The Celts were, according to some sources, ancient tribes of people which came to Britain from central Europe in the late Bronze age and again in the Iron Age. The name is also applied to the Ancient Britons, peoples living in Britain around the time of the bronze age until the invasion by the Romans. The Celts left no written accounts of their life, written accounts were made by the Romans, who in all probability were less than gracious.
Through archaeology we are able to understand a little of Celtic life, we know that they wove cloth, and yet corpses found are all dressed identically in a cloth made of brown felt, like a blanket, comprising a skirt and a cloak like top covering, in the case of women sometimes a crop top arrangement. These clothes found on dead Celts are often very tatty, full of holes, even though the deceased was obviously wealthy and of status, established from the artefacts found buried with the body.
We think that the Celts lived in round houses constructed of wattle and daub, and thatched with straw - these houses did not have a hole in the roof to emit the smoke from the interior fire, contrary to popular belief. If they had, the roof would fall outwards, and rain fall in and extinguish the fire. Rather, the smoke from the interior fire assisted in seasoning the wood and killing insects. They were farmers, growing wheat, barley and keeping sheep, pigs and goats. They were very eco-friendly, sustaining their environment for over a thousand years, and understanding herbalism which was used for medicine, and the production of coloured dyes.
At an early date the Celts divided into two great branches, speaking dialects widely differing from each other, but doubtless belonging to the same stock. One of these branches is the Gad-helic or Gaelic, represented by the Highlanders of Scotland, the Celtic Irish, and the Manx; the other is the Cymric, represented by the Welsh, the inhabitants of Cornwall, and those of Brittany. The Cornishdialect is now extinct.
The sun seems to have been the principal object of worship among the Celts, and groves of oak and the remarkable circles of stone commonly called 'Druidical Circles', their temples of worship. All the old Celts seem to have possessed a kind of literary order called Bards. The ancient Irish wrote in a rude alphabet called the Ogham; later they employed the Roman alphabet, or the Anglo-Saxon form of it. The chief literature existing consists of the hymns, martyrologies, annals, and laws of Ireland, written from the 9th to the 16th centuries. The Scottish Gaelic literature extant includes a collection of manuscripts in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, some of v/hich date from the 12th century; the Book of the Dean of Lismore, 16th century; a number of songs from the 17th century to the present day; and the so-called poems of Ossian. The Welsh literary remains date from the 9th century, and consist of glossaries, grammars, annals, genealogies, histories, poems, prose tales, etc. Research Celts
A round house was a wattle and daub walled, thatched roof circular house lived in by the ancient Britons, Celts and the like. The roof angle was between 45 and 55 degrees - anything else is unstable - and complete, without the central hole as is so popularly believed to have been in the roof. Experiments by the Butser Ancient Farm have proved that with a central hole in the roof, the roof falls inwards before its thatched, and when thatched falls outwards. Pests such as woodworm and mosquitoes were kept at bay, and the wood seasoned to preserve it, by the constant burning of a low fire in the centre of the house even in summer. This fire was also used for warmth and cooking as required. Research Round House
Vernacular architecture describes buildings made of local materials in response to local needs, generally of unknown authorship and following traditional patterns, with minimal reference to the styles prevailing in the mainstream of architectural development.
Typical materials of vernacular architecture include timber, thatch, wattle and daub, flint, and certain types of stone. Wood has been especially important in vernacular architecture as it was once such a widely available material. It has been much employed in timber-framing. Oak was the type most commonly used in Britain, while various soft woods have been used in Europe and America. The distinction between vernacular 'building' and mainstream 'architecture' appeared only after the Renaissance, with the rise of the profession of architect. In the late 19th century, however, vernacular styles influenced the work of architects such as Sir Edwin Lutyens. Research Vernacular Architecture
Wattle and daub is an ancient method of constructing walls. Flexible wooden rods, often hazel, of about one meter length and one centimetre diameter, are woven together and onto this framework a mixture of clay, chopped straw and animal dung (daub) is firmly pressed in. Research Wattle And Daub
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
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