Roman Roads and Windfarms

Those of you interested in the debate around local windfarm development and the potential impact upon archaeological and historic monuments should take a few moments to read this tremendous piece of research from local historians Louie Pastore and Stephen Jennings.

No one would deny that we need to seek new sources of energy - as we've said before, there are many excellent examples across Scotland of local communities coming together to ensure community ownership and control of such developments, generating sustainable income for themselves while creating jobs. certainly not going to argue with that (though that isn't exactly the model that's being proposed locally...) However, whether we need to site windfarms in areas of historical significance is a different debate...

Read the report here...

Keep Corlic Wild

There's a new facebook page, Keep Corlic Wild, raising awareness of the plans for a 70 meter meterological mast which many believe will have a detrimental impact not only on the local landscape, but also local archaeology relating to local Roman sites. The mast will monitor conditions for a proposed wind farm. The page explains some of what has happened in other areas during wind farm construction and also explores the company ultimately behind the proposal.

A planning application has been lodged with Inverclyde Council, you have until this Friday, June 7th, to add your comments to this proposal.

Often, as we've seen before, objections to such plans and schemes are decried as getting in the road of "progress"...more accurately, "profit", still the basis of so much regeneration and sustainability planning, something even Unesco World Heritage Sites like Edinburgh Old City struggle against. Or it could be, that you feel wind farms are a fact of life we all have to accept, in the same way as the railway once was.

Torch are not directly involved with this particular Facebook campaign, but we certainly recognise its concerns.

For more on the archeology and Roman heritage of the area, you can read a survey produced by one of the members of the protest group based around Lurg Moor or read some of our own research.

On Lurg Moor

Here at Magic Torch, we're fairly big fans of all the things the Romans did for us, and have over the years enjoyed exploring the sites associated with Roman's locally - even though we're folklorists, not archaeologists. We especially enjoyed a piece on the Roman Fortlet on Inverclyde TV recently. Here's an opportunity for you to enjoy some of the same terrain next Bank Holiday weekend, on a guided walk. Thanks to Evelina Longworth for this post...

We invite you to join us for a walking tour commencing at 2.30 PM on Sunday 5th May 2013. Led by Stephen Jennings, it will show you the amazing and important archaeological sites on the slopes around Corlic Hill and Lurg Moor just south of Greenock and in our magnificent Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

We have to restrict the number of people attending and you can book by contacting Nigel Willis on WillisBigNig@aol.com. Bookings will be accepted on a first come first served basis so book early! If you also say where you will travel from we can try to arrange car sharing, if that is of interest.

The area of our walk was the place that the very first Greenockians lived and farmed and includes iron age Celtic structures, cup marked stones, the Lurg Moor Roman Fortlet and the Roman road, a rare intact and fully enclosed Iron Age Stone Hut Circle Farm and is the location of abandoned 18^th, 19^th and 20th Century farms with rig and furrow marks, walls and roads from various periods.

Some of these structures have been officially recorded but not all and Steve Jennings, as a result of working there for over a year, has made new discoveries. This is a great opportunity for you to reacquaint yourself or learn about this important area for the first time. The following is an extract of Steve's paper Archaeology in the Hills Above Greenock.

"But the most essential feature of this area and what makes it truly unique is the very presence of a Roman fortlet amidst an Iron Age Scottish landscape with a density of population. The ScARF (Scottish Archaeological Research Framework) report makes this very clear, the “panel was set up to incorporate the study of the Roman impact on what is now Scotland and it is important to consider the relationship that Iron Age peoples of this zone had with Rome and the wider world”. Clearly in these hills resides the rare opportunity to find several answers with an importance not only on the regional and national stage but European wide as well. With one of the best preserved records of Iron Age life, Scotland, and in particular this area stretching from Lurg Moor to Corlick, is positioned to help fill out the history of the relationship Iron Age Celtic peoples had with the invaders of Rome from trade, assimilation, rejection to co-option. Though it must first be established if there indeed was contemporary overlap between the local people and Romans before we can discern the nature of their relationship with one another, this can only be done through more intensive methods than have hitherto been brought on the landscape and further cements its criticality in understanding the wider import of Roman Scotland. Any additional disturbance and development of the lands will gravely harm the ability to gain further understanding of this period in our history.

While the importance of these sites to a wider audience is beyond doubt it would be a mistake if one failed to contemplate local interest as well for these archaeological remains are what is left of the history from Kilmacolm through Greenock to Gourock and beyond. Indeed, far from the desolate and boggy terrain many see today, this vibrant landscape is the link to Inverclyde’s agricultural and Iron Age past. It is therefore imperative the region from Lurg Moor to Corlick receives the benefit of protection and further understanding that only a more rigorous review can provide. To disturb the archaeology, much worse destroy, could potentially be a loss to culture tragic in its scale"

Meeting place: the MOD mast, east of Whitelees Cottage.

How to get there:

Driving from Drumfrochar Rd / Cornhaddock St, Greenock - Turn up Peat Rd, past Drumfrochar Station onto the Old Largs Rd. Keep going on this road past Whinhill Golf Club towards Loch Thom and take the first road to the left. The attached map shows where to park and then walk to the meeting point beside the mast.

Driving from Largs or Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park's Greenock Cut Visitor Centre - drive up the Old Largs Rd along the east side of Loch Thom towards Greenock till you are clear of the dam. Carry on towards Greenock and take the third road to the right. The attached map shows where to park and then walk to the meeting point beside the mast. 

N.B. If you find you are beside Whinhill Golf course you have gone too far. Turn round and follow instructions for finding it from Greenock!

Length of walk: approx 1.75 to 2 hours.

Terrain covered: part road, part sheep track, part open moorland. Moderate fitness required.

Footwear: boots or wellies if you prefer. Depending on weather, some of the ground could be wet.

Things to bring other than suitable clothing: Camera, binoculars (very helpful for looking at more distant archaeological remains and the magnificent views, but not essential), water and snack.

NO DOGS ALLOWED - IT IS LAMBING TIME

Artists Assemble!

Bloom : Copyright Mhairi M Robertson

We're really pleased to announce that Gourock based artist Mhairi M Robertson will be working with us on the illustrations for our new childrens book. The book is being produced as part of our new Tales of the Oak project and will be released next year.

Mhairi has studied at Glasgow School of Art and her work has been described as illustrative and imaginative, her most popular topics being people, fantasy and folklore. Because of this, Mhairi has been commissioned to do work of various kinds, from private portraits and fine art(ish) canvases to album sleeve covers, designs for animation and comic books.

Having been raised in Inverclyde, the history of the area has always been of significant interest to her; through school projects about the Greenock Blitz or old folk tales recanted by family members - sometimes as bed time stories, sometimes simply in passing – Mhairi has found that there was always something new and remarkable to learn about her surroundings. It is an interest which has been carried through to adulthood.

She also really likes Batman and would like to illustrate a Batman/Joker comic book, please, before her drawing hand gets too old and stiff and falls off.

You can see more of Mhairi's work on her website.

We'll be sharing our progress and sketches from the book as it all comes together over the next few months. Cannae wait.

And in honour of today being National Comic Book Day (actually for real), we can also announce that Port Glasgow based artist Andy Lee will be starting work on our Tales of the Oak comic. Andy provided some of the artwork for the Identity graphic novel, recently described by Judge Dredd creator John Wagner as "a marvellous piece of work". Here's some of Andy's work on the graphic below, it is available to read online or download for kindle or from ibooks. Again, we'll be sharing some of the character designs and sketches from the new comic project soon...

Image courtesy of Identity project

Tales of the Oak : Stories...Twice Told

Magic Torch are delighted to reveal that we have received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund "Your Heritage" programme to deliver a new project - "Tales of the Oak", which over the next 18 months will create a new storytelling club and publish two new books.

The new project will include

- opportunities to be trained by the Scottish Storytelling Centre on how to use oral tradition to celebrate local heritage

- new research in local and national archives to collect supernatural tales and local folk stories

- publication of a fully illustrated "scary storybook" retelling local legends and stories for children 4-8 years old

- publication of a 1950s style "terror comic" featuring scary stories and retellings inspired by local legends and ghost stories

- a new storytelling club, with sessions running Winter 2012, Spring / Summer 2013 and again in Winter 2013

- a chance for local schools to be involved in a Scary History competition; pupils will be asked to submit their own scary story with the winning entry included in the childrens book or illustrated for the comic.

The storytelling club will be run from The Dutch Gable House, and you can find out more on how to be involved on Doors Open Day there on Saturday 8 September.

We are not looking for people to do a formal presentations, or give a performance; it’s not a book reading or a drama group. We want to draw inspiration from the tales that folk used to be tell around firesides. Those folk were not professional storytellers, neither are we. We want to help restore an old oral tradition by creating a new living tradition. 

We'll be sharing regular podcasts of stories from the club on our Soundcloud page and hopefully via itunes as well.

The blog will be the main way to follow what's going on in the project, so be sure to bookmark us, or subscribe via email / feedburner.

The entire project is volunteer run, with all the funding being used to pay for project outputs like storytelling training or the publications.

If you've been following the blog for awhile, you'll know that over winter we like sharing ghost stories. In fact, our first book, published in 2000 even included a few. We've had stories about cursed trees, sad tales of forgotten loves and over on my own blog Stramashed there's been the tale of The Duchal Well and some sugar sheds flash fiction based on the urban legend of The Catman

But there's always more to hear
- what's the story with the Arts Guild ghost, surely now lonelier than ever?
- any Cappielow Ghouls?
- any truth to the rumour of Roman legionnaires marching over the moorland behind Kilmacolm?
- is Ravenscraig haunted?

Project funders, Heritage Lottery Fund, are keen to hear from Inverclyde groups with other heritage project ideas. Interested groups can find out more from the website www.hlf.org.uk or by contacting Development Officer Louise Hastie directly on LouiseH@hlf.org.uk.

We love collecting and sharing stories, and this new project will let us do that in all new ways, we're looking forward to you getting involved. You can contact us at aulddunrod@gmail.com

For now, here's one we made earlier....

About the Heritage Lottery Fund

Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported more than 26,000 projects, allocating over £4 billion across the UK and more than £1/2 billion across Scotland. www.hlf.org.uk

I Clydius

As news reaches us of a potential Roman coin horde discovered in Inverclyde...we explore the Romans links with our area...

The Romans never conquered Scotland.  The most powerful and efficient army on earth, the active hand of an Empire which spanned over two million square miles, was unable to sub-due a handful of un-organised tribes.  But if this is true, why then are the hills and valleys of this country dotted with the remains of Roman occupation? 

Julius Agricola was made governor of Britain in AD 79, and within a few years, the man who had successfully defeated the Iceni revolt under Boudicae, defeated the Caledonian tribes at the battle of Mons Graupius. 

In order to secure everything south of the Forth and Clyde, Agricola established garrisons in the territory of the Damnonii, the tribe who occupied most of modern Strathclyde, the most westernly of which was  south of Langbank, at Barrochan. Rediscovered in 1972, this fort was known in Roman times as the Clota Flumen,  the fort was most likely used during the subjugation of the Damonni settlements within the Inverclyde area. A number of bronze coins dated to the year AD86 have been uncovered here and it would seem that the fort was occupied at least until this date or shortly thereafter.

During this period, it is likely that there was some Roman naval presence on the river, and there has even been a suggestion that the Romans may have operated a dockyard somewhere on the firth, repairing ships stationed on the Clyde.

After the campaigns of Agricola, the Romans withdrew south again and within a few generations had begun work on the mighty Hadrians Wall. However around 144 AD, the Romans returned to Scotland and constructed a line of forts along a turf wall stretching between the Clyde and the Forth. Known as the Antonine wall, it was the northernmost frontier of the Roman empire, stretching from Bo'ness to Old Kilpatrick, just outside Glasgow.

In order to protect the western approaches to the Antonine Wall, two fortlets were constructed in the Inverclyde area; one on Lurg moor behind Strone, and the other at Outerwards, on the hills behind Skelmorlie. Each one was home to around fifteen Legionaries, most likely from the Second  Legion, whose purpose it was to watch the firth of the Clyde for possible raiding forces from the north.

The forts remained undiscovered until around fifty years ago, although the presence of Romans in the area found its way into the local folk memory. A medieval stone bridge outside Inverkip has for hundreds of years been referred to as the “Roman Bridge”, and the local ballad, “The Vision of Auld Dunrod”, thought to date from the 17^th century, speaks of Roman ships sailing up the Clyde. However, it was only through aerial photographs that the locations of the two forts were finally revealed.

Excavations by Frank Newall in the fifties yielded a number of interesting finds, now held by Glasgow University.  There is also evidence of a network of roads and signal tracks throughout the area, which linked the two forts with a larger site outside Bishopton. Over the years there have also been a number of other finds, including  a spearhead found in Gourock. However, perhaps the most significant find is that at both sites, there is some evidence that the forts were burned to the ground. 

Evidence suggests that sometime around 155 AD, a major revolt took place within Scotland against the armies of Rome. Many forts and fortlets of this period show evidence of burning and raising, and it is likely that this was a co-ordinated attack designed to have maximum impact. It worked. Occupation of Scotland seems to have dwindled after this period.

But the Romans  left behind them a legacy which was to shape Britain for centuries to come. Where once had stood forests, now lay straight roads, allowing for trade and easy communications. The Legions of Rome had brought with them crafts, jewellery and religions from the far corners of the Empire, re-shaping peoples perceptions of the world and their beliefs. There was no mass exodus of the Romans –they simply drifted away. But then, the Romans never conquered Scotland…they were just visiting.

When lo! Owr Gourock point he saw

A sicht o' meile pride;

There were twenty Roman ships an three

Cam rowin up the clyde

Then mariners and soldiers

They mingled on the shore;

These told of mountains, these of sea

And Isles ne'er seen before.

From The Vision of Auld Dunrod - anonymous

Local Roman Historian and archeaologist Louie Pastore has campaigned to get the site on Lurg Moor recognised as a world heritage site, and has also made a number of excellent short films exploring the Roman occupation on The Clyde. Enjoy...