Ewing-Relatedhistoricaldata

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.

Sources

Cowan,EdwardJ.(ProfessorofScottishHistory,UniversityofGlasgow).ForFreedomAlone:TheDeclarationofArbroath,1320.

Wikipedia:Edward Cowan, Staff Page: Edward Cowan, Amazon: Book's Page

Danzinger,DannyandGillingham,John.1215–TheYearofMagnaCarta.

Wikipedia: Magna Carta, Staff Page: John Gillingham, Amazon: Book's Page, PopMatters: Review

Durant,WillandAriel.TheStoryofCivilization.(11Volumes.)

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KevinJ.EdwardsandIanB.Ralston. ScotlandAftertheIceAge Environment: ArchaeologyandHistory8000BC-AD1000

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Fagan,Brian(ProfessorofArchaeology,UniversityofCaliforniaatSantaBarbara).TheLittleIceAge–HowClimateMadeHistory1300-1850.

Wikipedia: Little Ice Age, Report: Little Ice Age, Wikipedia: Brian Fagan, SCA: Fagan Interview, Amazon:Book's Page

Fortey,Richard(SeniorResearcher,NaturalHistoryMuseuminLondon).Earth–AnIntimateHistory.(Afascinatinggeologicalexplorationoftheearth'sdistanthistoryasrevealedbyitsnaturalwonders.)

Wikipedia: Richard Fortney, American Scientist: Fortney Interview, Amazon: Book's Page, AboutGeology: Book's Page

R. A. Houston (Editor), W.W.J. Knox (Editor). The New Penguin History of Scotland – From the Earliest Times to the Present Day.

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Laing,LloydandLaing,Jenny.ThePictsandtheScots.

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Leyburn,JamesG.(ProfessorofSociology,WashingtonandLeeUniversity).TheScotchIrish–ASocialHistory.

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McCaffery, Carmel and Eaton, Leo. InSearchofAncientIrelandFromNeolithicTimestotheComingoftheEnglish.(This book traces the history, archaeology and legends of ancient Ireland from 9,000 BC to 1167 AD. It is a companion)

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Mithen,Steven(ProfessorofEarlyPrehistoryandHead,SchoolofHumanEnvironmentalSciences,UniversityofReading).AftertheIceAge–AGlobalHumanHistory20,000-5,000BC.(Thisbookaskssimplequestionsabouthumanhistory:Whathappened,When,WhereandWhy?Itprovidesanswersbyinterweavingahistoricalnarrativewithcausalargument.Italsocaterstothosereaderswhowillask:Howdoweknowthat?–oftenaveryappropriatequestionwhenarchaeologicalevidenceappearssoscant.)

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JeffScottEwingisthesonofBenjaminEdisonEwingJr.--aclanmemberforanumberofyearsandBEontheY-DNAcharts.Asthisarticleshows,muchofhisgenealogytimehasbeenspentoncollectingandorganizinghistoricaldata.