Issue 18 - Up Yer Kilt Magazine

Photograph all rights reserved.
Issue 18
Editor’s Ramblings
Welcome to another edition of Up Yer Kilt Magazine.
It’s been a interesting couple of months since the last edition of the magazine
came out and a busy one too. Doing this magazine is a non stop job once one
edition is out I'm already on to the next one. I have also been away on my annual
trip down to England to find some of their treasure. Hopefully I find something that
I can put in here.
Up here in Scotland there has always been a undefinable feeling with detectorists
that I know and talked to that the detecting scene up here is estranged. This all
changed when we all seemed to come together as one for a charity dig held for The
Scottish Cot Death charity. You can read about later on but on a personal note it
made me proud of being part of the Scottish detecting scene and proud of all the
detectorists that took part.
There isn't many days that you can say “today was a great day” but recently I had
the opportunity to meet a guy called Martin who is a member of the Antonine
Guard. His picture is on the cover of the magazine and he braved the elements to
get these shots. He was great and very obliging in doing these shots and the
magazine thanks him for his time. It's not every day you get to put the armour on a
Roman Centurion.
I have also been extremely lucky in being allowed to do an article on Arniston
House near Edinburgh and meeting Althea Dundas-Bekker who owns it. The
history that the house has is truly amazing and the family history of the Dundas’s
equally amazing. This is one place everyone should visit.
It has just come to my attention that its the birthday edition again and we are
officially 4 years old. Happy birthday to us. When I started this magazine I was told
by a well known detectorist that it would not succeed. He told me that people
would never write articles for a magazine without getting paid for it. I very nearly
gave up at that stage but I'm so glad I didn't because the one defining thing I have
found about people that detect is their kind nature and they will bend over
backwards to help another kindred spirit.
The finds that I have made in this hobby fade into insignificance to the amount of
friends I have made. I’m hoping for lots more finds and even more friends in the
next year.
So to everyone that has supported the magazine and helped me and the magazine I
thank you from the bottom of my coil to the tip of my earphones. You people make
it all happen.
Enough of this soppiness get out there and find some
goodies and tell us your story so we can carry on doing this
magazine.
Happy hunting to you all!
Shug
DETECTING SCOTLAND DIG 96
KINCAPLE
We had our latest dig in Kincaple Nr St Andrews , weather beforehand had looked quite
ominous with strong winds and snow forecast however they hadn't arrived on the morning
of the dig .
As the crowds of detectorists arrived it was clear that they were not put off by the weather
forecast arriving with jovial spirits and thoughts of the treasures which may lie beneath
the acres of stubble available to search .
A total of 57 detectorists eager to go , Mark summoned them round to explain which fields
where available and off they went
It could only have been 5 mins when up
came the familiar shout Hammy ( I hadn't
even set my detector up lol ) a quick sprint
to the finder to see what beauty had been
unearthed and what a beauty it turned out
to be , Found by Gregor ( Glaxx1 ) it was a
Henry111 voided longcross a peach of a
coin thoughts ran high of this is going to
be a great day , Shortly afterwards came a
shout of “GOLD” , Heads spun round to
see who the lucky finder was and there
standing with a big cheesy face was our
Bob (Crepitis). Another sprint ensued and
there sitting in his had was a lovely 1842
Victoria half sovereign beauty of a coin. My
words of “can I get that“ fell on deaf ears
ha-ha ,
Things quietened down for a bit reports of
coppers and Victorian silvers coming
through in abundance also a few spindle
whorls were showing up
After lunch we opened another field up to
search with a few heading off in that
direction I spent that time wandering round
seeing what folks had silver 3ds, sixpences,
shillings and 2 gothic florins , as I was
detecting down the field I heard my name
called and there coming towards me was
Paddy (P4ddy) clutching something in his
hands saying “I think I've found my 2nd
hammy “ my reply I think you have too mate :) later id'd as a James1st (James 6th )
shilling, well found that man.
As darkness was drawing closer the cars were being packed up and most headed for
home Happy (I hope ;) ) with the days events. I was taking the flag down when Ewan
(Metalist ) was coming back the usual “Howd you get on mate“ greeting was answered by
“I think I got a bit of gold. Still in the clod in his finds tin. I removed another GOLD this time
an 1871 half sovereign absolutely amazing Well Done on your first gold mate.
There must have been well over 30 silvers 2, hammered and 2 gold a few spindle whorls
some cracking conditioned turners a cracking buckle part again from Glaxx1 also his
Victorian groat ,Stuarts (Wayoutwest) large copper ring caused a bit of debate ,still not
sure on it
All in all a fantastic day out Well done to all the finders for making this another great day
out
The Antonine Guard and their history.
Many of the legionaries who built & manned the Antonine wall were from Spain such as proud soldiers
of Legio Sexta Victrix Pia Fidelis (the Sixth Legion, Victorious, Loyal & Faithful). They were transferred
to Britannia by the emperor Hadrian, and worked on the construction of the frontier systems ordered
by both Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. From its base in Eboracum (York) the Sixth was responsible for
the administration and defence of most of northern England and southern Scotland. In later years it
earned the title Britannica for its services north of the frontier. The Sixth remained in Britain until the
empire withdrew the legions in 410AD.
Large battles became rare in Britain by the time of the first century AD. When however such warfare
did happen both the roman auxiliaries and the roman legions did fight together although the exact
manner varied in what they did and under what changing circumstances they found themselves when
dealing with an enemy. Like today's soldier life in the main for these soldiers of the emperor would
have be one which consisted of drills and training on a daily basis with various manoveres being
undertaken to practice their warfare techniques. When not fighting the roman legionaries who were
skilled in various trades and crafts would have been kept busy by the officers in building roads,
improved forts and civil buildings.
The auxiliaries on the other hand, either on foot or on horseback would have had to carry out the
many patrols that were needed to gather information and make certain they were not subject to any
surprise attacks. To relieve the boredom the Romans celebrated many colourful festivals and parades,
with cavalry shows and also mock battles were held.
One beautifully made cavalry helmet worn by a trooper was found at the roman fort of Trimontium
(Newstead) But things slowly changed and by the 4th century AD the Empire of Rome had underwent
many changes also, since the times when her armies went outwards from Rome herself.
The army had underwent change defence was now the main focus for the military planners, the roman
legions were much reduced in size, with the new troops being more lightly armed and more mobile
than the previous heavy infantry of the 1st and 2nd century's AD. Mounted cavalry now also played a
much
more important role and were able to deal with enemy attacks much more rapidly.
By this later period the frontier troops of Rome themselves were mainly from the neighbourhood in
which they were stationed close to their forts. By the year 406 AD roman soldiers vexillations were
taken to Gaul to deal with fighting there and by 410 AD under the emperor Honorius the eagles left the
shores of Britain. The legacy of the Romans however still remains within our land after nearly 2000
years, with great military works, such as Hadrians Wall and the Antonine Wall, the Roman baths in
Bath. Many of our fine civic buildings today look like Roman Temples. They also left system of coinage,
the Latin language is still used today in the schools of law and medicine. An understanding of the
planets and under the Emperor Augustus we have our calendar of 365 days. These are just a few
examples of our roman heritage.
Discipline was enforced with much servity. For minor infringements of duty this included Castigato
(floggings), Militiae Mutatio(demotions), but for serious derelictions of duty such as cowardice in battle
or falling asleep on guard duty these were punished by being beaten to
death (Fustuarium), by comrades whose lives had been put at risk.
If a complete unit displayed cowardice in battle then it might suffer
Decimation (where every tenth man was selected by lot and executed)
The Antonine Guard is a registered Scottish charity, founded in 1996 to
promote awareness of Scotland's Roman heritage. At events across the UK
and overseas we bring to life Roman history of the late 1st and early 2nd
Century AD. From military drill displays to school visits and talks, we
portray the people who campaigned, built, and patrolled on the northern
edge of the Imperium Romanum.
See proud officers, mighty legionaries, auxiliaries from distant lands, and formidable artillery!
Meet elegant Roman ladies, or play ancient children's games.
Antonine Guard displays guarantee a range of exciting and unforgettable experiences, all highly
researched and Presented to the highest professional standards. You can meet up with the Antonine
Guard at these upcoming events.
March 4th Saturday
Broughty Castle Museum Dundee DD5 2TF
Roman display, event from 12.00am to 4.00pm
May 16th-17th Sat-Sun.
Low Parks Museum, 129 Muir St, Hamilton, ML3 6BJ.
Times to be confirmed
June 13th Saturday Braco Village Feddel Road
FK15 9QE
Times to be confirmed
August
8th-9th Sat-Sun.
Historic Scotlands "Celebration of the Centuries", Fort George, IV2 7TD.
This magazine asked the Antonine Guard if one of them would be able to
do a photograph for the front cover. We were put in contact with Martin,
a local member of the Guard. He was very helpful and accommodating
and as you can see from the cover photograph extremely brave to
venture out onto the snow covered fields. I don't know about martin but
I was frozen and I had all my detecting gear on and gloves, scarf and hat .
Martin braved it all and gave us some great photos.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Martin and the guard and
also the Stables restaurant in Kirkintilloch for allowing us to get changed there as well as supplying us
with hot coffee and sandwiches to heat us up afterwards. I also want to thank Gordon and Chris for
their help too.
Thanks to Margaret Campbell for use of her photographs and the Antonine Guard for use of
promotional material
“Under the Spotlight”
Bob McGarry (Crepitis)
Tell us a bit about yourself please.
My name is Bob McGarry (username on the forums is “ Crepitis
“ ). I'm 50 years of age, married and have two sons. I have just
retired from the Fire Service after 30 years as an operational
fire-fighter and I live in Dumbarton. In addition to detecting I enjoy
photography, astronomy, reading and listening to music.
What first attracted you to metal detecting?
When I was a boy, sometime in the mid 1970’s, a friends father
had a metal detector and after accompanying my friend and his
dad on a few detecting trips I was totally hooked, but detectors
were fairly rare and expensive beasts back then and my pocket
money wouldn’t stretch to getting a detector of my own. It wasn’t
until I started work , around 1981, that I was able to save up and
get my own machine.
What was your first detector?
My first machine was a C-Scope ( cant recall the exact model)
which I bought second-hand after spotting an ad’ in the “for sale”
section of the local paper ( no E-Bay or Gumtree back then ! ). It
had a shepherds crook style handle and an analogue meter with a
little needle which would swing back and forth depending on the
target. It only had one , hard wired, coil available and worked from two massive batteries.
What is your latest metal detector?
I currently use a Minelab CTX 3030, and although in the past I have been prone to swap machines every
couple of years I cant really see me doing this with the CTX, it fits the bill for me in just about every way.
What is your favourite find to date?
The first Gold coin I found , a Victoria half sovereign,
was a real landmark find for me. Unfortunately I was
detecting alone when I found it and had nobody to share
the immediate excitement with, but it was still a real
feeling of triumph ! I was recently lucky enough to find a
second half sovereign, on a Detecting Scotland dig and
it was great being able to share the moment with friends
around about me in the field.
My best find from a historical perspective is a Roman
medallion, of the Emperor Clodius Albinus, which I
found in 2014 on one of my own permissions. The
medallion was identified for me by Dr Sam Moorhead of
the British Museum and has been claimed as TT by the
National Museum of Scotland.
What is still on your wish list for finding?
At the very top of my wish list is a nice hammered
coin of Mary Queen of Scots. Mary Stuart is one of
my favourite characters in Scottish history and to
find one of her coins would certainly make my year !
Failing that , I would be more than happy with a nice
Bronze Age axe head, I don’t ask for much !
Do you prefer to detect alone or with a group
and why?
A bit of both to be honest. One of the things I enjoy
most about detecting is the opportunity it gives me
for some peace and quiet, where I can relax and
forget about all the real-world stuff for a wee while,
detecting on my own gives me ample opportunity for
this. I also enjoy the social side of an organised dig and like to catch up with friends and chew the fat and
enjoy a bit of a laugh.
What’s the worst thing about metal detecting in your opinion?
Theres a fair amount of negativity between groups
of detectorists in this country, which seems to centre
around which metal detecting forum your “ allegiance” lies with. Little “wars” seem to break out
with depressing regularity and sometimes seem to
make Scottish detecting a bit of laughing stock
among detectorists elsewhere in the U.K.. Its also
disappointing to hear about all the tales of
backstabbing and deceit that go on in the name of
getting on to certain permissions, I think we’ve all
heard of some underhand and downright dirty tricks
being involved in the pursuit of yet more land.
What’s the best thing about metal detecting?
The thrill of a good find and for that moment when you have a direct, hands-on contact with History.
What do you see happening in the world of metal detecting in the future?
Its hard to say really. I don’t see there being any really ground-breaking technology changing the detecting
scene in the foreseeable future. I think the manufacturers will concentrate on weight reduction of their
machines and more of them will bring out truly
wireless detectors. As far as the actual hobby is
concerned, it seems to be enjoying a bit of a boom
time at the moment with more and more people
becoming involved at an unprecedented rate. I just
hope detecting doesn’t become a victim of its own
success.
What is the best bit of advice you have received
regarding metal detecting?
If you're not 100% sure what a find is don’t presume
its junk and bin it. Stick it away in your “ don’t know”
box until you can get an ID, you really just never
know what you could be throwing away. And remember that detecting is meant to be a Hobby, a pastime that brings you relaxation and pleasure, not a full
time job, a War or a battle for supremacy !
Detecting Scotland dig 100
The charity dig for The Scottish Cot Death Trust
Sunday 8th February 2015 was the day of the dig and all were blessed with glorious
sunshine. Around 140 people had put their names down for this dig. A fantastic
number and possibly the biggest number for a one day dig ever. In my short
detecting life I have never seen a one day dig like this one in Scotland or walked
away after a dig feeling like I did after this one.
To start at the beginning the reason Detecting Scotland worked so hard to make
this happen was a couple of Scottish detectorists Gemma Vaughan and Barry
Drummond had lost their beautiful baby daughter
Grace to cot death. Once the devastating news was
made public Gemma and Barry set up a just giving
website for friends and family to donate what they
could hoping to raise around £200 pounds for the
charity. At the time of going to press had already
raised that total to nearly two thousand pounds. It
was around this time that the moderators from
Detecting Scotland heard of this and they decided
to hold a one day dig to help the fundraising. Once
it went onto the forum there was an influx of people
putting their names down for it. Detecting Scotland
has put up the price to £10 for this dig with every
last penny going to the charity. Even the farmer who
normally gets paid for letting people dig on their
land gave up their fee to the charity. Detecting
Scotland decided to hold a charity raffle to raise
even more money for Gemma and Barry so asked
for donations for the raffle. Once again people were
so generous that I’m sure there were over 150 prizes on the raffle table. An
unbelievable gesture by so many people, too numerous to mention here.
The dig itself was to be in the St Andrews area of Scotland known for its ancient
history and the finds that were dug up did not disappoint. We had Roman
brooches, a medieval vassica seal and mounts, loads of hammered coins and
loads of other coins as well. There were people of
all ages and from all over Scotland. There were people from different forums and even Hammy Sammy
and Craig Nunn from the midlands were there too, all
showing their support for Barry and Gemma.
What I felt after this dig was a great sense of pride at
my fellow detectorists all who had dug deep and
made this a very special dig. Even people who didn’t
see eye to eye before were all together in a common
bond. It was great to see and even better to be a part
of it. I hope that everyone who took part in this
amazing dig got the same from it as I did. I sure that
Gemma and Barry went away feeling the warmth that
the detecting fraternity gave out this day. A big thank
you to the organisers, and the detectorists, that
made this day so memorable and in the process
raised an incredible sum of £3,050.
I have not named the finders in this report because there are too many people that
found stuff. You know who you are and well done to all who took part and for allowing your finds here.
The Vesica seal found by Abby was given the find of the dig.
Detecting Scotland Charity Dig 100 2015