Ilkley Rocks

(soryy, I know that’s probably the worst pun I’ve ever used).

I wanted to write some more about the Verbeia Altar. Especially having read the excellent mythopoetic article on Verbeia as the Goddess of the Wharfe by the wonderfully named Gyrus. He’s also done a booklet, which can be purchased here.

For those who can’t be bothered to read the whole thing, Gyrus develops a long and rather wonderful theory working with the notion that Verbeia was the name of a local goddess of the Wharfe. He uses this to describe his own ‘spiritual’ journey, admitting that the facts he has are limited, but drawing connections, pulling together ideas, and attempting to describe a living, breathing, conection between prehistorical artifacts and the ‘present’.

Those of us who spent a lot of our youth hanging out with thee Temple and various Chaos magicians will appreciate his skill at this not simply for nostalgic reasons!

But, anyway, the two artifacts Gyrus uses for his references to Verbeia are the Roman altar stone currently in the Parish Church and the famed Verbeia altar.

The former stone (See Gyrus’s article for an image), somewhat bizarrely labelled as Demeter in the Church, Gyrus suggests is an image of Verbeia herself, with the twin ‘snakes’ actually the two rivers flanking the fort. Now, while this is an interesting idea, there are lots of other possibilities. This seems terribly specific to be honest. It would mean a Goddess for a very narrow part of the river.

But, does the identification of this altar with Verbeia hold good? And who was Verbeia herself? Gyrus has lots of suggestions but, being a boring (a)rationalist, I wanted to get to the bottom of the evidence. Where do we know about Verbeia from?

Well, it turns out to be only one source. An awfully narrow base for such heavy ideas to be built upon (not to mention the idea that Ilkley would actually have been called Verbeia after ‘its’ Goddess).

That one source is the Verbeia altar. THis altar was found under the steps of a house (according to Collyer/TUrner, quoting William Camden, who visited the town in 1582), and was inscribed…

Verbiae
Sacrum
Clodius
Fronto
D
Praef. Coh
II Lingon

Usually translated as ‘To Sacred Verbeia. Clodius Fronto, Prefect of Cohort, Second Lingones.

A copy can be seen in the Manor House Museum

However, and this is worth stressing, the original no longer exists. It was believed to have been transferred to Low Hall and then to Myddelton Lodge, where it was set up, but the inscription wore away. According to Collyer/Turner, a copy used to stand near the Old Bridge–but I’m not sure whether this copy is the one in the Museum (I would rather doubt it).

Now, we know that this altar existed. We have corroborating evidence through Fairfax who remembered it standing in water. However, our evidence as to the precise wording relies purely on Camden.

Which is rather surprising given the number of theories that have been built upon it. Camden himself imagined this as a votive altar, Whitaker invented a story about Fronto being saved from drowning and paying for the altar in gratitude. From this we have the notion that Verbeia was the actual name of the Brigantian town and the Roman Fort, that this was the name of the Romano-British Goddess of the river.

Which is certainly a little odd as we know that a variety of names such as Guerf, GUer, Hwerver and Hwerf were actually used by Britons and Saxons, none of which sound like Verbeia in any way (actually, the Guerf and Guer are only surmises), whatever Speight might have said. Verbeia seems to be Roman, not British–the British had their OWN names for the river.

So, we have one piece of evidence. But could Camden have mis-transcribed? Well, he was notoriously reliable in his history, so it seems unlikely. Yet, as a good ripperologist, I can’t help thinking of all the energy expended building theories based on one of Jack’s letters which supposedly said, in condemning the efforts of the Polis, “all your lees”, quickly taken to refer to spiritualist Robert Lees. ONly last year, with new analysis by Evans and Skinner, the original letter didn’t say ‘Lees’ at all, but ”tecs’ as in detectives. A problem with building theories on secondary sources. THough, in this case, we only have secondary sources…

Hmm, okay, it’s less likely when we’re talking about a stone inscription, yet, we don;t know how faded it was. And, if it said something else, how much of this energy would have been wasted?

Well, and how much would have been wasted if you just read Camden’s transcription in a different way? For, according to Collyer/Turner as shown above, the altar didn’t mention ‘Verbeia’, but Verbiae. Now, Camden and everyone else must be a better reader of Latin than I am, but I can’t help noting that verb/verbi was the Latin for ‘word’ as in ‘The Word’. A common Latin gravestone inscription of the xian era was verbi dei minister, minister of the word of God.

OKay, this is idle speculation, but if Camden got this inscription wrong by even a letter, and the original was ‘verbae’ or indeed most variations on something to do with ‘verb’ or ‘verbi’ what we’re actually talking about is something to do with ‘word’.

The sacred Word (of) Claudius Fronto, etc…

Or ‘The Holy Word’. Perhaps a sensible thing to mention on an altar?

Okay, like I say, I’m not promoting this as a solution, but just suggesting that its a massive house of cards built on a second (or third or fourth) hand account of an inscription that no longer exists, and might, just might, have said something slightly different.

None of this is to take away from Gyrus’s (wonder if he had a daughter?) wonderful article, which spins off in so many directions, it would take a bigger brain than mine to keep track. It’s just, in its own way, idle speculation on the nature of sources–both riparine and literary.

Why is everyone up in arms about the idea of a wind farm at Kettlesing?. Apparently, it will mar the view from our moor.

Well, of course it won’t. Leaving aside the beauty of such things, especially on the remoteness of the moor, there’s something else blotting the view to a much greater extent. But, funnily, none of our Tory councillors ever mention it.

Menwith Hill.

Which is not only a blot on the landscape, but it’s a threat to our security as well.

Maybe the wind farm is a clever idea by Lindis Percy and her friends at the peace camp to isrupt the listening power of the station?

Clever, very clever…

Well who heard the proposals from the government to give the power to local and parish councils to impose on-the-spot fines for anti-social behaviour?.

Can you imagine?

It’s what they’ve always wanted, greasy boy Gibbons there with his parking tickets, dominatrix Hawksworth waiting to punish the naughtiness of the non-Conservative.

*brrrrr* No wonder they’re saving all that money–it’s the pay for the black uniforms and rubber truncheons.

A competition for you–find a local, borough or parish council that is more incompetent than Ilkley’s. Not corrupt, not venal, just totally lacking in intelligence.

Consider the evidence:

1) There’s the massive underspend. Taking a precept is one thing, when it’s needed. But when we’re looking at taking £100,000+ into next financial year, there’s been a serious lack of financial planning. The precept is patently NOT needed for administration of the local parish–which was what we were told originally. And now they run around like the proverbial blue-arsed councillors they are, finding things to spend it on. Like new toilets. Only new toilets are going to be paid for by Bradford. So, where is the money going to go? Perhaps it could save some of our proper heritage like the Panorama Stones.

2) The redevelopment of The Grove. No consultation, just trees and stones ripped up. The level of the pavement altered to make it inacessible to the disabled. New stones that turn the pavement to sheet ice. The theft of all our bins.

3) Those bloody lamp-posts. Nobody asked for them, but there they appeared, dwarfing some of our best buildings, placed in entirely the wrong position (sometimes just moving them a metre left or right will restore the proper vista). And then they completely fail to take away the old ones, so we double the amount of street furniture we have. And then the councillors responsible have the nerve to complain about shop having signs outside their premises.

4) And the need to buy new christmas decorations because the old ones don’t fit the new lamp-posts or the new, smaller trees. Did nobody check?

5) Victoria Avenue. Wheatley Lane. Where are the filter lanes? Where have they taken them? Is it all a plot to make the place grind to a halt? One car turning right can now make the traffic back up to Addingham.

6) The Bund. So you don’t like the romany? Well, that’s good and racist of you. But dealing with the ‘problem’ by planting a huge mud-bank where they camp is nowt short of ludicrous. We now have a perfect place to re-enact the first day of The Somme. And, frankly, it looks terrible.

The Parish council keep claiming their opponents are ‘acting politically’. Well, there’s an easy way round that. Given the in-built Conservative majority in the town, whoever is picked to represent the party will inevitably be elected. Which means the choice of parish councillors is actually made by a handful of members of the local Tory Party, rather than the electros of the parish. So, let’s bring some democracy back to the town. At the next election, everyone stands as an independent, or in their own name. Sure, we’ll still get Hawksworth. We’ll probably still get Ilkley’s own absent landlord, funky Gibbons. But some of the lesser lights will go. And surely that can only improve the average IQ rating?

Looking through things on the Panorama Stone(s), I found some excellent other essays, one of which in particular I’ll be returning to over the next few days. I also found this, and did one of those double-takes as in, ‘I can’t really be that stupid that I’d never made the connection’.

But, dear readers, as I’m sure you know by now, I can.

The simple connection which everyone else reading this has probably already made is that we appear to know that soldiers from the Lingones tribe made up part of the Roman garrison of the fort at *Ilkley. We also know that the Swastika motif of the stone over-looking the Wharfe valley is of the same design as the Camunian Rose, to be found in Northern Italy. Now, the Lingones were meant to be based in northern Italy, on the Adriatic Coast.

SO, the connection is obvious. Some lonely soldier, on point duty over-looking the valley in the early third century, carves a design similar to the ones he knows from home (or perhaps even carved at home). Simple, elegant, obvious.

Only (you just knew there’d be a ‘but’ dind’t you?) there are also of course similar designs elsewhere–not least in Scandanavia. The design is also extremely close to the design of the fylfot used as the standard of the Isle of Man–though Manx believe it derives from the Vikings. So, maybe it was carved in Ilkley to mark one of the boundaries of the danelaw?

Not that that affects the point–the Vikings could have found it and liked it during their conquests across Europe–the Roman connection for Ilkley works better than a Viking one.

But, again, there’s some dispute about the Lingones. For this elegant solution to work, it would require them coming from Valcamonica, in the Italian Alps near Brescia. And, while, some say they did, others (notably BR Hartley in his work on Roman Ilkley) point out that their capital was at Langres in Eastern France. Just to confuse, the evidence is that both are correct and that some of the tribe migrated to cisalpine Gaul, which would be just about right.

BUt we don;t know that the soldiers in Ilkley came from that migrated portion of the tribe some six hundred years later. They might have come from the older French branch. Or they ight just have been passing through Ilkley rather than staying here. Or…Hmm, perhaps it’s not so simple and elegant after all…

Another solution sent back to the breaker’s yard.

There’s another problem too. And that’s with the only piece of evidence we have for all this, the Verbeia Altar. But that’s a whole different post.

Hope everyone who can has been to see Not Set in Stone at the Manor House Museum. Basically consists of art inspired by the cup and ring marked rocks on the moor. Includes some very nice images of the moor, and, of course, some complete tat (the photo-collage artists charging £200+ for her/his ‘pieces’ was taking the piss).

It also raises once again the story that the important ladder symbol on the Panorama Stones was inscribed during Victorian times. The full story can be read here. What is suggested by Gavin Edwards is that a Victorian workman, Ambrose Collins, was responsible for adding the ladder pattern. The evidence is a lecture given by TC Gill describing Collins’ activities and a pair of drawings of the stones–one in 1863 that doesn’t show the pattern, and one in 1896 which does.

However, though both these pieces are interesting, neither is anything like conclusive. Gill’s lecture was given in 1913 (and reported in the Gusset of the day). He is referring to activities allegedly taking place in 1872-73, some forty years before. In 1913, Gill is Bailiff of Ilkley Moor, and is 63. While he would have been alive during the alleged events, it is as likely that his information came from his predecessors, relatives or simply a rumour doing the rounds. Unfortunately, such hearsay evidence is no evidence at all.

The drawings might be more important. We know that the drawing from J Rommilly Allen (1879) does show the ladders, and this had previously been thought to be the earliest image. But the alleged activity took place prior to this date, and Edwards seems to have a found a ‘new’ drawing.

However, this new drawing is only ‘thought’ to date from the 1860s, so we have no real provenance. Te absence of particular markings on a particular drawing is not definitive proof–we have no knowledge of the skills of the artist in question. We can use such evidence when we look at the legend of the ‘Bull stone’=if this supposedly massive stone is on none of the drawings of the Cow and Calf from the Victorian era, we can draw the conclusion it did not exist. But we can’t do the same with some small rock markings.

One would expect, if the markings had been put on later, that they would fade faster (or, at least, at a different rate) than the originals. Yet this has not been the case–they have faded at the same rate (given the shameful treatment of the site by IPC).

If, as is alleged, Collins was really marking stones all over the moor and hit upon this ladder design, why is it not repeated–or at least in anywhere such detail? It’s a good design, yet this is the only place it occurs. Much more likely that its a more ancient marking serving a particular purpose.

We are also expected to believe that no rumour of such Victorian fradulent markings reached the ears of Allen, who spent a considerable time on the moor to put together his 1879 article (only six years after the ‘markings’) or of Turner, writing ‘with’ Collyer during the early 1880s–who describes the ladder motif as occuring nowhere else but Ilkley. Surely something would have reached one of them, or been pointed out in the reviews of their various works?

Then, of course, there’s Dr Little. In all his work to relocate the stones wouldn’t someone have said ‘oh, but they’re not really prehistoric, old Ambrose did those’? It was pretty hard to keep secrets in a Victorian town. Yet, we hear nothing.

I’m aware this is not a full and satisfactory refutation, but the weight of evidence is definitely against this new theory.

Now, what’s really important is that someone does something to save the bally things!

Well, what else can you call our local politicians?

So proud of an award for the new Grove, they’re happy to lie to the gusset and to the rest of us.

Yes, the revamp of The Grove has won an award from the Public Sector and Local Government magazine. Wow! Almost as important as winning the White Rose tourism awards…

Or not.

But, in celebrating we have two clear lies. First the notion that the public were consulted over the changes. Well, actually, what the gusset says is ‘local people were consulted’. That would be, presumably be the husbands and wives of the councillors involved. Who asked the rest of us about the re-paving that turns the street into an ice-rink the minute it rains (“quick, get me accidents direct…”), the wonderful little grooves between the slabs that catch your toes and heels, the strange bloating of the pavement into the road, and, above all, those bloody lamp-posts.

For it’s with the lamp-posts that we witness no pasaran’s usual duplicity. The new development has been done, she says, “without detracting from the unique and colourful shop fronts which make this street an attraction for visitors and local people alike…”

Hmm, so no lamp-posts in front of the Imperial Cafe (as was) then? None in front of the sweet shop? Complete bollocks of course. There’s been no consultation, nobody wanted the bally things, and now we have them, it’s costing us more money to make everything else fit. But that’s another post.

I’ve just re-read a few of these posts and noted the number of typos.

I do apologise.

With the sound of the Holmes Field fireworks ringing in me ears, I will endeavour to do bettere!

And it’s all change at a couple of local eateries. The Priest’s House couple are moving thanks to the chef’s bad knees. The place and setting are lovely, but I never particularly enjoyed the food–so maybe this should be welcomed. New owners currently run DD2 in Pudsey–any info gratefully plagiarised!

And what is definitely welcomed is that Steps is meant to be getting a new chef. Unfortunately, while the food may not be very good, it’s the abysmal service that lets it down…

And, just because we’ve been writing about food, a word for The Yard. Good, well-presented, posh pub food. Fish and chips with proper chunky chips and mushy peas, oh and fishcakes that were a little dry.

Now, I’m a boy, so should be doing a league table of pub eating, but given that Bar T’at has gone downhill quite alarmingly recently, and I haven’t eaten at Johnon’s for ages..oh, and Escape isn’t really a pub, it’s not that easy to do…

Try The Yard..

We’ve been eating out a lot recently. And have now taken in the delights of three of the town’s five curry places in the last ten days or so. Definitely at the bottom of the bunch is India–the restaurant. Everything about the place feels wrong–the service is slack even with seemingly hundreds of people on parade, the food is bland, the decor is irritating in the extreme (the whole room colour changes made me feel fairly woozy), and their arrogance over their illegal illuminated sign is, well, par for the course.

Moving on up is the Balti Chef, which has got rid of its bunny boiler waiter who was very very keen on the laydeez, and spruced up its act. The food’s okay, nothing sepcial (and the standard menu descriptions always amuse me). No more shark, but trying to get back to being a good, local, curry house. I think it would be even better if they didn’t keep cramming me next to the toilets. Hey, water sports and curry…what a good mix.

Actually, the toilet thing happened in India as well–the smell of urinal cake permeating the entire place.

So we’re left with Jaipor Spice. The decor might be left over from the seventies, but the food is great (a little potato based on occasions), staff are helpful, the toilets are a long way away.

Two more to go before the spicy food overdose (follow up to ‘Supersize me’?) takes hold.

In further searching for local blogs (it’s been a busy week, but eventually I got bored and played on the webnet thing), britblog has a couple that adhere to my rather strict interpretation of the rules…

So, we bring you the delights of Forest Gate in SOuth East London. A little less personal than what you’re reading, but acting rather more responsibly too!

And then, through the Beeb, there’s a whole host of Scottish island blogs, some from businesses, some from people enjoying being wet and windy and cold (much like those of us living on moors do…)

And it’s not a smalltown blog, but it’s listed under the community area–searching for a new dog? This place might help. Or bring tears to your eyes. Whichever.

Phew..

There was me thinking that with the closure of ‘That Picture Shop’ Ilkley would be down to only eight or nine framing places.

But no, replacing the aforesaid will be ‘Blanc Canvas’, a whole new concept in picture framing.

Grrrrreeeaaattttt….

Well, Saturday night and the previous opinions of the Box Tree were proved to be well-founded. The food is somewhere between good and very good, but the service is struggling. Rena as maitresse is very good, there was a French bloke who seemed efficient but didn’t come near us after taking the food order, and a wine waiter who–well, see below. The complement was made up by two or three local girls, one of whom seemed to have trouble keeping her mouth closed, and had to have things explained to her at least three times every time.

Four of us arrived a bit early, and got put upstairs and, uhhr, left for about ten minutes. So, okay, we WERE early…Ordered food, pointed out we hadn’t seen the wine menu by the point we were being taken to the table. So, uhhr, okay…

Seated in a corner near the kitchen door. But two 4-tables were in a space better suited to a 4 and a 2. Which meant the waiters couldn’t really get to my chair and spent the night leaning across others to pick up my plate and so on.

Ordered wine, nice tannic Oz Shiraz and a house chablis. The latter arrived with wine waiter saying ‘we’ve sold a lot of these tonight, so it might not be cold’. It was actually warm, so it took fifteen minutes to chill it–no offer of an alternative, no attempt to get another bottle. Gritted teeth result.

Amuses were cucumber (?) jelly things with salmon froth. Very gentle, sharp tang, really rather nice.

Starters–Risotto of lobster for me, excellent, gloopy not soupy. Mosaic of farmhouse chicken, wild mushrooms and pancetta, pronounced over-complicated. Loked interesting, but not a patch on Rasay’s chessboard. Roast sea scallops—great hulking things, very good

Mains–I had Roast Wild Sea Bass, Aubergine caviar, anchovy beignet, confit tomoatoes. V. tasty slice of fish, the anchovy was the most interesting bit. This sort of thing is a dish that often annoys me because the pieces don’t fit together, but here it worked very well, the anchovy thing was strange but surprisingly good. Others had veal with sweet potato puree, adjudged fine, and the fillet of beef, with petit onions, lardons and ceps. The meat (this time they had asked how it was wanted) was excellent, but fatty–weird for a fillet, not something we’d encountered before.

Dessert (accompanied by some ports because we’d run out of wine–it was that sort of night)–panna cotta, pistachio biscotti, raspberry milkshake, an amazing dish, or rather three, mixing flavours, alternating fruity joy and alum tight-mouth, also Lemon Tart, which was very large and the cheeses which were too much for one.

Service throughout was, uhhr, interesting…dropped cutlery, much leaning over, many near accidents.

Simon came out a few times and was looking sort of hassled (understandable I guess) and a bit nervous. As the night went on, Rena was getting more and more irritated–also understandable. Especially when at least two parties started asking her about Anthony’s success (‘well, of course, Simon did all that, and now we want to be a bit more relaxed…’ Hmm, lady doth protest???)

But, anyway, a good night, the food was near to v. good, company excellent, lots of alcohol drunk. We waited and waited for the taxi, then just walked home. £300 sovs for four, including three bottles of wine, a couple of ports. On the expensive side for what it was.

BY way of chatiry (by way of the Grauniad), we bring you the slow city movement, a relative of the slow food movement. I reckon that, town though it is, Ilkley qualifies.

And where it doesn’t qualify yet, the movement provides something to aim at. Some of the suggestions form the political infrastructure page…

Creation of public green spaces with benches and play areas
Presence of open sidewalks without architectural barriers
Access and availability of public spaces for the handicapped
Existence infrastructure that favors alternative mobility
Freely accessible public toilets
Existence of places to sit and rest not only in the historical centers, but throughout the city
That opening hours for the various City offices should be similar

Keep getting rumours about quality of food declining in Ilkley. Went to Tubby’s a week or so ago, and that is back to its best, the most relaxed but efficient staff, excellent food, good company, bistro cooking and experience as its meant to be. UNtil the Box Tree works its full offering out, Tubby’s is holding top spot.

Below it, though, there are some problems. The Cow and Calf has gone way down hill in food and service, there keep being bad reports back from Escape (cold food, etc), and even Bar T’at has hit the buffers. Have they been replaced? Haven’t eaten at The Yard yet strangely. Must try it, and the Greek place (though the sight of their chef in Martins was ot that appetising).

More reports to come…

An, contrary to my previous post, it isn’t on to Europe, it’s back to Yorkshire for Yorkshire in Bloom next year.

Don’t let the effort drop though!

Went to the opening night of the LIterature festival on Friday. Mr Ian Rankin, the esteemed and stylish crime novelist led off proceedings, and damn fine he was too. Having seen him doa reading about eight years ago, he’s come on a lot, very polished, very witty, good stories, a good way with answering questions. Just didn’t get to buy him a pint afterwards.

And once again, we’re very lucky to have such events.

What? What?

Look, its a new pun innit?

Went to the revamped Box Tree for the first time on Sunday. First impressions are very good. The place has been cleaned up completely, the old stench of rotting mould has been taken away and most of the mad old bird’s things have also gone (though I got the impression from some of the things being said that she was still interfering somewhat). There’s even nice new box hedges growing above the windows. The layout is basically the same, with a private dining room being opened upstairs.

Simon Gueller as chef has developed some of his old classics, and Rena, his wife, is doing a very good job as maitresse d’. THis was only the second Sunday they were open, and there must have been 25 or so covers in, which is pretty good. Sunday comes out at £25 per head for a three course, which is good value. Normal evenings is a bit more expensive, and features a greater range).

Okay, so starters—langoustine risotto, scallops, or pumpkin soup. We went for one of each, and all gorgeous they were. Mains–my guests had the roast beouf, I stuck to the wild salmon. THeir meat was good, juicy, lots of it, but they’d not been asked how they liked it, which is a black mark. We also had to hassle for horseradish, which was a bit irritating. The salmon was very nice, but there just wasn’t enough of it. Why oh why do chefs assume because one eats fish (or vegetarian options), one doesn’t want tot eat much. Nicked a Yorkshire pudding, and still needed a sarnie when I went home.

And, finally, the puddings–raspberry soufflee, gingerbread cannelloni (actually ice cream in a brandy snap) and very dark chocolate tart. The latter was a classic chocolate black hole, the former was adjudged excellent, tangy and sweet, the middle one wasn’t that gingerbready.

Overall, the food was good, but the service (always the let down in Ilkley restaurants aside from Tubby’s which is rather more relaxed anyway) needed work. They’re attempting silver service and this wasn’t quite there–no offer of a second round of glasses of wine, parties placed too close together, the no horseradish problem. Little things, but they take away from the experience. The braying woman behind didn’t help either…

Attempting something at a move above what the best in Ilkley are currently doing (Tubby’s and Farsyde), and I’m sure they’ll get there. I’m going to leave them unranked till I’ve had the evening experience.