by RNS | May 12, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Rob Collins, Living on the Edge of Empire (Pen & Sword, 2020)
Hadrian’s Wall conjures up images of an imposing barrier cutting across the northern English landscape, populated by stern-faced Roman soldiers prepared for the next barbarian attack. That isn’t completely wrong, but it is not the whole picture: Hadrian’s Wall became a community hub almost from when the Romans laid the first stone. Rob Collins has put together a book full of fascinating photographs of artefacts, illustrating the many facets of military and civilian life along Rome’s most permanent frontier.
Collins divides his book into eight chapters, encompassing all aspects of life along Hadrian’s Wall, and each lavishly illustrated with colour photographs. He starts with communities and homes, from farmsteads to military tents and barracks. This incorporates a little studies on demographics and furniture and lighting. How the people dressed, and their appearance are next, though perishable materials come mostly from the earlier period of the Wall. Some of the jewellery exhibited here is exquisite, but even the mundane artefacts are extraordinary in their way given how they shine a light on people’s everyday lives. What they ate and how they stored food follows, revealing how even this far off frontier was connected to the whole Empire. We should not forget that Hadrian’s Wall was primarily a military installation, and with that in mind, Collins turns to security, both personal and military, including weapons and armour. But the Wall also acted as an economic centre, so implements for trade and administration are covered here, with a section on leisure items included. Religion played a major role in antiquity and for those living on the Wall. Collins covers the full panoply of the Gods and religious practice in this chapter. Then comes a chapter of unknowns; oddities that we are not quite sure as to their function. All good things come to an end, depending on whose side you were on, and Collins’ last chapter surveys artefacts from the last days of the Wall as it transformed into an Anglo-Saxon zone. Appendices on where all the artefacts were found and museums in which you can see them concludes Collin’s book.
Living on the Edge of Empire is more than a collection of photographs of finds from Hadrian’s Wall; it serves as a useful primer to the Wall as a focal point for community life in all its variety. Collins has assembled an impressive range of materials, which reveal that sometimes the most significant finds come from the most commonplace items. Vindolanda features heavily in the array of objects, which is appropriate given how much has been carried out there. That might skew the picture of the whole Wall, but I think there is enough from other sources to provide balance. Collins’ text matches the artefacts in its clarity, with the final result being a neatly organised and illuminating book. If you cannot visit Hadrian’s Wall, this book might be the next best thing.
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by RNS | May 10, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Melissa Julian-Jones, Murder During the Hundred Years War (Pen & Sword, 2020)
Who killed William de Cantilupe in 1375, and why? We may never know, but that does not stop Melissa Julian-Jones from analysing the evidence and suspects. She also uses this murder to cast her gaze around the wider social, economic, and political contexts of an often turbulent England still at war with France.
Julian-Jones opens with a brief overview of the crime and the major theories surrounding it. With that out of the way, she starts digging into the background of the victim and his family, which is mostly a sordid tale ending in a reconstruction of William’s murder. Then, as in all the best mysteries, Julian-Jones lines up her suspects for a more detailed background check, of which there were quite a few if you include aiders and abettors. After who might have done it comes why they might have done it with a search for motives. That amounts to money, sex, and the intriguing notion of ‘communal vengeance’ against a cruel lord. Julian-Jones turns to the mechanics of law enforcement particularly with regard to the Cantelupe murder. Then we are into the trial and its aftermath. Julian-Jones concedes that there are many questions we cannot answer about William Cantelupe’s murder. She winds her book up with some appendices from the contemporary records.
Historical murders act as useful conduits into the period when they were committed. Trials and other records provide instant histories; snapshots for historians to explore and analyse. Julian-Jones seizes that opportunity for William Cantelupe’s murder to present a fascinating social history, including the inner workings of the mediaeval social system centred on the manor house. As such, this is a very good read, though I perhaps might question the analytical structure for a public history audience. But, if you want to have a wander around 14th Century England, you will no doubt enjoy Julian-Jones’ book.
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by RNS | May 1, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Jameson’s Folly
David Snape, The Rescue They Called a Raid (Helion, 2021)
On the face of it, the Jameson Raid of 1895-1896 seems a rather innocuous affair. Five-hundred men led by a headstrong Scottish surgeon marched into a neighbouring South African territory and were soundly beaten then expelled. But this apparent ripple in the British Imperial pond had great ramifications beyond its local impact. David Snape brings us the full story of the raid, its causes, and aftermath.
Snape begins with the characters involved in the Jameson raid: Cecil Rhodes, Leander Jameson, Paul Kruger, and Joseph Chamberlain. Their intertwining stories and competing ambitions against the backdrop of Victoria’s empire provide the basis of this study. The action centres on the Boer South African Republic (ZAR) under Kruger that became a sensation when gold was discovered and foreigners (Uitlanders), most of them British, poured in. They soon wanted political rights, but Kruger wasn’t having that. Rhodes and Jameson encouraged the Uitlanders to rise up (they didn’t), which would also satisfy their lust to expand the Empire and thwart Kruger’s new German friends in the ZAR. They soon gathered a force to invade the ZAR; all they needed was a match to light the fuse, which soon arrived with the Drift Crisis. Snape assesses the situation on both sides on the eve of the raid, then we are into the action.
Jameson organized his force of around 500 men and was determined to move forward despite Uitlander protestations. The column advanced on 30 December 1895, destination Johannesburg. But Kruger knew Jameson was coming and organised his defences with volunteers, while he hedged his political bets, which Snape goes into in some detail. Jameson, meanwhile, discovered that the British government would not support his attack, but decided it was too late to turn back. As his force approached Krugersdorp, they faced stiff resistance and lost 30 men in a foolhardy frontal attack. The Boers all but chased the Raiders, putting them under constant fire until they ran into a prepared Boer position. Jameson was trapped and forced to surrender. The Boers treated the Raiders well, returning them to face trial by the British.
Snape describes the international repercussions, which were seismic. Jameson and his officers stood trial in London: five received prison sentences, others not tried were forced to resign their commissions. The Reformers in Johannesburg that Jameson thought he was helping were tried too, the four ringleaders receiving lengthy prison sentences. In London and South Africa, the blame-game began, including a committee of inquiry and parliamentary debate. Snape goes into considerable detail on the aftermath and what became of all the major players.
The Rescue They Called a Raid is an absorbing read and another winner in the Helion stable. Snape holds the line effectively between the action and the context without getting too bogged down. He is helped by a cast of characters you couldn’t make up, and Snape sketches them with an eye for the telling detail. Snape also writes well, if a bit scholarly at times, and the story flows easily between combat, courtroom, and committee. The inclusion of contemporary illustrations and photographs adds to the atmosphere. Students of Victoria’s Empire will want to read this, as will anyone interested in 19th Century Imperial adventures.
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