Ancestors, hmm?

[Dan]

so im a celtic mutt with a Dash Of French Blood

There's a very good chance that the French part was originally Celtic, too.

Indeed, Rich. Celts fled from Gaul (present day France) when the Romans invaded, but I'd imagined that a lot stayed-especially in the Brittany region. The Brittanic language is actually a Celtic language, not Romance like French.

As for me, my father's family is Irish, originating in the north somewhere, as well as Cork. As for my mother, I'm not 100% sure, but her last name (Maynard) has been found in both English, Welsh, and Irish searchings. As for my grandmother's maiden name (White), I'm sure that's English.

[OldFatGuy]

The Gauls, the original inhabitants of present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river were all Celts.

[ferngully]

so britain really was uninhabitied in the ancient times thats a knock in the teeth for all those 'proper english' who think that immigrants should be out of britain

[Wickster]

thats soo interesting..i really never knew my french-celtic history..i know thats sort of i consider in a nutshell but thats still very helpful!

Wickiexx

[OldFatGuy]

so britain really was uninhabitied in the ancient times thats a knock in the teeth for all those 'proper english' who think that immigrants should be out of britain

What did you read that gave you the impression that Britain was uninhabited?

[Dan]

Oh Britain was inhabited; I'm reading a book right now called Sarum that tells the stories of five families in England from the ice age until present day. It's based on fact, before the Celts there were the people who built Stonehenge, hunters, etc...

[Cash]

I thought the Druids built Stonehenge, and that Druids were Celts?

[Texas Chava]

"The druids lived there once they say, forgotten is the race that no one knows"


Sorry, I couldn't resist...."rum de rum 'rud a derimo"

[Wickster]

i know im going to get hit by someone ...but what exactly is a Druid??

Wickiexx

[Texas Chava]

Druids were the priests, bards, etc. of the Old Religion.  I'm sure Wikipedia has tons of stuff on them.  When they say that "St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland" that is actually an analogy to driving out the Druids, or Pagans.

[Wickster]

Sure there weren't just a few snakes lol!!
[you cant really read the small print..at least i couldn't so i took the liberty of making my own]


Wickiexx

[Maggie]

You have to be careful where you get your "History" from.
Novels are meant to entertain, and "based on fact" means the author might have twisted History for the purposes of his story.

Wikipedia can contain articles written by well-meaning people who are not experts.

Here is an article from the British Museum, who have some of the best researchers in the world:

www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/highlights/article_index/d/the_druids.aspx

They learned a lot from the Iron Age "Lindow Man" who was murdered and thrown into a peat bog, where his body was preserved until discovered in 1984:

www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_prb/l/lindow_man.aspx

Here is a bit of ancient British History, before the M25 and the Channel Tunnel were built! -
 
Man lived in what we now call the British Isles long before it broke away from the continent of Europe, long before the great seas covered the land bridge that is now known as the English Channel, that body of water that protected this island for so long, and that by its very nature, was to keep it out of the maelstrom that became medieval Europe. Thus England's peculiar character as an island nation came about through its very isolation. Early man came, settled, farmed and built. His remains tell us much about his lifestyle and his habits. Of course, the land was not then known as England, nor would it be until long after the Romans had departed.

We know of the island's early inhabitants from what they left behind on such sites as Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, and Swanscombe in Kent, gravel pits, the exploration of which opened up a whole new way of seeing our ancient ancestors dating back to the lower Paleolithic (early Stone Age). Here were deposited not only fine tools made of flint, including hand-axes, but also a fossilized skull of a young woman as well as bones of elephants, rhinoceroses, cave-bears, lions, horses, deer, giant oxen, wolves and hares. From the remains, we can assume that man lived at the same time as these animals which have long disappeared from the English landscape.

So we know that a thriving culture existed around 8,000 years ago in the misty, westward islands the Romans were to call Britannia....

[Sorgi]

I believe Newgrange was constructed long before Stonehenge was started, so the islands were definitly inhabited.

As for the druids, one of their primary sites was Anglesey.  The romans of course  feared the influence of the druids and destroyed the sacred sites on the island.  Though they were forced to abandon the island for a time during and after Boudiccas revolt

[Wickster]

My head is spinning..this is soo much info..
BTW..you are all helping me get a good grade in school
my project for the beginning of Freshman year is (how conveniant for myself)
"Ancient Inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland"
I always thought Newgrange was older too.

Maggie, i have a question for you.
When i look up the Comerford History,
it always comes up the earliest known ancestors
are from Kent,England. and another Question
alot of my family did come from England to Ireland
the one name that sticks out is Conway and i cant find
anything on the name except, my great-great grandfather
Joseph Conway was from there, but there was no backround
on where he was actually born, is there any site that you think
i can look up, no one on that side of the family is alive anymore/ my
gramie barely remembers her grandfather, he died when she
was 3 years old.

You've all sparked an interest in me, im determined
to get a good grade on this presentation,[if you are
wondering, part of it is to find out your families backround
like if they were original inhabitants of ireland/great britain,
and if they were noted members (doubt anyone in my family
is noteworthy, no body make a comment on the possible relation lol)]

sorry i rambled...lol

Wickiexxx

[ferngully]

so britain really was uninhabitied in the ancient times thats a knock in the teeth for all those 'proper english' who think that immigrants should be out of britain

What did you read that gave you the impression that Britain was uninhabited?

one of my history teachers told us that britain was empty before the celts arrived