Swanley's heritage of renewable or green energies is entering a new era. Hitherto it has been restricted a limitedvand changing pattern.
Pre-history: In pre-history renewable energy was largely based upon woodfuels from local trees and bushes. Warming the family and cooking food was exclusively by burning timber or using charcoal in open fires on the ground or in simple stone or clay hearths. To the extent that peat and coal were used it might not now be regarded by some as being "green".
Wind energy might have been used to move rafts and boats by sail. Similarly, tidal energy might have been used to travel up and down rivers on the tide.
Roman Era: The Romans introduced several renewable features to Romano-Britain, including:
- geothermal springs to provide hot water to baths, eg at Bath's spa (but not in the Swanley Hills);
- underfloor warm air heating in the hot rooms and bathrooms of villas, eg Lullingstone Villa;
- aquaducts based on water movement under gravity's influence (perhaps not in the Swanley Hills);
- renewable sources energy for carts and wagons, ie drawn by horses.
Anglo-Saxon / Norman Eras:
Watermills: William I's Domesday Book mentions mills at or near Crayford - it has been suggested that these were likely to have been watemills (rather than windmills) - using perhaps the waters of the River Cray.
Later Periods:
Windmills: The Swanley Hills have lent themselves to windmills. Two old mills are known to remain standing and the sites of another has been identified on an old map of Dartford. Examples of windmills include:
- Meopham Windmill at in the village at Meopham Green;
- West Kingsdown Windmill south east of the village, just 150m or so off the A20;
- windmill sites located on a) a map of Dartford - very approximately near the round-about above the M25 and Princes Road, and b) an engraving - near the border of Crayford and Bexleyheath (Crayford area);
- Cobham, Edenbridge, Frindsbury, Higham, Sheerness, and Shorne have remnants of windmills.
- See http://www.windmillworld.com/uk/kent.htm
Wind Turbines and other Energy Initiatives: Swanley is slowly developing a new green energy heritage to meet the rigours of the world's climate change. The following are examples:
- Orchard Academy in St Mary's Road has a wind turbine producing electricity for its own needs and the national grid;
- several of the Swanley Town Council's (STC) buildings have or will have solar panels arrays for generating electricity;
- several of STC's vehicles are powered by recycled cooking oils;
- several private residents have installed solar panels but the numbers or the rate of growth is unknown;
- one new estate house has solar panels and other "green" features;
- (I suppose) all new houses built from now will graduate as relatively carbon-neutral under curent government policies;
- the Premier Inn and Beefeaters (Bull Inn of former times) is built to a higt "green" standard.
Swanley, like other towns and settlements, is doing its bit to meet the challenge of the new energy heritage. (Will it be enough?)
In a sense Swanley might have been regarded in earlier times as being without law and administration. This post is somewhat speculative as to what happened!
Pre-history
Early presence of humans in the Swanley Hills is evidenced by the the following "Ages":
Stone Age 500,000 BC to 10,000 BC
- Swanscome female (?) skull (c 300,000 BC, ie before the period in the Ice Age c 200,000 BC to c 60,000BC when it was too cold for survival).
- "Government" is likely to have been by family agreement, tribal custom, and force (in disputes).
Mesolithic Age 10,000 BC to 4,000 BC
- Ice Age cave shelters near the Oldbury Hillfort (in times of receding ice and warming temperatures (10,000 BC);
- "government" is likely to have been by family agreement, tribal custom, and force (in disputes)in hunter/gather circumstances;
- beginnings of agriculture in Kent, eg traces of fields below Trotiscliffe;
- "government" was probably by customary law (remembered and passed on by elders)and is likely to have covered inheritance and for instance field boundary disputes;
New Stone Age 4000 BC to 2000 BC
- megaliths (c 3000 BC), eg Coldrum Stones below the scarp at Trotiscliffe. "Government" of construction likely to have been by one or more of the following: a) slaves, b) followers of spiritual leaders, c) family labour, d) labour levy of those in the tribal group, and e) specialised "builders" of megaliths travelling the land.
Iron Age: c 2000 BC to c 200 AD
Allodial ownership or possession: It is likely that the land near Swanley was alloidal in Pre-history and to have been largely un-occupied. However, there is some evidence of human settlement during the Iron Age (c. 800 BC to 100 AD). Occupation of land by small family groups or tribal clans is likely to have been alloidal under a leader of the group who from his point of view owned it against allcommers - law would have been customary; the law was built up and remembered as time and generations passed on. The leader would know the law or, perhaps, have had wise persons to advise on it.
The rolling hills around different settlements was probably common lands. The animals may have been "heffered" in the area around the owners' settlements. It is likely that any guard dogs would have been taught to know their owner's land boundaries. No doubt each settlement would have known its common land.
Disputes may have been settled by negotiation or by recourse to determination by the wise: otherwise armed conflict would have been the norm. The outcomes of "war" are likely to have included one or more of:
- hostage takings;
- forced marriages;
- slavery;
- death; and,
- confiscations of land, chattels and slaves.
As society developed it is probable that strategic marriages became the norm and powerful individuals became tribal leaders. In the times before the Roman invasions many tribes had developed a pattern of tribal areas, eg the Cantii tribe in Kent. They had strong laws governing such matters as:
- settlements and land boundaries;
- inheritance of wealth and lands within the family and or the tribe.
Settlements near Swanley included the Oldbury Hillfort at Ightham. It is probably the nearest to Swanley. The function of hillforts may be varied but are likely to be defensive. Given enough warning of the need, it may have afforded shelter to residents of the Darent Valley in times of conflict. Again it may have been a place with the following functions:
- to meet for trade or barter;
- to celebrate rituals, or
- to settle land and other disputes.
Who knows?
This Blog examines life in the Swanley Hills area from earliest times. It examines the settings of Swanley Hills and environs. I shall try to link us to the life which our ancient relatives may have enjoyed (or not) at different times.
Swanley Hills lie on relatively high ground between two of the local south-to-north tributaries of the Thames - the River Darenth (in the Darenth Valley (DV)) and the River Cray. Swanley has no surface rivers but there is some evidence of underground waters, ie at least two streams or rivers. One of these runs underground to join the River Darent towads Dartford. [ Note: To be confirmed from plans.]
So far no pre-history has come to my attention. However, the name Swanley seems to mean "swine fields/clearing" or the like (ie in Anglo-Saxon). To me this is suggestive of the ancient or customary rights of common ("pannage" with "estovers" - both in the woodlands around). If pre-history settlements existed in the two valleys mentioned, it is possible that the area of Swanley was alloidal common lands. (See later post: Norman Era.)
Certainly, the western hills at Lulllingstone show evidence of Neolithic settlement and a similar settlement was uncovered east of Hextable (off Wested Lane) when the M25 was constructed (in the late 1970s) - it was reburied but is not beneath the motorway. [Note To be confirmed.]
Roman Times
The Cantii Tribe of Britons lived the high life in Kent before the two Roman Invasions - so the lands of Swanley may have been alloidal common land to them (no evidence). One might speculate that detachments of Ceasar's early invasion force roamed about Swanley chasing down escaping Cantii Britons, eg from the Battle of the Medway (say, 12 kilometres away). (No evidence.) [Ceasar did, however, write (a) that the Men of Kent were the best warriors of the Britons (and did not hang about in Kent Land after subduing them).]
So far, no Roman archaeology in Swanley itself as come to my attention. The Darenth Valley has a string of Roman villas about one to three kilometres apart. The Lullingstone Roman Villa (English Heritage) is the closest discovery near Swanley; it is nice to make-believe that it is possible that the area of Swanley was known to the Roman or Romano-Britons who lived at Lullingstone for 300 years or so. Perhaps Roman rambling groups or famillies walked the woodlands at Swanley! In the early days of the Romans settling the DV it is possible that Roman military patrols entered the hilly environs of present day Swanley to chase of poachers or worse (from their point of view)!
(a) Ceasar, Julius (c 47 BC) The Conquest of Gaul, Penguin Books.
