. Killick interviewed me several weeks ago and the result is now posted on his site. Check it out here and spend some time looking around the rest of the site – it’s a fascinating project of which I’m honored to have taken part! Thanks, Nigel!

Castell Dinas Bran

Show notes

Length: 17′ 8”

Contributors: Jim M, Wayne N, and Nigel K

Further reading: 

Bartlett, W. (2003). The Taming of the Dragon: Edward I and the Conquest of Wales. Stroud, Sutton Publishing Limited.

Kinross, J. (1973). Discovering Castles in England and Wales. Aylesbury, Shire Publications LTD.

Liddiard, R. (2005). Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism, and Landscape, 1066 to 1500. Macclesfield, Windgather Press Ltd.

Ohlgren, T. H. (2005). Medieval Outlaws: Twelve Tales in Modern English Translation. West Lafayette, Parlor Press.

Oman, C. (1989). British Castles. New York, Dover Publications.

The History of Fulk Fitz Warine (full text, via Google books)

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There is a town in northeastern Wales, the county of Denbighshire, called Llangollen. The town itself is lovely and I’m sure we could spend a few hours discussing its history here, but what I want to talk about tonight is what is situated about a mile outside of the modern city. High atop one of the hills surrounding Llangollen are the ruins of a once-great fortress, an important castle sought after by princes and warriors and the site of its own battle or two. The ruins are what remains of Castell Dinas Brân, legendary referred to as Crow Castle and a few other similar names. It’s a beautiful spot in an enchanting country, and there’s more history surrounding it than one may think looking up at the hill from the River Dee and the apparent pile of rocks sitting at the top.
When working on the research for this episode, one thing about the history of Dinas Brân struck me, and that was its relative paucity. Lacking the ability to read any sort of Welsh primary sources, the English secondary sources to which I must refer largely mention Dinas Brân in passing, as it were. This only serves to increase the mystery surrounding the castle, as we have little on which to rely for information on its construction, inhabitation, and later ruin. Most of the early information which we have about Dinas Brân was written by authors already describing it in an historical sense; that is, medieval authors treated a castle already in ruins, and the story of its foundation is far less understood than its minor role in later history and the places it occupies in historical texts.
The first “castle” thought to have been built atop the hill was probably an Iron Age fort, simply being a large mound topped by a wooden palisade, with a village of roundhouses inside and a deep ditch on the outside for protection, certainly a far cry from what was originally the ruins one sees today when looking up from Llangollen. Later improvements, renovations, and new constructions on top of the hill have yet to be archaeologically proven, but historians speculate that some sort of wooden fortress dominated the hill prior to the 11th century, which we will hear about in one of my favorite medieval stories.
The most notable mention of Dinas Brân that we find is in the Romance of Fouke fitz Waryn, a prose tale probably adapted from a late-13th century poem in the early 14th century, most likely by a clerical figure. The part of the story that directly concerns us in relation to this episode occurs early on in the tale, when William the Conqueror is pacifying the Welsh marches and awarding his newly-won land to his Norman nobles. What is most interesting about this is that the story itself comes from the late-13th or early-14th century but is set in the decades immediately following the Norman Conquest, so keep that in mind as you listen.
The ruins which Peveral would have fought the giant in during the Romance are not the same as one encounters today at Dinas Brân. These are most likely what remains of the castle built sometime in the 13th century by a Welsh prince, possibly a son of Madoc, lord of Powys, who also founded the nearby Valle Crucis Abbey.
We know that in 1270, at least 4 princes of Powys met at the castle to sign some sort of document, and this does give us some clue as to its importance at that point in time. Only a bit over a decade later, however, the castle was doomed to ruin when Edward I of England put a decisive end to Welsh independence, and Dinas Brân and all the lands around it were awarded to John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, who allowed the castle overlooking Llangollen to fall into ruin, choosing instead to build a new castle at Holt on the Dee. This itself is a fascinating piece of “what-if” history, as just before the Earl of Surrey was granted the castle, another English noble, Henry de Lacy, recommended to King Edward that the castle be restored after the siege which had destroyed it. Edward disagreed, John de Warenne got the castle, and the rest is, quite literally, history. Owain Glyndwr briefly attempted to take the castle in the early 15th century, but this was to be the end of Dinas Brân glory. John Leland, well-know traveler during the reign of Henry VIII, described the castle in mid-century as a ruin. So the story ends for Dinas Brân.
Today, one can still easily visit the castle as it is open to the public at all hours – to my knowledge, there are no personnel who keep watch of the castle, and the only barrier to its exploration is the moderate-length hike from Llangollen that one must make up the hill. You could even follow the direction of Karl Baedeker, whose 1897’s “Great Britain” mentions Dinas Brân by saying:
“The ruins of Dinas Brân castle surmount the boldly-formed hill on the north side of the Vale of Llangollen. We cross the bridge over the Dee, proceed a few paces to the right, and then ascend to the left to a bridge over the Shropshire Union Canal. On the other side we find ourselves opposite a sign-post, pointing on the right to the Trevor Rocks, on the left to the Eglwyseg Rocks, and straight on to Dinas Brân. The path to the latter ascends through a few fields, crossing two cart-tracks, and reaches the open hillside at a gate just above a house where refreshments are sold. The ruins at the top are of very early origin, but are not so picturesque as they appear from below. The view includes the finely-shaped Eglwyseg Rocks on the north, the valley of the Dee on the east, Llangollen to the south, Moel-y-Geraint and the Berwyns to the southwest, and Moel-y-Gamelin to the northwest.”
From my one visit there, I know it’s not difficult to find and trek to Dinas Brân, and the friendly citizens of Llangollen are happy to give you direction. For simplicity’s sake, I quote directions from Dinas Brân’s Wikipedia entry:
“The castle may be approached from two directions. From Llangollen the path starts from Canal Bridge and runs beside Ysgol (ee sow goal)Dinas Brân. It gradually climbs past several cottages before opening out onto the lower slopes of the hill. A zig-zag path then climbs to the summit. The other route starts from ‘Offa’s Dyke Path’ on the north western side of the hill. This route is shorter but steeper. Official advice is to equip yourself with stout walking shoes and warm, waterproof clothing before climbing to the castle.”
Many thanks are due to kind supporters Jim M, Wayne N, and Nigel K who contributed to this show. I am available through email at BritishHistory101@gmail.com, on Skype on the name britishhistory101, through Twitter at maskaggs, and Facebook under Michael Anthony Skaggs. Feel free to drop me a bit of snail mail, too, at:

Michael Anthony
British History 101
PO Box 1177
Bloomington, Indiana 47408

Again, my sincere thanks and best wishes to you all. I hope you’ll join me again on our next visit to our green and pleasant land!

MP3 File

The Dawning of a New Era

In the hopes that someone out there is still reading this, I thought I’d post a quick update on the show.

I realize it’s been an eternity since I last posted a show, but I’m looking to change that very soon. I assure you there is something in the works, and I want YOUR help with it! Without giving away our next topic, please do contact me if you have any photos, videos, or anything of the like that you may have obtained on your travels to historic locations around Britannia that you would like to share with the show. I promise you won’t regret it!

If you do want to contribute to our next episode, please contact me through any of the following channels:

Email: BritishHistory101[at]gmail.com

Skype: britishhistory101

Twitter: maskaggs

Facebook: Michael Anthony Skaggs

Thank you!

Happy Birthday to HRH The Prince of Wales

British History 101, as an interested party in all things both British and historical, would like to extend its warmest wishes to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales on the occasion of his 60th birthday. 

This event is doubly interesting to us because of the official portrait selected by HRH for the occasion. Unfortunately, I can’t get a direct file of the photo, but if you click here you’ll see it for yourself.

I’m so interested because of what he’s wearing, and more specifically the medals. The photo I linked up has a description of those medals, which reads “Charles’ medals (from left): Queen’s Service Order (New Zealand) which he received in 1983, Coronation Medal (1953), Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Gold Jubilee Medal (2002), Canadian Forces Decoration (1991), a 15-year bar received in 2006, New Zealand Commemorative Medal (1990),” and the BBC story covering the portrait gives us this bit about the rest of his shiny accoutrements – all important to listeners of past episodes of the show, for reasons you will read!:

“s well as the medals (for details, see picture caption) the prince is pictured wearing three breast stars.

At the top is the Most Noble Order of the Garter (Knight) which he received in 1968.

Below it on the left is the Most Ancient and the Most Noble Order of The Thistle (Knight) which Charles was awarded in 1977.

On the right is the Most Honourable Order of the Bath Great Master (Military) which the Prince received in 1975.

Charles is also wearing two neck orders, the Order of Merit received in 2002 and the Most Honourable Order of the Bath Great Master (Military) which he received in 1975.

The blue sash across the Prince’s chest is The Most Noble Order of the Garter which has his Army Flying Wings at the shoulder.

The aiguillette – the gold braid at the Prince’s right shoulder – recognises his appointment as the Queen’s Aide-de-Camp (ADC).”

 

Wonderful! And again, happy birthday!

‘Hidden’ Iron Age fort uncovered

This is a really interesting article I came across the other day on the BBC website.

 

“The full extent of a hill fort likened to an Iron Age “Millennium Stadium” has been uncovered by investigators.

Gaer Fawr hillfort at Guilsfield, near Welshpool, Powys, is effectively hidden by woodland, making it impossible to appreciate the scale of it.

Detailed survey by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales produced a computer model of the site which dates from around 800BC.”

This is especially interesting for studying the age of the Danish invasions and Alfred’s defense of them (which didn’t concern what we now know as Wales to a terrible extent, but this is pertinent nonetheless due to Alfred’s pioneering burh construction). Here’s a photo of the site as it is now:

 

The site of the hillfort as it stands today. Source: BBC

Aside from the stunning beauty of the Welsh countryside, imagine the following reconstruction of the fort:

 

An historian

 It’s a great article and I recommend checking it out. Fascinating!

Remembering the Armistice

Today marks the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I. Oddly enough, despite its distance in time from my generation, this is the first conflict that I think I have a solid understanding of and still feel some sort of pride at victory and pain and loss.

I will apologize now in advance to the BBC for reproducing their material here in full for your enjoyment. You can find the original here. I highly recommend watching the videos. And those damned fools Ekklesia make one ashamed that free speech allows stupid statements such as theirs.

Three of the four surviving British veterans of World War I have helped mark the 90th anniversary of the end of the conflict.

Henry Allingham, 112, Harry Patch, 110, and Bill Stone, 108, represented the RAF, Army and Royal Navy respectively at a ceremony at London’s Cenotaph.

They led the country in observing two minutes’ silence from 1100 GMT.

Among other Armistice Day events across Europe, Prince Charles laid a wreath at a battle site in France.

The three veterans were met with a round of applause as they were wheeled to the Cenotaph for the ceremony.

Lit up by rays of winter sunshine, the men watched silently as their armed forces representatives laid wreaths on their behalf, one by one.

The ceremony formed the core of Britain’s most important service to mark the 90th anniversary Armistice Day commemorations.

At 1100 GMT, a two-minute silence marked the moment – at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – when the Armistice Treaty signed by the Allies and Germany to end four years of conflict came into effect.

I’m glad to be here – it means a lot to me. I hope people realise what my pals sacrificed on their behalf Henry Allingham World War I veteran, aged 112   In Pictures: Armistice Day 2008 Church attacked over remembrance Poignant ceremony marks day

Mr Allingham – the world’s oldest World War I veteran and the UK’s oldest man – said: “I’m glad to be here. It means a lot to me. I hope people realise what my pals sacrificed on their behalf.”

The last-known survivor of the Battle of Jutland, who is partially deaf and nearly blind, said his comrades should never be forgotten, and he could not describe what they meant to him.

Mr Allingham released an autobiography last September in the hope that, as the last of the World War I veterans disappear, their story will live on.

Former sailor Bill Stone said: “I shall never forget it. I was one of the lucky ones and I’m thankful for that.

“Of course they should be remembered. If it wasn’t for them [those who died] we wouldn’t be here.”

Defence secretary John Hutton said: “It’s important for us to remember the sacrifices that were made by that brave generation and try to repay the debt of gratitude that we all owe them.”

The veterans represented the RAF, Army and Royal Navy

Dennis Goodwin, chairman of the World War One Veterans’ Association, said the three veterans’ presence at the ceremony was “tremendous”.

He added: “These men suffered the horrors of a war and they had to then face a life of uncertainty – the Great Depression and the aftermath of the war.

“They had little or no help for any of the traumas they suffered and no help from the government, and they created our generation.”

Accompanying the veterans throughout were their modern representatives: Marine Mkhuseli Jones, who holds the Military Cross; Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, who has the Victoria Cross; and Flight Lieutenant Michelle Goodman, a holder of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The service was led by the Bishop to the Armed Forces, the Right Reverend David Conner.

The three veterans met Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a Downing Street reception afterwards.

The fourth surviving British veteran, Claude Choules, 107, lives in Australia and was due to attend events there.

Military personnel gathered at the Cenotaph to honour the fallen

Last week, veteran Sydney Lucas died at the age of 108. He had been one of the last conscripts called up in 1918, although peace was declared before he was sent to the trenches.

Another ceremony was held at the National Memorial Arboretum, in Alrewas, Staffordshire. Here there was also a two-minute silence, and a Royal Air Force flypast.

The memorial at this ceremony was designed so that at 1100 GMT on 11 November, a shaft of sunlight would pass through it to illuminate a wreath on the central plinth.

The Royal Family was represented by Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

HAVE YOUR SAY 

We should honour those who fought and died in all all wars, but recognise that WW1 was utterly unnecessary

Suki Hundal ,Coventry, UK

Send us your comments

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were the guests of honour of French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the event in Verdun.

The French and German armies clashed there in 1916, and the site has since become a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation.

Meanwhile, a Christian research group has criticised the Church of England’s involvement in Armistice Day events, saying it amounts to a “political statement” at odds with its teaching and beliefs.

Ekklesia claims that, when the Church says it is commemorating “those who have given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today”, it is ignoring the political and theological implications of its actions.

But the Rev Dr Giles Fraser, the Rector of Putney in south-west London, responded that the Church was right to honour people’s sacrifice.

I’m still quite alive

Many thanks to those of you who still drop by the blog now and then and keep an eye out for new episodes – I know it’s been a very long time since we’ve gotten together for one of our chats. I’ve got a rather important event coming up this week that’s taking up most (if not all) of my free time, so the plan right now is to get back into the saddle on Saturday or so (alliteration?). Until then, check out some of the older episodes and keep me posted on your suggestions!

A witch! A witch!

The post title has absolutely nothing to do with the post itself, but I’ve had that seen from Monty Python and the Holy Grail stuck in my head all day. Perhaps that will clear it.

 

I’ve just finished the research for the next episode of the show, and I do hope there’s still an audience out there! I realize it’s been a long time, so thanks for hanging around. Don’t forget, you can reach me via email at BritishHistory101@gmail.com, through Skype at BritishHistory101, Facebook at Michael Anthony Skaggs, and snail mail at the show’s PO box! Until then, cheers!

Calling all Britons (and all who have visited)

Come May 2009, British History 101 is going on the road…and in the air! I will be making my (by then) long-awaited pilgrimage to the Sceptered Isle next summer and am officially in the planning phase of the journey. This is exactly when I need all of YOU to help me out! I can only do so much searching for itinerary points from here; what I really need is some firsthand suggestions and points-of-interest for places I can visit. Naturally, I am looking for locations with a rich history; I’d also like to do a short walk or two along parts of a National Trail (maybe overnight, as well). I also need suggestions for accomodations, favourite pubs, and out-of-the-way places that most tourists aren’t able or don’t think to visit. And perhaps a meet-and-greet in a convenient location for a few of us to come together and share some history? Not out of the question at all! Details to come, but start submitting ideas NOW!

The last addition to the “Seriously?” file

From the BBC:

“A cat is recovering after narrowly avoiding death when it was shot with a crossbow on Teesside. X-ray images show how Smokey was speared by an 8in (20cm) crossbow bolt in Hartlepool. Vets said the bolt just missed vital organs…[a] Cleveland Police spokesman confirmed there had been other similar incidents in the Hartlepool area recently.”

 

Source: BBC

 

I’m not exactly a cat person myself, but who in the world goes round shooting them with a crossbow of all things?! Wow. Just…wow.