Vol. 13, No. 3 (August 2007)JournalofClanEwing1
Ewing-relatedHistoricalData
JeffScottEwing(jse1582atcomcast dot net)
Therewillalwaysbegapsbetweentheanswerstogenealogicalquestionsandtheinformationavailablethroughfamilydocuments,DNAanalysis,thestudyoftheearth,andwrittenhistory.WecanfollowDNAstudiestogobackfurtherthan"known"relatives(withluckoneortwogenerations)aswellasstudydocumentsandbooksanddiscovervarioustidbitsofinformation.Buttherewillprobablyalwaysbegapsinourknowledgeandunderstanding.However,Ibelievethatwewillalwaysserendipitouslystumbleuponarchaeologicalfinds,anoccasionalwrittendocumentorabookprovidingsomedeepanalysisthatwillhelpmatureourknowledgeandperspectiveofourancestors.
Overtheyears,Ihaveaccumulatedinformationfromthemany,manydocuments,booksandmagazinesIhaveread.IhavefocusedoncapturinginformationthatIthoughtmighthelpstimulatemysons'curiosityabouttheirheritage,thatwassomethingwhichpiquedmyinterest,orthatwassomethingthathelpedmeunderstandmyancestors'lives.WhenIthoughtotherpeople'swordswerewell-stateddescriptionsofinteresting,relevanttopics,ideasorevents,Iparaphrasedtheirwordsortookdirectquotes.Notplanningtopublishthisinformation,Ididnotkeeptrackofthevarioussources.
Asaresult,I'veamassedacollectionof"facts."I'veputtheminchronologicalorder.Otherthanthat,however,allIcantakecreditforisbeingacuriouspersontryingtounderstandmyheritagebycollectingandsortingouttidbitsofinformationI'veencounteredinmyreading.
ThefollowingisasamplingofthefactsIaccumulatedregardingtheearlyprehistoryoftheEwingsandbelievecanbescientificallyprovenbeyondareasonabledoubtorthroughwrittenhistory/documents(allgood,butnotnecessarilydirectlypertinenttotheEwings).Thisrecountingofthefactsisfollowedbyalistofthesources,ingeneral,fromwhichIhavegarneredthem.
TheFacts
From400toaround350millionyearsago,aspartofthesupercontinentPangaea,Scotlandlayneartheequator.Desertsandsaccumulatedunderthetropicalsun,formingtheOldRedSandstonewhichcannowbeseenmainlyineasternScotland.Itofferedconsiderableadvantagestofarmersfromancientthroughmoderntimes.Itsgenerallyhorizontalbeddingproducedfieldswithconvenientlygentlegradients,butwithoutbecomingwaterloggedbecauseofitssandiness.OldRedSandstonesoilsaredoublyadvantageous,becauseunlikewetteronestheywarmupearlierinthespring,increasingthegrowingseason.InScotlandtherearesomeoftheoldestrocksnowvisibleanywhereonthesurfaceoftheplanet.
ThereisnoconclusiveevidenceforhumancolonizationinScotlandbeforetheendofthelastIceAge(ending~8,000BCinradiocarbonterms).ThereforestationofScotlandbegan,andsoonafterthereisevidencefoundofMesolithichuntingandgatheringcommunities.Theearliestcampsite(~7,000BC)foundwasatKinlock–thisreflectedamobilelifestylebasedonseasonalhunting,fishing,andgatheringwildfood-stuffs,andcampsitestendedtobecoastalorinrivervalleys.EnglandwaspartoftheContinentuntilasrecentlyas6,000BC,whenrisingsealevelscausedbypost-IceAgewarmingfilledtheNorthSea.By3,000BC,theoceanwasatnear-modernlevels.SealevelsfluctuatedcontinuallythroughlateprehistoricandRomantimesbutrosesignificantlyafter1,000AD.InwhatisnowGreatBritain,theperiodofmaximumwarmthwasbetweenabout5,000and3,000BC.Duringtheearlieryearsofthisrangetheareawasdrierthanduringthelaterperiod:perhaps90percentand110percentofpresent-dayprecipitationaverages,respectively.
DuringthefourthmillenniumBC,theway-of-lifewasgraduallytransformedintoafarmingeconomy.Cattle,sheep,goats,andpigswerebred,andbarleyandwheatweregrownonpermanentfarms.
Inthelatethirdmillenniumthemajorinnovationwasmetalwork,initiallyincopperandgoldandsoonfollowedbycopperalloyedwithtin(bronze).
Arelativelywarmintermissionlikelyoccurredbetween1,100and800BC,beforetheonsetofanotablycoolerandwetterphasein500BC.
Acombinationofclimatedeterioration,populationpressure,andshortageoffertilefarmlandledtotheappearanceoffortificationsbeginninginthe9thcenturyBC.Hilltopswerefortifiedwithtimberstockades,earthenramparts,andstonewalls,withinwhichlivedcommunitiesfromafewfamiliestohundredsofpeople.
TheRomanoccupationofScotlandisheavilyreliantonarchaeologicalevidence,whichisopentosometimeswidelyvariantinterpretation.(Oneoftheinherentcharacteristicsofarchaeologyisthatasinglenewdiscoverycanresultinquitefundamentalreassessment.)
ItisbelievedthattherewerewarmeranddriersummersduringtheRomanoccupationofScotland,upto~400AD,followedbyamoredisturbedphasewithsignificantglacieradvancementsinScandinaviaandtheAlps.MostofScotlandwaslittleaffectedbytheRomanmilitarypresenceinthe1st-to-3rdcenturiesAD,althoughRomangoodswerewidespreadthroughtrade,loot,orgifts.
Forfivecenturies,Europebaskedinwarm,settledweather,withonlytheoccasionalbitterwinter,coolsummersandmemorablestorms,likethecoldyearof1258causedbyadistantvolcaniceruptionthatcooledtheatmospherewithitsfinedust.Summeraftersummerpassedwithbountifulharvests.Localfoodshortageswerenotunknown,lifeexpectancyinruralcommunitieswasshort,andtheroutineofback-breakinglaborneverended.Nevertheless,cropfailureswererare,andmostyearspassedwithgoodharvestsandenoughtoeat.(Afarmworkerin~1100ADwhosurvivedchildhooddiseaseshadanaveragelifeexpectancyof24years.)
Averagesummertemperaturesweremuch warmerthantheirmodernaverages.ThesummermonthswereconsistentlyandsufficientlywarmanddryforvineyardstospreadacrosssouthernandcentralEngland,asfarnorthasHerefordandtheWelshborders.DuringtheheightofthisWarmPeriod,theFrenchtriedtonegotiatetradeagreementstoexcludethemfromtheContinent.
Warmsummersandmildwintersallowedsmallcommunitiestogrowcropsonmarginalsoilsathigheraltitudesthaneverbefore–forexample,onthesummitsofsoutheasternScotland'sLammermuirHills,~1,050feetabovesealevel.In1300,onefarmownedbyKelsoAbbeyinsouthernScotlandhadover247acresoflandundercultivation,supported1,400sheepand16shepherds’households–allat~984feetabovesealevel,wellabovetoday'slimit.Bythesameyear,thousandsoffarmershadsettledonhighgroundandonmarginallandsthroughoutEnglandandScotland,whichplacedthematriskofcropfailure.FarmingbecameconsiderablyeasierintheScottishhighlandsasaresult,asforestsspreadoutwardintohithertotreelessenvironments.England'spopulationof~1.4millionhadrisento5millionby1300.
ComplexinteractionsbetweentheatmosphereandtheoceangovernEurope'sclimate.Cyclesofexcessivecoldandunusualrainfallcanlastadecade,afewyears,orjustasingleseason.Thependulumofclimatechangerarelypausesformorethanageneration.Theswingsareunpredictableandsudden.
InEuropeattheendofthe1500s,wellover80%ofthepopulationwasengagedinsubsistenceagriculture,bydefinitionlivingbarelyabovesubsistencelevel,andatthecompletemercyofshort-termclimateshifts.Four-fifthsofpre-industrialEuropeanlaborwasdevotedjusttokeepingitselffed.Faminesweremostcommoninabout1550-1650,becausepopulationgrowthoutstrippedfoodproductionandledtocultivationofmarginallandwheregraingrowingwasmorerisky.Deteriorationintheclimatemadethingsworse.Inthe1690sabout13percentofthepeoplestarvedtodeath.
Climatechangevariednotonlyfromyear-to-yearbutfromplace-to-place.ThecoldestdecadesinnorthernEuropedidnotnecessarilycoincidewiththoseintheAmericanWest.Onlyafewshortcoolcycles,likethetwounusuallycolddecadesbetween1590and1610,appeartohavebeensynchronousonahemisphericandglobalscale.
Between1670and1730,thecoldestcycleoftheLittleIceAgeformuchoftheworld(coldestinthelast10,000years),temperaturesplummetedandthegrowingseasoninEnglandwasaboutfiveweeksshorterthanitwasduringthe20thcentury'swarmestdecades.ThenumberofdayseachwinterwithsnowonthegroundinBritainrosetobetweentwentyandthirty,asopposedtotwototendaysthroughmostofthetwentiethcentury.InScotland,theonsetwasmarkedbyseriousblizzardsin1670and1674,withheavylossesofsheep.Coldsummersinhibitedcropgrowth,andclustersofyearswithharvestfailuresbroughtdisastertosubsistencefarmersbyforcingthemtoeattheirseedcorn,leavingnothingtoplantforlateryears.Thewinterof1683/84wassocoldthatthegroundfrozetoadepthofmorethanameterinpartsofsouthwesternEnglandandbeltsoficeappearedalongthecoastsofsoutheasternEnglandandnorthernFrance.ManyharborsweresochokedwithicethatshippinghaltedthroughouttheNorthSea.Between1693and1700,theharvestsfailedinsevenyearsoutofeightinmanyuplandareas.ThismayhavebeenagreaterdisasterinsomeplacesthantheBlackDeath.AfactorcontributingtotheclimaticdisastersofthisdecademayhavebeenthemassiveeruptionsofHeklainIceland(1693)andSerua(also1693)andAboina(1694)inIndonesia.Theeffluentsfromtheseeruptionsresultedinfilteringofthesunlight.Onlythe1690sseemtohavehadsomanyseverewinterspellswithinasingledecadeasthe1430s.
The1680swerepoorerfortheeconomyasScotland'stradingpartners,notablyFrance,erectedhighertariffbarriers.
Commercialfarmingwasontheriseinthe1690s.Self-sufficientruralcommunities–thatis,subsistencefarmers–werequicklybecomingirrelevantwithinthenewagriculturaleconomy.Inevitably,largeestatesdominatedthelandscape,swallowingupmanysmallfarmers.Thousandsofsubsistencefarmersmerelyexchangedworkingforthemselvestobecometenantfarmersofwagepayinglandlords,ortheyleftthecountryforanewbeginning.Therewasconsiderablepopulationpressureduetolimitedlandresourcesandcropfailures,notablyin1622-23andthe1690s.Theseperiodsoffamineanddeathencouragedemigration;hence,themigrationoftheScots-IrishtoAmerica.
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JeffScottEwingisthesonofBenjaminEdisonEwingJr.--aclanmemberforanumberofyearsandBEontheY-DNAcharts.Asthisarticleshows,muchofhisgenealogytimehasbeenspentoncollectingandorganizinghistoricaldata.