Attacking Roman Britain
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Scarborough on the Yorkshire coast is the setting as we look at the Barbarian Conspiracy of 367AD. With Picts, Scoti, Saxons and Attacotti raiding in the north and east, Romano Britons were left exposed, and whilst the raids were ultimately quashed and order restored, the writing was on the wall for Roman Britain.
In response to the Barbarian Conspiracy, a series of Roman signal stations were constructed on the eastern coast of Yorkshire. We take a look at the remains of the Scarborough signal station - located on the headland adjacent to Scarborough Castle.
With a ride on the big wheel along the way, there are some classic English seaside town sights to enjoy, on a typically raining day in late May.
#scarborough #scarboroughcastle #romanbritain #romansignalstation #seaside #englishseasidetown #bigwheel #yorkshire #barbarian #barbarianconspiracy
If you would like to support this channel, you can buy us a “coffee” via the link in the About section.
All contributions gratefully received and ploughed back into our productions. Travel costs and equipment - that sort of thing. Occasionally, actual real coffee.
Credits (Where due)
WC21 (UK) Productions Ltd theme tune: Keygenerator - Freesound
Roman Gazette theme tune: 8-bit Win - Velda - Epidemic Sound
For Serious Rambling Hikers & Scramblers theme tune: 514178 danlucas - Freesound
Compendium of Curiosities: Underbelly - Epidemic Sound
Coastal Catalogue theme tune: Just Like Magic - Epidemic Sound
The Time Tunnel theme tune: Micro - Epidemic Sound
The Almanac theme tune: Rush - DJI Mimo
All other music: Epidemic Sound
Main “Broadcaster”: Darren Spratt
Cameras
DJI Pocket 3 Creator Combo
GoPro Hero 12 Creator Edition
DJI Pocket 2 Creator Combo
HoverAir X1
iPhone 13 / DJI Osmo 6
Are you going to Scarborough fair? No, I’m going to Scarborough drizzly.
I click 'like' before I've even watched as I know your video will be brilliant, Darren. There is nothing quite like a funicular railway. I had the misfortune of being based at Scarborough for two years in the mid-90s but never went to the castle. The weather seemed to reflect my stay, too. I worked at the nearby 'Signal Station' of GCHQ 😮. I really enjoyed the historical information as well as the dramatics 😂. As for Scarborough itself. I didn't like it. It certainly is 'a budget holiday getaway'. I did visit the Bronte grave, though. So much information I was not aware of before. Very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks for sharing Darren.
Thanks Chris. I had been there before and it did look a bit better in the sun. It’s such a shame about that hotel.
Glad you enjoyed the video. The threat must have been very real to go to all that trouble.
Very informative thanks. I remain quite fascinated with what is a real melting pot of cultures and genetics that makes up the Anglo-Saxon race. You have a fascinating history . Thank you 🇳🇿 🇬🇧
Thank you so much - that is what interests me and it’s really rewarding to know that it comes over in the videos. The end of the Roman period and what happened next is so interesting.
That’s exactly what Cromer looked like when I visited in August ‘21. And it was cold. Had Barbarians shown up to have a go at us it would have been an act of mercy. Although the Cromer crowd might have proven tougher customers than they might expect.
James, that is so sad to hear, but I totally understand. We have so much to offer, but frequently let ourselves down!
I try to show what’s great about Britain, but it’s hard sometimes! I really appreciate your honest feedback.
Beautiful place dangerous and interesting!
Thank you! The risks I take for my “art”!
I love this show. 🍻
Thank you!
Scarborough looked very interesting. As for weather, could do with some for a change😂
Cheers!
I was getting mighty fed up with the weather by this stage! It was actually cold too that day, but it is a great place with a very interesting history.
Great video Mr WC21, and what a fun yet informative history lesson!
Was it intentional that at 1:41 "uninterrupted hardships" cuts to a typical English summer scene of a grey sky and a gloomy looking beach?
Some delightful B-roll segments followed after that!
The candy floss graphics were inspired - spectacular work!
Impressed by your stealth filming at Scarborough Castle - I did wonder if the tweeds worn on this outing were specially chosen for camouflage purposes?
Thank you, Tweedy! Two weeks on the trot filming in the rain - uninterrupted hardships for me!
There was actually one party building a sand castle on that gloomy beach. How very British!
I think I should have chosen grey tweed to blend in with the overall grey look of the day! There’s been some very suspicious chaps hanging around outside the house - I think it’s only a matter of time before they make their move and I’ll be in the English Heritage clink!
Candyfloss MUST be fresh on a stick! If it comes in a bag, it looks like fibreglass insulation.
It looked really unappealing in those plastic tubs! I was very disappointed!
🤣
And another smasher, Mr. WC21 (I'm following the abbreviated Tweedy-nomenclature, as it shall hence-forth be known)! I particularly loved your skirmish with English Heritage. Haven't we all been there? And The National Trust is not one bit better. "No commercial filming - and we've seen your lavelier-mic!" Absolutely pointless explaining to them that my most successful videos will rake in a whopping $40 while the cost of travel, equipment, licensing regularly runs into four figures and they are likely to profit ten times as much from the added publicity you provided free of charge! I could go on and on...
Two more things: We can all learn from how you've turned bad weather into an interesting and funny feature (I've personally given up a number of times), and, secondly, in this video you have really given us (me, at least) a really great sense of where we are and how to follow in your steps, if we so wish. Carry on, mate!
Thank you kindly!
English Heritage rules are infuriating. As you say, in our small way, we’re given them free publicity - what do they fear they’re losing out on?! I enjoy getting one over on them. As you say, National Trust are the same. I’m a member of both, too - so I’m paying them to tell me off!!
The weather really was a pain, but I drove 3 hours to do this and decided I just needed to run with it! I think it sort of adds something to the footage up on the castle headland.
It’s an interesting town and the coastline is fantastic there. I’ve got some ideas for that part of the country - hopefully I’ll get to showcase it in better weather at some stage!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd That's where me not really being a native speaker shows, I guess - If both the rain is dripping and the people are breathing down my neck I loose my lines and might as well pack up.
One more thing: Scarborough is very close to Bamburgh which is what Bebbanburg in the Netflix series "The Last Kingdom" is modelled on. I've been thinking a bit about how to include this but didn't really come up with a good idea. It just might be a good way to scavenge on a Netflix-hype if you do one up there - just a thought...
More candy floss maps please!
Thanks Paul! I loved the candy floss nonsense and I think there’s more mileage in it!
Love your voiceovers - particularly of the Grand Hotel
Cheers Hedley! I’m sure nobody will slow it down and work out what I really said!
Candyfloss, Cannibalism and Clandestine Camera-work. You don’t get this on those Lesser Channels. Carry on.
Absolutely! Cheers Barry.
One thing missing from your gentlemanly attire appears to be a kerchief. I will have to keep an eye out on future videos 😂
I will have to address that! Actually, there is one in my jacket pocket. Cheers
What a cliff hanger! My fingers are crossed that you did not have to spend a night in an English Heritage dungeon for your escapades.
Thank you. I’m hiding out in a safe house at the moment!
You see what happens to Britain when kids rule.
That is very true! Thanks for watching.
Don't worry about filming during inclement conditions; you simply missed the 38 minutes of sunny/calm for the WEEK in that area.
Conversely, you could have made sacrifices to the weather gods, perhaps a bag or two of cotton candy?
(Apologies, that's what we Colonials call it over here, across the Pond.)
Enjoying the content, windy and drizzly as it is.
Cheers from a Colonial with DEEP UK roots; now in the Willamette Valley, Oregon Country.
Thank you - always a pleasure to hear from you. I love that you’re watching and enjoying the channel over there.
Thank you! I have now seen all I need to see of the Yorkshire coast.. Great ditches but rubbish candyfloss. I'm sure Scarborough might be nice to visit on a: a sunny day and b: on a whim (usually my whims don't include the north east...) However I am grateful to learn about the "barbarian conspiracy". "I was not aware of that" (voice of Wayne from Wayne's World)😁
Thank you! It was rough up there, but I hear it’s glorious today. Typical!
Congratulations on the successful castle storming...pretty sure that'll be your membership cancelled though 😮
Somewhat coincidentally, I'm off to Scarborough this afternoon to investigate another antique phenomenon at the Open Air theatre...the mighty Status Quo...weather looks like being full sun all day so wish me luck 🤘
Thanks - they’ve not been in touch yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time!
Status Quo - they’ve been around for a while! Enjoy! I think the weather will be grand there today!
Think I’m finally getting used to the truly disturbing music beds 😂 great content 👍🏼
Thanks Darren - glad you’re acclimatising, I know it’s hard with our misjudged musical selections!! Thank you very much for your kind words.
We did it to ourselves: the Barbarian conspiracy included Romano-British people. The Romano-British rebelled several times and stripped the defences of men to go on expeditions to Europe, the real reason Britain was given the finger by Rome when we asked for help later on.
Cheers. There were defectors and grasses. We also had would be emperors. You’re right, it makes sense why Rome decided to let us slip away!
As a kid I spent many a rainy day in Scarborough looking forward to 90 seconds on that funicular railway as the highlight of the day.
I was a bit worried at first that it might have closed down, but fortunately not! What a lovely thing it is!
I love Scarborough and have visited many times over the years. I had no idea it had a Roman connection however (admittedly if I'd ever visited the castle I'd have known). A real eyeopener, informative vid. I had always presumed Scarborough to have been a small fishing village that blossomed when the Victorians took to visiting the coastlines of Britain for their holidays. I suppose I should have guessed those Romanic types got there at some point.
Thank you Phil! A really interesting timeline on that headland: Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Medieval and then the Norman castle. With gaps in between!
Strobing - put camera into PAL setting not NTSC. Great content even when wet.
Thank you for that tip - I’ll try to work that out. Cheers! Glad you enjoyed the video - always a bit tougher when the weather’s against you like that. Hopefully it will encourage people to visit Scarborough - it’s a good day out with lots to see.
Hi Darren. Another stellar episode and more so as you braved such awful weather. Scarborough, or any other seaside resort does not look its best on a cold, grey, drizzling day. It’s a challenge being outdoors this year. All four seasons in one day seem the norm at the moment. Here’s hoping you get better weather soon.
My knowledge of ‘Romania’ grows each week, for which I thank you. I even visited Branodvnvm Roman Fort in north Norfolk this week due to you instilling an interest in me. Finding no more than a grassy field was rather disappointing!🥴
Thank you, Andrew! Great to learn you’ve visited a site yourself - any visible earthworks, or did you have to take their word for it?!
One of my fascinations with Roman Britain is how little there is left! I know it ended a long time ago, but compared to other countries, we seem to have let it all side away more comprehensively. I get stupidly excited about a Roman bump in the ground, or a hedgerow marking the line of a Roman road!
This terrible weather makes filming so difficult. You end up abandoning any attempt at more complex shots and it just becomes a mission to get it done. Having said that, I quite like the atmosphere up at the signal station in this one.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Sadly Branodvnvm was no more than a grassy field. I had hoped for more, but perhaps I don’t as yet have the skills to determine what features might be from Roman times as opposed to 21st century! 🫣
The nearby Peddars Way footpath, stretching south from Rindstead has caught my eye. Straight as an arrow. Roman Road???
Keep up the good work, sir. Thanks to you I am finding new features on OS maps.
I do want to do something on the Peddars Way. It’s a pre-Roman route that they straightened out - so very interesting!
I am a big fan of Scarborough no matter what the weather but I have to admit, I have never visited the castle😬. I have also camped at Ravenscar many a time in my younger days and had no idea it had any Roman links at all. Good job it’s you doing these videos and not me…….. it is a shame how the Grand Hotel has lost its grandeur, it is said that Hitler wanted it left intact so he could have it for his headquarters after the invasion that never happened. Not sure if this is true, maybe he found out that candy floss on a stick was not available there and called off operation sea lion and went in search of the disgusting candy floss in Stalingrad instead. Many thanks again for another great video🙏
Thank you Graham - glad you enjoyed it! I didn’t know that about Hitler’s plans for the Grand Hotel. He also had plans for Oxford too, I believe.
There's a Roman lighthouse at Dover Castle that's a couple hundred years older than the signal towers in Yorkshire, but functionally and structurally quite similar. Plus, because it got turned into a medieval church bell tower, it's almost completely intact. You can get a good idea of what the towers described here might have looked like from it. It's octagonal and over 20 m tall, a really impressive structure.
Unfortunately it's closely guarded by a veritable legion of English Heritage's most fanatical warriors, men and women who would sooner die than let their honour be besmirched by any incident of unauthorised commercial filming. So visiting it is not a quest for the faint-hearted.
Hi Chris - I’ve filmed there - despite the best efforts of the English Heritage guards! The video is called Tallest Roman UK Structure in the Roman Gazette playlist. Probably my favourite Roman building in England.
I'll have to have a look at that... if I can ever escape their cruel panopticon of ageing volunteers with slightly sniffy attitudes...
Hi Darren, They are a funny tribe English Heritage perhaps descended from the Attacotti's I think.
The writing was on the wall for the Romans then, being attacked on all fronts. Never really thought about it but this then of course leads us into the dark ages.
Those beacon towers must have been quite a sight and when lit would have struck fear into the people.
Funny enough only the other night I brought a candy floss on a stick for my niece at the fairground (It's fair time here, Corpus Christi) not that she's a nipper any longer, she's now married and has a son or daughter of Wales on the way!!
Loved seeing the funicular railway👌👌. Don't think I've ever been to Scarborough but I do know it's also famous for William Smith and the Rotunda built to show fossils arranged in the correct stratological order.
Great video, I just hope you don't get the 6 O'clock knock from the English Heritage Big Brother!!
All the best!!
Thank you David - I actually thought of you when I was filming that railway. In the rain!
The end of Roman Britain and the period immediately after fascinates me more than any other. What a frightening time it must have been for the Romano Britons.
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Hi Darren, thank you very much, much appreciated, love to see a funicular!!
I have a mini project in mind, these things often don't come to fruition until you tell someone.
The funicular railway that my Dad made was driven by a small mammod static steam engine linked to some Meccano and a drum to drive the cables (well ok it's a bobbin for thread and the cables are just string).
His original idea was to run it from the cold water tank in the loft, just as well he didn't he would have flooded us out!!
So my plan is to make it work off a water supply, perhaps with the engine recirculating the water.
I don't recommend that you have a look but I did one or two videos for the Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum showing this funicular railway in operation.
Perhaps we are on the cusp of a new dark ages, what would it take to knock out all the satellites and IT that stores all our data? Some kind of emission from the sun preceded by the sight of the Aurora Borealis as far south as Spain ....... Oh no .......... Buzzzzzzzzzz (puts on WC21 expression from end of video)
One week ago we visited Scarborough seafront. I can attest that it was Warm and Sunny. At least for a few hours.
Sadly, I missed that. It was more like a rough Autumn day for me!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd The next day the weather was disgusting. Our boat trip from Bridlington was cancelled. We went inland instead to York where the weather was much better. Great weather chat.
'Saxons' was a generic term for any sort Germanic sea-borne raider. Up on the coast of what is now Yorkshire, they were more likely to have been Angles or Jutes.
Yes, I agree with that. My research for this did indicate Saxons coming up the coast during raids on East Anglia, at the time of the Barbarian Conspiracy in 367, so that’s why I plumped for that. Later, it was absolutely Angles, I believe. If you pause on that old style iron sign at the signal station, you’ll see they opted for “Anglo Saxon”! Thank you for watching and commenting.
@WC21UKProductionsLtd
Yes, I noticed that detail. I don't think Anglo-Saxon keels had sails, so Presumably they would have been rowing right across the North Sea to get to Northern Britain.
Myself, I was born in Lower Saxony, in Hannover. But I have visited Yorkshire and Northumbria. Beautiful in a bleak sort of way.
Back in the days when that sign was made - probably by the then Ministry of Works - “Anglo Saxon” was the standard term. In fact, I remember it as the only one used in schools. Fascinating to hear from a modern day Saxon, by the way. Cheers.
@WC21UKProductionsLtd
I have a history degree, and I know the Revisionists would like to erase it. I believe they will find that difficult. In Germany of course, it would be impossible to abolish the word.
👍
Given my interest of new information, I researched the Attacotti...There seems to be more known about the demise of candyfloss on a stick in Scarborough than there is about these chaps .I've read they practiced polyandry, so a bit surprised they were so peeved! And interestingly, some of their ranks were made up of turncoat Roman soldiers.
Yes, I was interested to read that some Roman soldiers joined them! Perhaps it was the draw of multiple wives and a bit of human for lunch?!
Ah...it seems I have discovered why you can no longer buy candy floss on a stick...Health and safety gone mad - ''Candy floss on a stick being banned in case people trip and impale themselves.''
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I can see the temptation regarding the evening choices at home, but I've never been a fan of fast food establishments. Whether it be chicken, ham, beef or indeed human burgers ...not my scene.
@@philcollinson328 is that right about them banning candy floss on a stick?! Thinking about it, I should have guessed!
@@WC21UKProductionsLtd I believe it's just one of those urban legends, but given how mamby pamby some elements of society have become, it'd not surprise me.