Hi Robert I think you're right about the size of horses available at that time,a quick "Wiki" shows that bigger horses like chargers weren't around until the 13th century,and Suffolk Punches the 15th century. Wiki also says that the big horses were worth 4 times as much as the small ones,so I doubt Cassivelaunus had any. The chariots were I think "standard issue" to the troops (the Jeep of the day),but the driver was a higher rank,and the passenger was an oik with a sword or a crude lance,sometimes clambering along the shaft alongside the horses head to get closer to the enemy...nothing changes! Sir Montagu Sharpes schooling does get a mention in Diana Willments book,he attended a Public School..Felsted School in the Chelmsford-Colchester-Cambridge triangle. After school he had a spell in the Civil Service at Somerset House,then after(?)his marriage to Mary Parsons (Brent Lodge) he went to Grays Inn and studied law. I hadn't really thought about where the Romans got their clay from,I don't really know anything about the stuff,except that there are several types for several uses.Pottery,roof tiles and bricks etc. I should think they had a local supply for building materials (Wickes!),but for pottery I don't know,it'd be nice if they got it from Clayponds,but I doubt it. I'm sure an academic somewhere has analyzed it, located it's source and written it all upon the www.,it's just finding it that's the tough part. Yes I've seen the Brent in full flood,the "Great Thaw" of 1964 :0),it was a nightmare,but I seem to recall that they built some sort of flood relief system to cope with it. I imagine in pre Roman times,if it was flooded they'd just go home and wait for it to go away,(that's what I've been doing up here today...gales,floods,branches etc.) I've been reading a book today that says "The Thames wasn't tidal beyond Chelsea at the time of the Romans",can that be true,any thoughts welcome,I'm struggling with that?
Tony Wood ● 6840d