Bob
Trett recently found the following accounts by Octavius Morgan,
as published in The Archaeological Journal, Volume XXXV,
1878, Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
and a pamphlet published by the Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association
in 1882 on "Goldcliff and the Ancient Roman Inscribed
Stone found there 1878, together with other Papers".
He thinks they might be of interest to our members, with acknowledgement
to the Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association and Castle Books
for their help. The texts speak for themselves, both in terms
of description of finds, and Morgan's theorising.
ANCIENT
DANISH VESSEL DISCOVERED
AT THE MOUTH OF THE USK.
Extract from the Proceedings at a Meeting of the Royal Archaeological
Institute
June 7, 1878.
MR.
OCTAVIUS MORGAN gave the following account of the discovery of
an ancient Danish vessel in the alluvial deposit near the mouth
of the river Usk:-
"In
April last, in the course of the excavation of the new timber
pond of the Newport Alexandra Dock, in the extensive tract of
flat alluvial land which there forms the shore of the Bristol
Channel between the mouths of the rivers Usk and Ebbw, the workmen
came upon the remains of an ancient vessel about twelve feet below
the surface of the green sward. The tide rises high here, and
would still overflow the land at very high spring tides with a
south-west gale unless it were protected by a low sea bank. The
workmen in this excavation discovered a portion of the side of
an ancient ship which was retained in an upright position by sharpened
rough oak stakes driven into the soil beneath as if to form a
dam or embankment. In the excavation of the Alexandra Dock itself,
about forty-five feet below the surface, a number of oak trees,
with abundance of hazel nuts, were found, apparently portions
of an oak forest growing amid a thicket of hazel bushes. At Goldcliff,
on the shore of the channel a few miles on the east side of the
river Usk, are still to be seen at low water the roots and remains
of a similar oak forest with abundance of hazel nuts, which may
be gathered up by handfuls in the mud.
The
Vessel found was built with oak planks, of no great thickness,
fastened together with broad-headed iron nails, which had all
perished, the metal having been converted into oxide. There were
occasional large holes to receive trenails, a portion of one of
which found in situ is exhibited with the nails, but it has much
shrunk in drying. It was what is termed clinker-built, the planks
overlapping each other, and sloped off so as to make a smooth
joint. Between the planks some of the caulking was found, which
was of a dark coloured wool, and it is not improbable that strips
of sheep's hides with the wool on were used for this purpose.
Nothing like pitch appears to have been found.
These
remains of the vessel were carefully examined by a ship-builder,
and the master of the dock, who made the following report: - "In
compliance with your letter I have to-day examined, in company
with a ship-builder, the remains of the vessel found in excavating
the timber ponds at this dock, and it is our opinion that the
vessel is of foreign build, as she appears to be constructed of
Dantzic oak. We found traces of timber or ribs on the inner side
of the planking, which were evidently about two and a half inches
in width, and it is our opinion that the vessel was constructed
more for speed than strength as she must have been only slightly
put together. From the general appearance and position of the
different parts, we are led to think that she was placed where
she is for the purpose of forming a dam, and the stakes which
you have observed outside were merely driven in to secure her
in position. The vessel was very likely captured from foreigners,
and cut into pieces for the purpose indicated as above, but we
found nothing whatever to enable us to fix the date of her being
placed there, but she has been there some centuries, as eight
feet of mud has been gradually deposited above her and the metal
fastenings are completely rusted through."
The
dockmaster, from having been in the Baltic and well acquainted
with ship-building there, is of opinion that, from its clinker-
build, as well as from the quality of the timber, it is most likely
from that part of the world, as that mode of construction is still
carried on there. He considers it may have been about seventy
feet long, and from seventeen to twenty feet broad, and that it
most probably had some sort of deck. From the examination of the
timber and the piece of plank exhibited, judging from the loose
open grain and the broad silver grain or laminae or flowers, as
they are sometimes called, there can be no doubt of its being
of Dantzic
timber, for the grain of English oak is closer, harder and more
compact, and silver grain laminae not so apparent. From all these
circumstances it appears to me that it was most probably a vessel
which formed part of one of the Danish fleets which invaded that
part of the country at several early periods. A ship built for
speed and not for strength, is I think, just the sort of vessel
that these northern adventurers would build and use to ensure
a quick transport, and having but few stores and little baggage
no great strength would be required, and a fleet of such vessels
would convey and land on any coast a large body of adventuring
invaders.
That
part of the country along the northern shore of the Bristol Channel
was subjected to frequent invasion by the Danes and they have
left their names and marks in various places, and especially in
the two islands in the Bristol Channel over against the coast
of Glamorgan, viz., the Steep and Flat Holms.
From
the Gwentian Chronicle or "Brut y Tywysogion" of Caradoc
of Llancarvan, who died in 1157, we learn that A.D.97 the Black
Pagans first came to Britain from Denmark and made great ravages
in England; afterward they entered Glamorgan, and killed and burnt
much, but at last the Cymry conquered them, driving them into
the sea and killing many of them, and thence they went to Ireland.
I
A.D. 893 the Black Pagans came to Wales over the Severn sea, burnt
Llanelltyd the great, and Cynfig, and Llangarvan and Gwent, and
Brecknock, and Buallt, and during their return through Gwentllwg
(the locality where this vessel was found) whilst ravaging Caerleon
upon Usk, Morgan Prince of Glamorgan fought a battle with them
and drove them over the Severn Sea into the Summer country (Somersetshire?),
where many of them were killed by the Saxons and Britons of that
country.
Here
we have in the record of an old chronicler of that locality a
direct mention of an invasion and warfare with the Danes on that
very spot, and as they were driven over the Severn Sea, or Bristol
Channel, they must have had ships, and I think it by no means,
therefore, improbable that this Danish ship may be of that period.
If that be so
we get a date of about 900 when that fragment of a ship was placed
where it was found at the mouth of the Usk, or on the shore of
the Severn Sea. The spot where it was found is now more than half
a mile distant from the river Ebbw, and considerably more than
a mile from the Usk, and from the time it was placed there eight
feet of solid mud or silt must have been deposited above the top
of it, and the beds and channels of the two rivers and the shores
of the Severn Sea or Bristol Channel have varied accordingly,
and we can now form some idea of what changes have taken place
in that alluvial district in 1000 years."
In
the Monmouthshire Antiquarian pamphlet, Morgan adds that "the
paper was prepared and read in 1878, and there appeared in the
- Illustrated London News of June 24th, 1880, an article accompanied
by a wood engraving, which gives a description of an ancient ship,
recently discovered near the coast of Norway which exactly illustrates
this paper, and confirms me in attributing the ship discovered
at the mouth of the Usk, to the Danish or Northern invaders from
the Baltic.
On
the farm of Gokstad, not far from Sandifjord, is a large mound
150 feet in diameter, and there was an ancient tradition that
a mighty Chief was buried there. Last winter the people of the
farm began to excavate the hill, and came upon some timber and
wooden materials. On prosecuting the work, the hill was found
to contain the entire hull of an old ship, of the Pagan Vikings,
in a remarkably good state of preservation.
In
the estimation of the Norwegian Antiquarians it was considered
to be more than 1000 years old. The vessel was built entirely
of oak, and is 75 English feet between the stem and stern, it
is about 16 feet broad amidships, and it appears to have been
of a low build, drawing only five feet, of water. The planks were
united together with iron nails, and the ribs of which there are
twenty, were connected with them, at the top by rivets, but at
the bottom by ties. It is clinker built. Amidships in the bottom
of the ship is a heavy beam; this beam served as the support of
the mast, of which there is still a piece standing in its place,
whilst the upper part which had been cut off was found in the
vessel. The mast appears to have been about 22 feet long. In the
vessel were also found bits of sail and ropes, and a number of
oars, some 20 feet long and also a rudder. From this description
there appears to be a considerable similarity between this vessel
and that which was discovered here near the mouth of the Usk,
which I think we may fairly presume from the similarity of construction,
and the other particulars which have been given respecting it,
to have been a vessel from the North Sea, brought by some of the
invaders of this coast."
