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Historic Scottish manuscript made available to public
A text from Scotland is being made available to the public for the first time in 500 years after its acquisition by the University of St Andrews. The manuscript consists of a largely handwritten copy of one of Scotland’s most influential histories of Scotland and England – John Mair’s History of Great Britain – as well as a hand-copied pamphlet containing details of Scotland’s earlier history. The latter includes new information about William Wallace and Scotland’s time under Guardianship. Thanks to support from Dr William Zachs and the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries, the manuscript now joins the University’s archive and rare books collection, where it can be accessed by scholars and students.
Tree fossils found in Devon
A survey in Saltern Cove, Devon, has revealed fossils believed to date to the Devonian age, making them more than 350 million years old. Known as lycopsids, the fossils were discovered by Dr Kevin Page, president of ProGEO (the International Association for the Conservation of Geological Heritage) and honorary senior research fellow at Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter. Since Devonian age rocks have thus far only suggested evidence of a marine environment, the presence of the lycopsids could be the first record of trees on a volcanic island from this period. Saltern Cove is part of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark and a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Universities launch Roman Britain project
A collaboration between the University of York and Cardiff University is seeking to investigate the movement of populations around Roman Britain. Funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the project will use data from recent excavations carried out on Roman cemeteries in England and Wales, and hopes to re-examine current hypotheses about migration and mobility in Roman Britain. The largest combined archaeological, isotopic, and ancient DNA (aDNA) study of a Roman population ever undertaken, the three-year project will focus on a wide range of people and sites, investigating the wider population in addition to the military movements that have been the subject of previous studies.
Text: Rebecca Preedy / Photo: courtesy of the University of St Andrews
