New Views over Megalithia

[Boreades]

[TisILeclerc]

Not far wrong with the Dubbin there. Wiki tells us

'Dubbin has been used since medieval times to waterproof and soften leather boots.'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubbin

Monks were an enterprising lot. Apart from Glasgow's favourite tipple they've always been involved with brewing and distilling. Add to that beekeeping and the wax and honey etc as well as pollinating plants and they were truly at the centre of things.

In the north of England monasteries had a much better reputation than their brethren in the south. In his great land grab Fat Henry had to make up every excuse he could to steal them. One benefit to him was that he destroyed the north of England once and for all, at least till the industrial revolution came along. But our present day leaders have thoughtfully reversed the process in support of Henry's 'vision and mission statement' no doubt.

Anyway the northern monasteries were good at hospitals, bridge building, alms houses for the elderly, farming, and even monetary exchange. Drovers from the Lakes used to leave their cattle at monasteries in Yorkshire where they would be picked up and paid for by farmers etc from further east and south. The money being held safely by the monastery in question.

The Independent had an interesting article on the medical cures at a Scottish monastery and how these could be used today for a variety of ailments.

'The managing director of Highland Natural Products, Richard Constanduros, was reluctant to talk about the project, which he described as "commercially sensitive" information. "We have initiated research but it is very early days and we will have to wait and see what happens," he said'

'The monastery at Soutra Aisle in the shadow of the Lammermuir Hills was founded in about 1160 and became one of the most important medical centres in Scotland. It was dedicated to looking after the poor, travellers and pilgrims as well as the sick and infirm.'

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 04908.html

[hvered]

Interesting about juniper assisting in inducing contractions. It is of course associated most of all with flavouring and preserving alcohol, particularly gin -- geneva or juniper. The juniper plant grows best on chalk downland and the limestone areas of the Lake District and Scottish mountains, so would have been available to the Scottish monks.

Gin was an effective abortifacient ('Mother's Ruin') so it could be the monks were carrying out terminations rather than practising midwifery. In view of their calling, it might have been more discreet to keep such matters in-house rather than calling out the local midwife.

[Boreades]

And there was me just thinking "Mother's Ruin" was just Cockney rhyming slang, I had no idea Juniper was so toxic.

Reports of attempted abortions by ingesting savin (oil from juniper bushes) were common in the early nineteenth century, as well as accidental deaths from savin overdose. Savin was the single most commonly employed abortifacient in the United States during this time.
http://facts.randomhistory.com/2008/12/14_abortion.html

Cows that eat bark, berries or branches from western juniper trees late in pregnancy are more likely to abort their calves.
http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/ ... study-says

The Toxicity of Juniper Berries
http://www.livestrong.com/article/53997 ... r-berries/

[hvered]

The talk on bee-keeping and ley-lines that Borry mentioned had such an angry reception from Kennet Beekeepers Association that I reckon there must have been some kind of cognitive dissonance at work http://www.bbka.org.uk/members/forum.php?t=5433

It's surely the case that before large-scale sugar plantations, honey was the main source of sweetness and therefore a desirable commodity. Most of the villages, estates and monasteries on and near main roads would presumably have had beehives, for trade purposes if not for themselves. All main roads aren't neccessarily former ley-lines but as a rule of thumb, main roads are traditional trade/droving routes.

Actually my interest was aroused because the map of Spain shows an almost completely straight route runs from Gijon in the north to Cadiz in the south, more or less tracing the 'Gijon Meridian' that we discussed. Roughly halfway along the north-south route is the village of Bejar which apparently means 'place of bees', from abeja (bee). A medieval legend relates how Christians during the Reconquista disguised themselves as moss-covered beehives and got past the Muslim defenders, like a Trojan horse story.

On the cherchez the saint principle, I found several patron saints of beekeeping, foremost of which seems to be St Gobnait or Abigail, purely on the basis of her name (cf. abeille i.e. bee) as was the case for St Ambrose; Gobnait is said to have been a patron saint of ironworkers [gobba, gabha, ‘smith’].

[hvered]

I spent three hours being filmed walking towards and over the White Horse at Uffington through wind and rain. The three-man crew were from a French film company and seemed completely unfazed by remarks that Brits consider too outré to be true, even the suggestion that the nation's most famous 'horse' is more likely to be a dragon.

One thing I discovered from their interview with the site keeper is the Uffington tradition of placing a silver coin on the horse's eye and walking round it three times to make a wish, very reminiscent of Megalithic wells -- and indeed the traditional silver sixpences left at Wayland's Smithy, which is only a mile from the horse and also on the Ridgeway. It didn't seem appropriate to talk about hermits and toll-places. That will have to wait for when someone makes a film about megalithic trade routes.

[Boreades]

Any news from the film makers?

We've heard nothing yet.

Edit: When I say "we" I mean the catering staff at Chateau Boreades that looked after them, and tended them with psychotherapy for their shock exposure to Wiltshire cuisine. It's a bit like Yorkshire cuisine but without the black pudding.

[hvered]

They'd been filming Avebury and the solstice sunrise at Stonehenge so were inured to the conditions. After filming we went to the White Horse pub which turned out to have a wide-ranging menu. Having been told what ploughman's means, the younger one ordered a burger and the older director/interviewer had monkfish (after asking what it was) with curried rice which he pronounced very good.

The director said DVDs will be sent to 'participants' when the film's finished, in about two years' time probably. Meanwhile we've finished our own DVD of Mick's new desert model so we intend to present them with a copy.

[Boreades]

No doubt we'll receive a copy of Mike's adventure in the deserts, in about two years' time probably?

What was the sub-title? Ice Cold In Alex?

(Careful now, you know what MacTisi is like about Silvia Simms)

[TisILeclerc]

Ca alors!

Sylvia Syms if you don't mind monsieur Borry.

I must 'ave a lager now for some reason.