Traprain Law, from the South-west, near the Loth Stane
Traprain Law is, of course, one of the most important of the first millennium Brythonic sites in the Lothians, being considered to have been the fortress capital of the kingdom of Gododdin in the period immediately prior to Edinburgh's claim to that title. Furthermore, if the medieval hagiographers of St. Kentigern are correct, it was his birthplace, and the scene of his mother's (St. Thenew) exile from the kingdom by the hand of his alleged grandfather, King Loth (Lleu), from whom, in one version of events, Lothian gained its very name. Indeed, a standing stone to the immediate South-west of the hillfort is traditionally known as the Loth Stane. More scientifically, it is also the site of major archaeological finds such as the famous Roman period hoard of silverware, and, more recently, the remains of an early Christian church have been found in the centre of the fortress (perhaps dedicated to St. Kentigern or St. Thenew themselves?). In many senses, Traprain stands at the gateway of the Lothians' shift from the mythical into the historical era. Click here for a location map provided by StreetMap.
Traprain's name is clearly Brythonic, and may equate to modern Welsh Tra Pren, or "Wooden Town", and the hillfort on top of the law has been shown by archaeology to predate the kingdom of Gododdin and continue throughout the Brythonic period. However, it was also formerly known, not least in Jocelyn's Life of Kentigern, as Dunpelder (later as Dunprender and Dumpender), a Scotticised Gaelicisation no doubt (Old Welsh din → Scots and Gàidhlig dun), but one which, taking Brythonic roots into account, may mean "Fortress of Spear-shafts".[1] Although no longer in general usage, the mythic status of this name continues to engage the imagination well into modern times, as this mention in Walter Scott's epic Lay of the Last Minstrel indicates (Canto 3, XXIX), and which also uses archaic forms of other local placenames:
And soon a score of fires, I ween,
From height, and hill, and cliff, were seen;
Each with warlike tidings fraught;
Each from each the signal caught;
Each after each they glanced to sight,
As stars arise upon the night.
They gleam'd on many a dusky tarn,
Haunted by the lonely earn;
On many a cairn's grey pyramid,
Where urns of mighty chiefs lie hid;
Till high Dunedin [Edinburgh] the blazes saw,
From Soltra [Soutra] and Dumpender Law [Traprain];
And Lothian heard the Regent's order,
That all should bowne them for the Border.
To this day, the law is surrounded by other obviously and potentially Brythonic placenames, such as Dunbar to the East, Pencraig ("Rock's Head") immediately to the North, Aberlady and Longniddry (Llan Newydd Tref? - cf. Niddry in West Lothian and Edinburgh) to the North-west, Pencaitland to the West, Carfrae to the South, and possibly even the adjacent East Linton (Llan Din?). Unsurprisingly, we also have a Mungoswells to the North-west, an obvious reference to the connection between Traprain and St. Kentigern or Mungo (not forgetting another Mungo's Well on the banks of the River Almond in Mid Calder, West Lothian).
Of course, the main Eastern British artery between Edinburgh and London, the old A1, runs just North of Traprain, many stretches of which are built on the route of major Roman roads designed to facilitate movement of troops from Britannia, across Hadrian's Wall, and into territories such as Gododdin and the forts along the Antonine Wall on the Pictish border, such as that at Kinneil, West Lothian, or, indeed, the naval fort complex at Cramond on the River Forth to the West.
Traprain Law from the North, across the A1
Nonetheless, there is also copious and clear evidence of early Anglian settlement in the area, with placenames such as Athelstaneford, Auldhame, Whitekirk, and so forth. Gàidhlig evidence, on the other hand is extremely thin, as one would expect, although the existence of Ballencrieff to the North-west emphasises at least the Gàidhlig baile an ("town of the"), while the crieff element raises another possibly Pictish or Picto-Gàidhlig element (cf. Crieff in Perthshire).
The fort at Traprain appears to have had around four gatehouses within the outer ramparts, grouped in pairs to the South-west and North-east, and James Cree's dig in 1923 records one of the Western gatehouses as follows:[2]
North-western Gatehouse
Along the Northern side of the law, several perimeter terraces and pathways are also still extant, including the following walled path along the main Northern route into the fort itself.
Walled Entrance Path, North Side, Looking East
Walled Entrance Path, North Side, Looking West
Traprain Law was first seriously excavated in 1914 by Alexander Curle. In that year, a large number of finds were made, including pottery fragments, weapons, tools, ornaments, coins, and so forth, of various materials and from various periods.
"Spear-heads and a Dagger Blade of Iron" (Curle, 1915)
However, Traprain is of course most famous for the silverware hoard found at the top of the law by George Pringle in 1919, now held at the National Museum in Edinburgh. In 1920, Alexander Curle shows some of this find as follows:[3]
Silverware Hoard (Curle, 1920)
Silver Wine Goblet (Curle, 1920)
Silver Flagon Fragment (Curle, 1920)
Silver Spoons (Curle, 1920)
One theory about this hoard is that it may have been deposited there during a period of Pictish raids on Roman Britannia to the South, and intriguingly, Traprain lies close by to one of the few surviving placenames in the Lothians which looks Pictish, Pitcox, to the East.
The hillfort is one of the largest and most significant in Southern Scotland, covering some seventeen hectares. Minor finds date back to the Mesolithic period, but the best early evidence of occupation dates from the middle of the second millennium BC, with finds suggesting cremations deposited in burial urns, while evidence of architectural remains appears to remain from the Bronze Age onwards. Writing in 1923, James Cree reported on the excavations carried out on the law that summer, which uncovered several significant architectural findings, not least being the full excavation of a late Bronze Age / early first millennium circular structure initially discovered in 1920:[4]
Circular Structure, Traprain Law (Cree, p.187)
This circular structure is around 30 feet in diameter, containing a single hearth in the centre, evidence of paved floors, and possibly two entrances.
Roundhouse, Looking West
According to Cree, "Presumably... a dwelling occupied a prominent position within this circle, and it may be suggested that the enclosure surrounded the residence of some person of importance in the tribe".[5]
Roundhouse, Looking North Towards North Berwick Law
During the 1923 excavation, a large number of artefacts were discovered at the same dig level as this structure, including the following modest selection:[6]
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| Flint Knife | Bronze Fibula | Bronze Brooch | Jet Bead |
The Traprain Silver Chain
The above photograph shows the probably Pictish silver chain found at Traprain (more information to follow).
more to follow...
footnotes
[1] W.J. Watson, The Celtic Placenames of Scotland (Edinburgh: 1926), p.345.
[2] James Cree, "Account of the Excavations on Traprain Law During the Summer of 1922", in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1922-1923, pp.180-226.
[3] Alexander Curle, "Report of the Excavation on Traprain Law in the Summer of 1919", in Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 1919-1920, pp.54-124.
[4] James Cree, op.cit.
[5] James Cree, ibid., p.188.
[6] James Cree, op.cit.