History
Group Meetings are
held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at the
Day Luncheon
Centre, Sandy Lane, Caldicot
Commencing at 2-15pm
Caldicot & District U3A Trip to Caerleon
On 23rd June a group of U3A members had a tour around some of the Roman remains at Caerleon, organised by Sue Shepherd. The guide was Dr Mark Lewis, curator of Caerleon Roman Museum.
These islands were famed in the ancient world for their grain production, mineral deposits, hunting dogs, and slaves. Roman traders were regular visitors, so tales of lucrative resources would have reached Rome, making it a target for invasion and Romanization.
The Romans invaded Britain in AD 43, when Claudius was emperor. The preparatory work had already been done in the reign of his predecessor Caligula, but not put into action. Four legions were used for the campaign, and within 5 years, they had subdued the part of Britain south of a line from the Severn to the Wash.
The Romans’ next objective was Wales. They intended making a route west from Gloucester through Weston-under-Penyard and Abergavenny to mid Wales. With this in mind they established a fort at Usk (called Burrium). However the Boudicca (or Boadicea) rebellion in Norfolk in AD 61 changed priorities and all thoughts of invading Wales were abandoned.
On their return to Wales in about AD 75, the Romans adopted a different strategy; a small town was established at Venta Silurium (‘marketplace of the Silures’) and the Silures from Llanmelin hillfort were persuaded to resettle there. This greatly reduced the level of tribal unrest and attacks on the Romans; in time Venta Silurum (now Caerwent) was declared ‘tribal capital of the Silures’, and granted a degree of self-government.
Also Burrium (Usk) was abandoned and a new fortress created at Isca Silurium (Caerleon). The site chosen at Usk had been a mistake: it was liable to flood, and the river was navigable to that point only with difficulty. The site chosen at Caerleon could be reached by Roman sea-going craft, so it could easily be supplied via water.
After our short history lesson, Mark showed how some Roman tombstones could be used to assess the life expectancy and family relationships of those living at Isca Silurium and the adjoining civilian settlement.
High up on one wall of the museum is a large inscribed marble slab, made in Italy to commemorate some major reconstruction at Caerleon. It was probably first carved when Trajan was consul for the second time, and installed at Isca Silurium just before or just after he was elected consul for the third time; witness the crudely carved and unevenly spaced third digit.
In a nearby display case is a hoard of 599 silver pennies (denarii) found at Llanvaches. This would have been a soldier’s life savings, his daily pay being slightly less than a denarius. The coin inscriptions covered more than a century, the latest being AD 160.
Another of the display cases contains a large number of inscribed gemstones, most of them recovered from the bathhouse drain. The intricate detail of the carving indicates to a high degree of skill by the craftsmen concerned.
The museum contains a stone coffin used for an inhumation, as well as several pots containing cremated remains. Roman burial practices varied: early ones were cremations, but other customs were adopted over time. The skeleton normally in the coffin has been removed, so that some tests can be done. It is hoped that analysis of a tooth will indicate his place of birth.
One of the major Roman sites in Caerleon is the amphitheatre, the best excavated in Britain. This was contemporary with the earliest fort, and was used for ceremonial parades, gatherings of the whole legion and gladiatorial contests. During the nineteenth century a museum was established at Caerleon to collect and conserve antiquities found in the area, and became part of the National Museum of Wales.
In the nineteen twenties Dr Mortimer Wheeler (director of the National Museum) agreed to excavate the site. Knowing that the museum was short of funds, and being aware that the field containing the amphitheatre was known as ‘The Round Table Field’ in local folklore. he exploited the reputed association with King Arthur to foster interest and raise sponsorship for the project.
After intense negotiation the Daily Mail newspaper agreed to buy the field and fund the dig, in return for exclusive daily reports. In the meantime Wheeler had been appointed director of the Museum of London, so his wife Tessa supervised the excavation and despatched daily reports to their benefactor for publication.
Dr Lewis also suggested an alternative derivation of ‘Caldicot’. The accepted meaning is ‘cold cottage’, being an unheated shelter for use by herdsmen and wayfarers. However there was a Roman pottery at Caldicot, so the area around the kiln would have been hot (calidus in Latin).
Dave Edwards
For the June meeting, the Judiciary: a History of the Magistrates’ Courts’.
The June meeting of the History Group had a talk by Ross Goff entitled ‘The Judiciary: a History of the Magistrates’ Courts’.
The office of Justice of the Peace was created by act of Parliament in 1361, and JPs have been involved in the court system since then. During the medieval period JPs had great powers, and could handle all cases with the exception of treason. Their other duties included raising taxes, raising armies, and prior to the creation of county councils, administration of the shires.
JPs are required to take two oaths – the judicial oath (to apply the law fairly), and the oath of allegiance (to the monarch). For many years a Book of Statutes has been prepared, listing new legislation. Originally a slim volume produced once every few years, it is now a far larger publication issued several times a year.
Until the late 20th century appointments were secret. Ross Goff for example received a letter informing him of his appointment, having had no indication that he was even being considered. He was sworn in by Peter Temple-Morris QC, whose advice to a new appointee making his first appearance in court was to ‘keep his eyes open, his ears open and his mouth shut’.
Jurisdiction of a magistrate is normally confined to a particular area, but can be overruled when necessary. For example Ross Goff’s area was Chepstow and Newport Quarter Sessions (when they were held there). When a high-profile case involving the Bishop of Llandaff was heard at Cardiff Quarter Sessions, Ross and other JPs from Chepstow were temporarily sworn in at Cardiff, since the bishop was well acquainted with their Cardiff equivalents.
In recent times magistrates have been expected to play a part in the wider community, and not just appear in court. Many sit on committees for the probation service, the police authority and various advisory bodies, as well that governing court administration.
Appointments now are completely open: candidates can apply themselves or be nominated. They are interviewed carefully, and given specimen cases to assess their judgement.
Dave Edwards
For the May meeting, the History Group had a talk by David Evans, entitled
‘My Father’s Secret Past’.His father, Vincent Evans, was born in 1899, spent many years in the Church of Wales, first as a curate and then as a vicar, and died in 1992. David thought that was an accurate summary of his father’s life.
However in 2001 a newspaper article appeared, describing the activities of an underground wartime group in north Monmouthshire, including the Reverend Vincent Evans, vicar of Llanddewi Rhydderch.
The article was based on the reminiscences of another member of the group, George Vater. After some research, David found that has father had been part of a clandestine organization formed to operate secretly in the event of a German invasion.
The activities of the Home Guard are well known, but there was also a network of special duties agents. These were trained to maintain contact with the local community, gather and transmit information, create and equip subterranean hiding places, and if necessary act as saboteurs. These voluntary agents were told that if captured, they could be treated as spies, and shot.
The radio operator for the group was Rev. Richard Sluman, vicar of Llantillio Croesenny. The radio was hidden behind the church altar, with the aerial nestling behind the lightning conductor on the tower.
In 1944, the Rev. Cecil Gower-Rees, vicar of Llanarth, realised that he had very little information about American troops stationed in the area. Consequently he went to see their commanding officer, and invited them all to his Sunday services. The officer laughed and asked, “Do you realise how many men I have under my command?” He then proceeded to list the units, giving the strength of each one. The cleric then had data he could pass to the War Office.
As a result of that newspaper article, a radio programme, a television documentary, other newspaper features and several books were produced, with titles such as ‘Dad’s Underground Army’ and ‘The Mercian Maquis’. Fortunately these careful preparations were never needed in earnest.
Dave Edwards
HISTORY GROUP April 2010
For the April meeting, we had a talk by Stan Griffiths entitled ‘The Camera Never Lies, or Does It?’
In 1935 a London doctor known as Buck Ruxton murdered his wife Isabella, and their maid Mary Rogerson. Being a surgeon he expertly cut up the bodies to remove identification, and disposed of the remains in Scotland.
As no direct identification using fingerprints, dental records, etc. was possible, newly developed forensic methods were used. A technique called photographic superimposure provided evidence of critical importance. This involved comparing a photograph of Isabella with a photograph of one of the skulls found. The match was perfect – the camera could not lie. Ruxton was hanged.
In July 1917, two young girls in the Yorkshire village of Cottingley excused the untidy state of their clothes by claiming that they had been playing with the fairies in the beck. The father of one of the girls, suspicious of the explanation, gave them a camera, and asked them to take photographs of the ‘fairies’. Within an hour they returned, having taken a picture.
When developed, the photograph showed one of the girls surrounded by fairy figures. The girl’s parents viewed the picture as a possible fake, and it was put aside.
One of the parents was a member of the Theosophical Society, founded to explore the wisdom underlying all religions. It was after one of the society’s meetings in 1919 that the photograph, along with several others taken in the intervening period, was given a public airing.
Kodak examined the camera and negatives. They concluded that no camera trickery was involved, but were reluctant to draw any other conclusion.
The affair came to the notice of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes). He published an article claiming that the pictures proved the existence of fairies.
Speculation and discussion continued for many years, but it was not until 1983 that the girls, now of advancing years, admitted that they had copied and cut out drawings from a book, hung them on bushes, and taken the photographs.
The camera never lies, or does it?
Dave Edwards
HISTORY GROUP March 2010
For the March meeting, John Evans gave a talk on The Quaker Self-help Movement in the South Wales Valleys in the 1930s.
In the period 1920-1935 much of Great Britain suffered greatly from the after-effects of the First World War. South Wales was one area which suffered more than most – a fall in the demand for coal when the war ended meant that many thousands of miners were suddenly unemployed.
Also an increase in bank rate to counteract inflation made the problem worse. Some newspapers speculated that the south Wales valleys would never recover. Another source of concern was the health of children. Tuberculosis, rickets and malnutrition were rife, and 80 percent were thought to be below an acceptable standard.
The Quakers came to the area, and established schemes to provide employment. Among other enterprises they set up a boot repair factory in the Rhondda valley, the resultant footwear being distributed to the poor.
As part of the impetus to find a solution, the Quakers came to Brynmawr (one of the unemployment blackspots), and were shocked by the living conditions they found. They organised a Christmas party for the children, and distributed 350 donated toys to them. For most children, these were the first toys they had ever had. They twinned valley towns with English towns such as Eastbourne, and some children had their first holiday as a result.
Activist Peter Scott, working with the Quakers, set up a series of clubs and work schemes. There were some small projects (e.g. building a swimming pool), but most were intended to provide full-time work, albeit on a subsistence basis.
There were allotments, a bakery, a butchery, a furniture factory, and men’s’ clubs (to repair boots). Local people were however reluctant to accept what they saw as subsistence work provided by ‘Bloody Quakers’.
By 1938, things were improving, and the outbreak of war in 1939 saw an upturn in any industry connected with war effort, including coal and steel.
Dave Edwards
HISTORY GROUP February 2010
For the first session of the reformed History Group, we had a talk by Peter Strong, entitled ‘Ted Gill – a Working Class Hero’.
Edward Gill was born of Welsh parents at Leominster in 1879. They moved back to Abertillery, where the young Ted grew up. He left school at the age of 10, becoming a miner when he was 15. His powers of oratory soon made him a local representative of the South Wales Mineworkers Federation (‘The Fed’). His intelligence and oratory won him a place at Ruskin College, Oxford, where he met several influential figures, and a young miner named Aneurin Bevan. On leaving college Ted became a full time union official.
When war broke out Ted opposed it, and campaigned vehemently against it. However he changed his mind when German atrocities became known and he enlisted for the army. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant, a very unusual step for a working class recruit. He was first made recruiting officer for the Abertillery area, but sent to France with his battalion in 1915.
For his gallantry in rescuing a wounded comrade under heavy fire, he was awarded the Military Cross. He was wounded himself in 1916 when the battalion stormed Mametz Wood as part of the battle of the Somme, and he retired from the army. Ted stood as Labour Party candidate for Frome and fought elections there in 1919 and 1922, coming second in both.
In 1923 while campaigning at Blythe in Northumberland for another Labour Party candidate, he became ill and died, aged 44. When his body was brought from Blythe to Abertillery, miners lined much of the route, and his funeral was one of the largest ever seen there. Had he lived, he would probably have become MP for Frome in the 1923 General Election.
The church at Rogiet Llanvihangel has been restored by a group of local volunteers, and an exhibition is proposed for September. It is also open to groups for conducted tours.
The subject for the March talk will be ‘The Quakers in Monmouthshire in the 1920s, and their Social Work’, by John Evans.
Dave Edwards
.Visit to Berkeley Castle
What a great day we had at Berkeley. Raining in the morning, by lunchtime it had cleared and we have a lovely afternoon.There has been a defensive structure on this site since the Conqueror's time. Early in the 11th century, Henry II granted Berkeley to Robert Fitzhardinge, who is the forbear of the famkily which hasd owned the Castle until the present day.
*please click the image below to access a photo slideshow of the visit to Berkeley Castle
The photos were taken by John Sherrington
We are accustomed to great Norman structures partially in ruins. What we have here is a "home", albeit rather large but sophisticated, with rooms you could live in. What makes a tour so interesting are the little stories that the guide tells you.
For instance, the owner in l924 married an American heiress. He had to sell Berkeley Square - for £24M - I wonder what it is worth today - The first thing she said on arrival was "where's the central heating". She was a Lowell, the eflite family of Boston.
There was a saying at the time that the Cabots - another elite family in Boston - spoke only to the Lowells but the Lowells spoke only to God. Another story - when the family set off for London in medieval times, nearly all the land they travelled over belonged to them.
Many Americans visit the Castle as you can imagine. They always ask about the pronunciation; they say BURLEY, we say BARKLEY. They are always reassured that their's is the correct way!.
The Edward Jenner Museum
Nearby is the house where Edward Jenner lived. Born in l749, he discovered the process of vaccination. Being a countryman he was particularly interested in cowpox It was accepted in then countryside that if you contracvtred cowpox, as many dairymaids did, you were immune to smallpox.
After many experiments over a number of years, he proved that this had a basis in fact and in l980 the World Health Organisation declared "smallpox is dead". In the grounds of the house is a thatchroofed stone building called the "Temple of Vaccinia", where he vaccinated the poor.
Jenner was also a naturalist. He discovered that a fledgling cuckoo throws its foster brothers, or the eggs of its foster parents, out of the nest. He also studied the migration of birds little of which was known at the time. He found that the same birds returned to the same place summer after summer.
At the age of 49 he was internationally famous. In the war with Napolean, two Englishmen were held in France and were suffering from the effects of confinement. It was suggested that Jenner should write a letter to Napolean asking for their release. Napolelan was about to refuse the request when the name on the letter was pointed out to him. "Jenner", said Napolean, "We can refuse nothing to that man".
Truly a remarkable man though a modest one, whose work with smallpox has saved countless millions of lives
And last but not least is the Butterfly House. A feast for the eyes! A tropical paradise but without all the creepy-crawlies!Warm, moist, with an abundance of tropical plants, the butterflies danced as in an unrehearsed ballet, showing jewelled colours as they alight on their source of nectar. A lovely experience reminding you that beautiful as man-made structures can be, nothing beats mother nature in its own glorious display.I'm sure an enjoyable and interesting time was had by all and thanks to Iris and her team for taking us there.
Sheila Ford..
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Berkeley Castle and Gardens
*please click the image below to access a photo slideshow of the visit to Berkeley Castle and Gardens
photo: Waiting for the bus to Berkeley Castle and Gardens
The photographs werer taken by Glenice and Adrian Dallow and Dorothy WitcombHistory of Berkeley Castle
Home of the Berkeley Family for 850 Years The most remarkable thing about the Castle is that for nine centuries, the building, the Berkeley family, the archives (which go back to the 12th Century), the contents, the estate and the town have all survived together.Its place in history is significant, not just because it is still intact, but because the Berkeley family and their home have played an important part in the power struggles of so many centuries.
Built for War The Castle is one of the March Castles, built to keep out the Welsh.It has all the trappings to match: trip steps designed to make the enemy stumble during an assault, arrow slits, murder holes, enormous barred doors, slots where the portcullis once fell, and worn stones where sentries stood guard.
It is also a fairytale Castle with its warm pink stone that glows in soft sunset light. Outside, the battlements drop some 60' to the Great Lawn below; but inside the Inner Courtyard, the building is on a human scale, with uneven battlements, small towers, doors and windows of every shape and size. The surrounding land would have been flooded for defence.
Where History is a Home The Family are one of only three families in England who can trace their ancestry from father to son back to Saxon times. English history has been lived out within these walls - and by this family. The Castle is the oldest building in the country to be inhabited by the same family who built it.For centuries, the Berkeleys were close to the throne, able administrators and fighters who supported their king or queen (as long as they could), backed the winning side, and married well. The Castle, naturally enough, is full of stories.
The Archives housed in the Castle date back from the earliest part of the 12th Century and number around 20,000 documents, 6,000 of which relate to the mediaeval period. The latter are mainly manorial records which relate to every county in England, excepting two only.
Website Link: www.berkeley-castle.com
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Iris Price with the bouquet of flowers presented to her by Alma Gaskell on the occasion of her retirement from the position of Convenor for the History Group.
Along with Iris are four of her helpers who have given her continued support throughout her term of office
Wells Cathedral
*please click the image below to access a photo slideshow of the visit to Wells Cathedral
The Photographs were taken by Glenice and Adrian Dallow
In 909 the large diocese of Sherbourne was split and the minster church of St. Andrew became the first Wells Cathedral. Giso, the last Saxon bishop built both to the south, buildings for live-in priests, and north, a cloister. Pottery and animal bones were found to the south and a fine tomb cover of the tenth century with a pattern representing the Tree of Life to the north.After the death of Giso in 1088, his successor John of Tours moved his seat to Bath Abbey and Wells was temporarily demoted. In the early 1100s Bishop Robert partially rebuilt the neglected church and carved stone fragments of the Norman period were recovered during the excavations.
By 1180 the foundations of an entirely new church were being laid to the north of the old one and on a better east-west alignment. Bishop Reginald, the then Bishop of Bath and a Norman by family, brought with him the exciting ideas of a new architectural style - the Gothic.
Probably by 1196 the demolition of the Saxon cathedral began as the new church was sufficiently advanced to be used for worship. Some stone was recycled for use in the new building. Out of respect for the ancient sacred site of the Roman mausoleum, the St. Mary Chapel was preserved and joined on to the new east cloister at a skewed angle. It became known as the "Lady Chapel by-the-Cloister".
In 1477 Bishop Robert Stillington embarked on a complete rebuilding of the chapel on a grand scale. The foundations of this cruciform building are what can be seen today in the Camery garden. This grand chapel did not last long and was blown up with gunpowder in 1552 because Edward VI had abolished Chantry chapels in the height of Reformation zeal.
Website Link: www.wellscathedral.org.uk
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DOLAUCOTHI GOLD MINES
On 11th May 2009 members of the History and Science Groups visited the Dolaucothi Gold mines in Carmarthenshire where gold has been mined since Celtic times.
*please click the image below to access a photo slideshow of the visit
to Dolaucothi Gold mines in Carmarthenshire
photo: Rosa finds Gold
The Photographs were taken by Dorothy Witcomb, Glenice and Adrian Dallow
We were given a warm welcome by members of the National Trust and divided into to groups. One group went on a short walk along a Victorian adit (tunnel), the second climbed up the hill for an extensive tour of Roman and Victorian mines.
We then tried panning for gold and learnt to distinguish between fool's and red welsh gold. There was also time to see the exhibits, buy gold, and sample Irene's delicious home made deserts.
These unique gold mines are set amid wooded hillsides overlooking the beautiful Cothi Valley. The Romans who exploited the site almost 2,000 years ago left behind a complex of pits, channels, adits and tanks. Mining resumed in the 19th century and continued through the 20th century, reaching a peak in 1938.
Guided tours take visitors through the Roman and the more recent underground workings. The main mine yard contains a collection of 1930s mining machinery, an exhibition about the history of gold and gold mining, video and interpretation.
Gold panning gives visitors the opportunity to experience the frustrations of the search for gold. Other attractions include waymarked walks and picnic areas. There is fishing and accommodation on the estate, including a 35-pitch touring caravan site.
Website link: www.nationaltrust.org.uk
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