Celtic Culture & heritage

Orkney (Scottish Gaelic: Arcaibh), is an archipelago made up of 70 islands, 20 of which are inhabited, that lie 10 miles (16 km) from the coast of Caithness (Scottish Gaelic: Gallaibh) in northern Scotland.

During the winter of 1850 a severe storm lashed the islands including the largest island in the group called Mainland. Beneath the sand dunes on the Bay of Skaill the combination of wind and some very high tides stripped the grass from a large mound, then known as "Skerrabra" and revealed a long hidden secret. One of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the world was discovered that year, when after many centuries nature lifted the cloak that had covered  the 5000 year old preserved village at Skara Brae.  Local laird, William Watt of Skaill, began an excavation of the site in 1868. Four ancient houses were unearthed before work at Skerrabra was abandoned. The settlement remained undisturbed until 1925 when a further storm was seen to threaten the site and a sea-wall was built to preserve the remains. Construction of this led to the discovery of more ancient buildings.

Between 1928 and 1930 further excavations uncovered the dwellings visible today. Subsequent radiocarbon dating point to the village having been occupied for about 600 years from 3100 BC to 2500 BC. This was a time in the Neolithic or New Stone Age period before the discovery of metal. Eight dwellings can be seen, linked together by a series of low, covered passages. The buildings, along with their contents, are well-preserved, with the walls of the structures still standing, and alleyways roofed by their original stone slabs. Tools, furniture and artwork found on the site give clues of how the ancient inhabitants lived their lives. Due to coastal erosion, Skara Brae now stands right by the shore of the Bay o' Skaill. However, during its lifetime the village would have been some distance from the sea.  Over time the encroaching sand dunes led to the village’s gradual abandonment.

The Man Engine Chant called out by thousands in Cornish when the man stands up:

HAKA BALWEYTH (Pol Hodge/Will Coleman)
KOBER! ARGHANS!........STEN! STEN! STEN!
YN PUB KARREK?...........YN PUB MEN!
KOBER! ARGHANS!........STEN! STEN! STEN!
AN GWELLA STEN?.........YN KERNOW!

(Kober - Copper, Sten - Tin, Yn pub Karrek - In every rock, Yn pub Men - In every Stone, An gwella Sten - The best Tin?, Yn Kernow - In Cornwall)

Kernow: the horn-shaped granite kingdom of Cornwall thrusts itself out into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a tiny 0.02% of the planet’s surface yet beneath its rocky shores can be found samples of more than 90% of all mineral species ever identified! Millions of years in the making, the geology of Cornwall is unique. This unbelievable geological treasure (Copper, Tin, Arsenic, Lead, Zinc, Silver, etc) has powered the Cornish people’s endeavour through over 4,000 years of mining history: innovation, triumph and heartbreak.

In July 2006 the Cornish mining landscape was recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This placed Cornwall's engine houses, miners’ cottages, grand gardens and miles of labyrinthine underground tunnels on a par with international treasures like the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China amongst others.

Born 1770 at Breage near Helston, John Carter matured to become one of the biggest rogues on the coast, the self styled King of Prussia.

John Carter, the eldest of the Carter brothers, named the cove Prussia Cove, because of his deep admiration for Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. John Carter himself became known as the King of Prussia, as he engaged in ever more daring encounters with the revenue.

Carter was a mixture of hard working fisherman, honest merchant and out and out rogue. He operated out of Bessies Cove, a rocky inlet near Perranuthnoe in Mount's Bay. It was an area notorious for lawless gangs of wreckers and smugglers. But it was a time when few local people thought smuggling to be a crime. John and his brother Henry were well known along the French coast, but during the French Wars they were arrested and imprisoned in St Malo for a year on one occasion.

The wars that Britain was fighting were costing the country a lot of money. This had to be raised by taxation, particularly on imported goods. Owners of small, fast boats could to evade the high taxes if they could evade customs officials enforcing their collection. High duties had been imposed on luxury items such as wine, spirits and tobacco.

Woodward was born on 1 May 1932 at Penzance, Cornwall, to a local bank clerk and his Cornish family.

Having graduated from the Royal Naval College Dartmouth, Woodward joined the Royal Navy in 1946.

He became a submariner in 1954, and was promoted to lieutenant that May.

In 1960 he passed the Royal Navy's rigorous Submarine Command Course known as The Perisher, and received his first command, the T Class submarine HMS Tireless.

Promoted to lieutenant-commander in May 1962, he then commanded HMS Grampus before becoming the second in command of the nuclear fleet submarine HMS Valiant.