The ring pull and what to do with them.
In 1959 Ermal Cleon Fraze (from Dayton, Ohio) invented the familiar integral rivet and pulltab version, which had a ring attached at the rivet for pulling, and which would come off
completely to be tossed aside. He received U.S. patent No. 3,349,949 for his pull-top can
design in 1963 and sold his invention to Alcoa
and Pittsburgh Brewing Company. It was first introduced on Iron City beer cans by the Pittsburgh
Brewing Company. The first soft drinks to be
sold in all-aluminium cans were R.C. Cola and
Diet-Rite Cola (both made by the Royal Crown
Cola company), in 1964.
The original pull tabs were actually can tops
where the tabs came off in the user's hand, which
allowed people to make curtains out of them by
hooking the popped off tabs to one another to
make a chain. Enough chains side-by-side made
a curtain. Now there’s an idea for the beach
detectorists that find loads
These pull tabs were a common form of litter —
and a lingering hazard for bare feet, especially at
public beaches. Also, some people dropped the
tab into the can after opening it, rather than finding a wastebasket in which to throw the tab away. They then
drank the beverage directly from the can, occasionally
swallowing the sharp-edged aluminium tab by accident.
So what can you do with them ....well here are some ideas. Think of the brownie points you
will get if you make these for the good lady.
Ring pull dress
Ring pull clutch bag
Ring pull belt
Ring pull handbag
Ring pull chair
Lincolnshire trip 2015
By Shug
Every year myself, Bill and Rob head down to Lincolnshire with one thing in mind to bring
back as many goodies as we can from our detecting holiday. In the last few years its been
getting harder and harder to get good finds as the farmers down there are now using
modern methods of farming like spreading green waste on their farms and not ploughing
their fields but just drilling the surface and planting another crop. This might be a good
way to farm for the farmer as its saving him a fortune on chemicals and machining but for
us detectorists it’s a nightmare. For example one field that we have in Lincolnshire is a
great roman field with 300 years of habitation and a couple of roman villas that used to be
on it and in days gone by you could walk
onto the field and pull up roman coin after
roman coin, brooches and even roman gold.
The only signal you got was a good one and
it always used to be something for the finds
tin. A couple of years ago the farmer put
some so called green waste on the fields and
changed them completely.
Now when you detect them you are getting a
signal to dig every couple of steps you walk.
Nowadays it tends to be silver paper, metal
slag or computer circuit board fragments.
You would think that with all this going on that out finds rate would disappear but
strangely it hasn't . We are still finding good stuff and on this particular trip, all in all, we
had 10 hammered coins, numerous romans including a pre BC roman denarius, roman
fibulas, roman ring and even a gold hammered found by Bill. Not a bad haul for two and a
half days!
Why are we getting all this if our good fields
are not producing like they used to? The
reason is clear we are working the other
fields we have that didn't produce harder and
are getting amazing results. For example
every one of us pulled up a hammered
farthing or halfpenny . These farthings are so
small they are a nightmare to find and even
the best machines struggle to get them. The
henry 8th that I pulled out took me a good few
minutes to pinpoint it as its so small in the
soil heap I had just dug out. We also are in
the process of hunting out another farm in
another area. This farm has produced a
couple of good items but with 2000 acres its
going to take time to find out the hotspots. We spent a whole day sussing out new fields
with hardly any finds. The difference with these farms is every now and again there's a
small roman comes up which keeps you focussed. We spent the whole second morning
there trying to suss out fields to no avail but we can mark these ones of the map now only
1750 acres to go.
The third day we headed to our Saxon fields that has produced good finds but is a
massive field on a hill and only gives us its treasure up sporadically. We have had Saxon
brooches and a Saxon coin as well as the odd roman coin but it’s a very quiet field again.
Stewart our farmer pulled up a lovely steelyard weight from this field with unusual markings. The farmer that organises this trip brings along sausage rolls and cakes and tea and
coffee for us to have for our lunch but this time he forgot our cups for the coffee. Never
fear the thrifty scots are here and we improvised by making cups from some plastic water
bottles that we had in the car. I ended up with the top of the
bottle and it looked like a wineglass we had a good laugh
about it after but at least we got our drinks. The only finds we
had for the full morning on that field was sore legs and one
roman coin.
The last afternoon was spent back along at the first days fields
for a couple of hours to see if we night pull of another hammered coin in the last hours.
That night was the closing meal that our farmer Stewart’s wife
Judith makes that was outstanding as usual .
So after being disappointed with some of our fields it ended up
being a great trip with great company and great finds. What
more could a detectorist want! Now whens the next one.
Oh well back to the Victorian pennies.
Update on the seal found at Detecting Scotland dig 100
Boarshill, St Andrews
The vesica seal found at this charity dig by Abbey Moffat was given the “Find of the day.”
Little did the finder or anyone else know that day just how significant this find was to turn
out to be. The seal is in fact the seal of the Bishop of St Andrews
BISHOP WILLIAM LAMBERTON
Early career
William Lamberton began his career as one
of the staff of priests in Glasgow Cathedral
when Robert Wishart was bishop. He was
appointed to one of the main offices of the
cathedral (the office of chancellor), and
attended King John Balliol’s first parliament
in February 1293. After Edward I’s conquest
of Scotland in 1296 he was one of more
than 1,600 who swore loyalty to Edward.
Wallace’s bishop
Throughout his career William Lamberton
had particularly close links with France.
After the English army was defeated at the
Battle of Stirling Bridge on 11 September
1297 he was probably with William Fraser, bishop of St Andrews, in France trying to gain support
for Scottish independence. When William Fraser died shortly afterwards, Lamberton was chosen
on 3 November to be his successor as bishop of St Andrews. The decision to appoint Lamberton
as bishop must have been approved by Wallace. He was consecrated bishop at the papal court in
June 1298.
Lamberton as Guardian
After Wallace resigned as Guardian following the Battle of Falkirk on 22 July 1298, John ‘the Red’
Comyn and Robert Bruce (the future king) became joint Guardians. But they were bitter rivals. In
1299 Lamberton joined them as Principal Guardian when Bruce and Comyn fell out. He continued
until 1301, when the exiled King John Balliol appointed John Soules as sole Guardian. Lamberton
spent much of the following years on diplomatic
missions for the independent Scottish government.
He could not, though, prevent the King of France
from making peace with Edward I in May 1303. This
left the Scots to face Edward on their own. On 9
February 1304 most Scottish leaders surrendered to
Edward I. Lamberton was still abroad, but was
included in the surrender, and returned to Scotland
soon afterwards.
Lamberton and the inauguration of Robert Bruce
In 1305 Lamberton was trusted by Edward I to lead
Edward’s council in Scotland. Lamberton did not,
however, think the cause of independence was lost.
In June 1304 he had entered into a secret
agreement with Robert the Bruce, who was by then
head of the Bruce family and had his sights set on
taking the throne. When Bruce made his move,
Lamberton was ready to perform his role as bishop
of St Andrews in Bruce’s inauguration as king in
March 1306.
The early years of Bruce’s reign
Lamberton was captured by the English soon afterwards and was kept in chains for nearly a year,
paying a huge sum for his release. Returning to Scotland in 1309, Lamberton’s skill as a diplomat
allowed him to keep on good terms with both Edward II and Robert Bruce. In early 1312 he finally
joined Bruce and abandoned Edward II for good. In 1318 the official opening of St Andrews
Cathedral was performed as a celebration of Scotland’s liberation. (The cathedral had taken more
than 150 years to complete!). This must have been the high point of Lamberton’s career.
Lamberton’s last years
Lamberton was so closely allied to Bruce that he was targeted along with Robert Bruce when in
1319 the pope, spurred on by Edward II of England, denounced Bruce and his supporters.
Edward tried to get the pope to replace Lamberton with an Englishman as bishop of St Andrews.
Lamberton defied the pope by repeatedly ignoring orders to come to Rome to answer for his
actions. After the pope received the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320 the situation began to
improve. Lamberton died on 20 May 1328, just over a fortnight after Scottish independence had
finally been recognised when the Treaty of Edinburgh was ratified by the English parliament at
Northampton on 4 May 1328.
Bishop William Lamberton built a residential palace near the River Keny on the outskirts of Boarhills where the seal
was found. It was known as the Palace of Inchmurtach, David Ist held a parliament in it after the bishop had died.
SEAL INSCRIPTION
+ S' WILL'I de LAM'TO(N) EPI SCI AN(D)RE
WHICH IS AN ABBREVIATED FORM OF
+ SIGILLVM WILLELMI LAMBERTON EPISCO SANCTI ANDRAE
WHICH TRANSLATES TO
+ SEAL OF WILLIAM LAMBERTON BISHOP OF SAINT ANDREWS
From buried treasure to hidden gem
One of the beauties of metal detecting is that you just never know what journey a find might take
you on. I would like to share one such journey that started from, perhaps, one of the best finds of
my detecting career to date, and ended with an appreciation of why we must continue to preserve
and share our history.
The story of The Knights Templar is one that
most of you will no doubt be familiar with and
I was fortunate enough to find a Templar
mount, which is now with the National
Museum of Scotland. Whilst much has been
written of their involvement in early medieval
history and the subsequent legends, which
range from the Holy Grail and the Ark of the
Covenant to their association with
Freemasonry, what is known of the Templars
in Scotland? I thought it might be interesting
to see what I could find out. Rosslyn Chapel
outside Edinburgh has had a long held
connection with the Templars, intricate carvings on the interior of the chapel are said by
some, to have secret encoded messages and
indeed it has featured prominently in several
books and on film.
Yet this is not the only place in Scotland to hold ties with the Templars. About 6 miles south east of
Rosslyn Chapel as the crow flies, lies one such place; the village of Temple. Its name gives an
indication of what may have gone before, however it was not known as temple until the 17th
century, for the previous 500 years the area had been known as Balantrodach.
Balantrodach (Stead of the Warrior) was the name of the area in which the main Temple Parish was
situated. In the year 1128 a Knight Templar by the name of Hughes de Payen visited Scotland and
was granted a meeting with King David I of Scotland. The King subsequently granted the Knights
Templar the Chapelrie and Manor of Balantrodach. Balantrodach became their principal Templar
seat and Preceptory in Scotland until the suppression of the order between 1307 and 1312.
In 1307 the Knights Templar were
arrested in France on false
charges. Many modern stories
claim that when King Philip IV had
many Templars simultaneously
arrested on October 13, 1307, that
this started the legend of unlucky
Friday the 13th. Following this, in
1309, the Templars in Scotland
were told to come forward and face
trial. Only two Knights turned up,
Walter de Clifton and William de
Middleton, the others could not be
found. It is believed that they may
have joined up with Robert the
Bruce and, as legend would have it,
played a crucial role in the defeat of
Edward II at the battle of
Bannockburn. None the less, at the
end of the trial in Scotland they
were found not guilty, meanwhile in
1314, the Templars in France were burned at the stake. Following this the orders went out that all
Templars property was to be handed over to the Knights of St. John the Hospitallers.
It appears that the Knights Templar disappear following their dissolution, although there are
references to The Order of St John and the Temple who appear to continue until the reformation in
the 1550’s.
This however did not stop talk of the Templars. Indeed a local legend states that there is treasure to
be found. It is alleged that the treasure of the Knights Templar was removed secretly from Paris, to
be hidden in Temple and it goes on to state: 'Twixt the oak and the elm tree/You will find buried the
millions free.' Of course as with any legend, how much of this is true or created by vivid
imaginations remains anyone’s guess. However, French legends about the Templar treasure
apparently also state that the treasure was taken to Scotland, with the knights landing on the Isle of
May which would be the first island they would encounter in the Firth of Forth. Geographically, this
would take them to the mouth of the river Esk, which could take them on to Temple or indeed
Rosslyn.
Despite my search for the Templars having come to a close, the history in the area continues. In
1571 the land was bought by George Dundas, from the Crown, for the benefit of his youngest son,
and here began the next branch of my journey, which would not only take me back before the time
of the Templars, but right up to the
present day.
Whilst metal detecting we are often
lucky enough to touch history.
Whether that be something 100,
700, or for those fortunate ones
thousands of years old, there is
always that thought of who and
why. Certainly the Templar mount
that I was lucky enough to find was
around 800 years old. I am sure
some of you reading will have
ventured into your families past. I
for one managed to get back to the
early 18th century and have some
books and artefacts that have
survived from then. Now imagine
you were able to go back, beyond
the 18th century, 16th, even 13th
century and could still trace your
family. Not only that but be able to
tell stories of daring deeds, royal
encounters and political intrigue
from the past. I was fortunate
enough to meet one such person
who has a great passion for, and an
incredible knowledge of their
family, and who was also kind
enough to spend some time relating
these to me, for you to enjoy.
Hidden in the Midlothian countryside, not far from the historic
village of Temple (so named because it it’s association in the 13th
century with the Knights Templar)
lies Arniston House. Sitting
amongst tranquil woods and rolling parkland its impressive Georgian façade greeted me as I pull up
outside.
I was met by Althea Dundas-Bekker who, together with her daughter Henrietta manage and tend to
the day to running of the house and its ongoing restoration. Althea was to be my guide for this
morning, and who better to guide me round than a member of the family that has owned it since
1571.
Whilst the family arrived at Arniston in 1571, the story of the Dundas family stretches way beyond
that. The family can be traced back to the time of William the Conqueror, when Gospatric, son of
Maldred (himself being of royal blood with his mother being the grand-daughter of King Ethelred)
obtained the Earldom of Northumberland. He was however, in 1072, exiled to Scotland. Over the
course of time and perhaps through a gift from King Malcolm or acquired by his descendants, land
on the south shores of the Forth were the lands of Dundas, or the hills of the fallow deer. How many
deer still reside there is debatable as these lands are now the site of the soon to be new Forth
crossing.
These early years involved associations with many famous names in Scottish history. Hugh de
Dundas fought alongside William Wallace, and his son George is said to have been a follower of
Robert the Bruce and who died at the battle of Dupplin in 1332. Notwithstanding these it did not
stop James Dundas being involved in a long running dispute with the Abbot of Dunfermline in the
1300’s which could have resulted in excommunication!
These lands remained in the
Dundas family until 1449
when, like many estates at the
time, they were forfeited to the
crown. The land was restored
to the family who found favour
with James II and James III
although this did not stop
them being forfeited once
again on the accession of
James IV, albeit that they were
quickly returned and in the
late 1400’s Dundas Castle was
built. George Dundas was the
16th Laird of Dundas and with
his second wife Katherine
Oliphant wished to purchase
land for their eldest son
James. The year was 1571 and Arniston was born.
As you step through the entrance and follow the stone staircase from the porch you find yourself in
the entrance hall. I was immediately struck by the height of the hall and the stunning stucco work
on the ceiling, the faces of Dundas’s past looking down at you from portraits and marble busts.
Whilst work on the current house commenced in 1726 a U shaped tower house had sat on the site
of the current building. It is gone but not forgotten as the hall sits on the footprint of the old courtyard with the clock that was stood outside now nestling between two pillars. The clock itself, when
include in the new building, had a custom made frame by the cabinet make Francis Brodie, who was
none other than Deacon Brodie’s father!
You can only imagine the turmoil that these walls would have witnessed with young James Dundas
signing the great covenant in 1638. He was eventually reconciled with Charles II and allowed to become a judge on the reconstituted Court of Session.
However, Charles II then demanded that all his
subjects in public office sign a declaration
renouncing the covenant. James refused and
renounced his seat on the bench.
In the early 1700’s Robert Dundas has a flourishing
legal career which saw him rise to the position of
Solicitor General and Lord Advocate. Being in these
positions Robert felt that he required a more suitable
residence and work on Arniston as it is now begins.
Work started in 1726 with the renowned architect
William Adam at the helm. The removal of the Tower
House and the high wall that had previous surrounded it, opened up the views north to the Firth of Forth
and to Fife, which on a clear day can still be enjoyed.
The only part of the tower house that was retained
were two rooms which were knocked together and
now form, what I find, is the most atmospheric room
in the house, the Oak Room. When you walk in and
are greeted with the faces of Dundas’s past you can
easily imagine the family and friends sitting in
comfort with a glass of their favourite in hand. Indeed
Sir Walter Scott once wrote “I always love to be in the
old Oak Room at Arniston where I have drank many a
merry bottle”.
Winding your way up the main staircase, you find yourself in the gallery overlooking the entrance
hall and from this vantage point the beauty of the stucco work is even more apparent. Continuing
upwards the William Adam library is an impressive room. The walls covered in bookcases that
would once have contained legal tomes and necessary reading of the times. These are now home to
an equally impressive collection of porcelain, all of which are gazed down upon by terracotta busts.
The views from the north facing windows look out over the once formal gardens to Edinburgh and
beyond to Fife.
As you descend from the library and down towards the entrance hall via the great staircase, where
further family portraits adorn the walls, you can see one the unintended quirks of the house that
was to arise with the approaching halt of building works.
Robert Dundas was very keen to have extensive formal gardens around the house and in doing so
inadvertently added to the houses character as in 1732 he ran out of money for the project. This
was somewhat embarrassing as the west wing of the house had yet to be completed. It was not for
another 20 years until his son Robert was married and married into wealth that the building could
recommence. By this time William had died and it was over to his son John to see through the completion of the work.
The change in architects resulted in a change of plans and rather than the extravagant state rooms
that had initially been intended, a dining room and drawing room were created on the ground floor.
In the late 1700’s the then Chief Baron made several changes to the house, adding a school room at
the top of the house, with views to the south to where once a cascade would have proudly sat. This
was similar to the famous cascade at Chatsworth and would have impressed guests who could look
out from the porch in the
Oak Room which was also
added by the Chief Baron.
Over the course of the
house’s history each generation of Dundas’s have made
their own mark on the house
and continue to do so today.
Indeed in 1957 the dining
and drawing rooms were
badly damaged by dry rot
and it was 36 years before
restoration on the dining
room, and the drawing room
5 years later, was completed
this time by the hand of Althea and another generation
of Dundas’s have made their
mark on this great house.
The work continues as on
the west side of the house
sits the orangery which, having remained unused for the
best part of 100 years is next on the list for attention.
The house remarkable in itself is also full of remarkable items. With books dating back to the 15th
century, stunning tapestries from the 16th century and a number of beautiful paintings, portraits
and landscapes by the likes of Raeburn and Naysmyth. There are of course personal items on display and perhaps none more poignant than Hesters clock. This was commissioned following the
death of Robert Dundas’s daughter Hester from diphtheria in the 1870’s and it is quite beautiful.
Whilst I have tried to eloquently stitch together the intertwined story of the building and the family
in this article, it is not a patch on the delivery of my guide Althea, whose extensive knowledge
paints vivid pictures of the political forays and dealings of her ancestors and gives a very personal
view of her family home.
There is so much more to this fascinating story than I can do justice or indeed include here and I
would highly recommend a visit should you have the opportunity to do so, to see and experience
for yourself.
It just goes to show, you never know what journey your research might take you on.
Arniston House is open to the public during May and June on Tuesday and Wednesday with tours
leaving at 2.00pm and 3.30pm. Then July to 13th September, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday,
with tours leaving at 2.00pm and 3.30pm.
Visit www.arniston-house.co.uk for more information.
The Albion badge.
It amazes me, the journey a small find dug up in a Scottish field, can take you on. I came
across a small badge with Albion on it and then found out it was a Scottish motor
company. Here is what I found out.
The Albion Motor Car Company Ltd. was established on the 30th of December, 1899.
Albion Motors is Scotland’s best known name in the motor industry. However, its history
goes right back to the first ever
automobile manufactured in
Scotland – and in Britain, for that
matter – the Arrol-Johnston
Mo-Car, later known as the ArrolAster, manufactured from 1896 to
1931 by the Arrol-Johnston Car
Company Ltd. The Mo-Car was
designed by George Johnston, a
locomotive engineer, and his
joint venture with bridge
engineer, Sir William Arrol, which
began in 1895 as the Mo-Car
Syndicate Ltd., employed two
men who would go on to start
Albion Motors four years later.
Those two men were Johnston’s
cousin, Norman Osborne Fulton, and Dr. Thomas Blackwood Murray, both of whom had
been employed by Mavor and Coulson, makers of electrical and mining machinery in
Bridgeton, where Fulton had been Works Manager and Murray, Manager of the Installation
Department. At Arrol-Johnston, Fulton was made responsible for manufacture and assembly, whilst Murray’s electrical experience became invaluable as his first task was the
development of electrical ignition in place of the incandescent platinum tubes of the
Daimler engine.
On the 30th of December, 1899, Murray and Fulton entered into a partnership of their own
and established the Albion Motor Car Company Ltd. in Glasgow, a city already renowned
worldwide for its engineering excellence.
Those two entrepreneurs were joined a
couple of years later by John F. Henderson,
who provided additional capital. Originally,
Albion’s factory was on the first floor of a
building in Finnieston Street, and it began
with just seven employees. Later, in 1903,
the company moved to new premises in
Scotstoun and became one of the largest,
purely engineering firms in Glasgow,
employing 1,800 people. Albion also became
renowned for its superior engineering and
reliability, and its name appeared on
vehicles between 1899 and 1975. Its slogan,
‘Sure as the Sunrise’, was adapted into the
logo that featured on the radiator and badges of its models for many years and that helped
to establish Albion’s identity wherever its vehicles were exported throughout the world.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, cars were hand built and they were expensive to buy.
Things were very different from the large factories that we today associate with car
production. In those days, before automation, computers and robots, cars were built by
small teams of highly skilled craftsmen and women. Albion built its first private motor car
1900. That was a rustic-looking, solid tyred dogcart made of varnished wood and powered
by a flat-twin, 8hp engine with tiller steering and gear-change by ‘Patent Combination
Clutches’, and it cost £400. In 1903, Albion introduced a 3115cc, 16hp vertical-twin,
followed in 1906 by a 24hp four cylinder engine. One of the early custom models that
Albion offered was a solid-tired, shooting-brake, which was a kind of luxury estate car with
a pair of side hinged rear doors that were designed for use by hunters and other sportsmen who needed easy access to a larger boot space. The last private ‘Albion’ was the A3
Model tourer, powered by a 16hp monobloc, four cylinder engine of 2492cc.
At first, the firm made motor cars and, from 1909, commercial vehicles, however, from
1913, it concentrated on the latter, which helped it to survive the difficult years after the
First World War. In fact, during World War I, Albion’s premises were enlarged to produce
military vehicles and it built large quantities of 3-ton trucks, which were powered
by a 32hp engine using chain drive to the
rear wheels. After the war, many of those
trucks were converted for use as
charabancs. Later, in 1920, the company
announced that estate cars were to be
available once more, based on a small
bus chassis, but it is not known if any
were actually made. The earliest buses
were built on truck chassis and it is
known that two were delivered to West
Bromwich in 1914 and, although Albion
didn’t produce a purpose built, double
decker chassis until 1932, it did deliver a
few of those to the city of Newcastle
upon Tyne prior to 1920.
In 1923, Albion’s first dedicated bus chassis was announced. Derived from its 25cwt truck
chassis, but with better springing, it had seating options for between 12 and 23
passengers. A lower frame chassis, the Model 26, with 30/60hp engine and wheelbases
from 135 inches to 192 inches joined the range in 1925. All those early vehicles had the
engine in front of the driver, but in 1927, the ‘Viking’, the first forward control bus, with the
engine alongside the driver, allowing 32 seats to be fitted, was announced. The first true
double decker design was the ‘Venturer’, with up to 51 seats. The ‘CX’ version of the
chassis was launched in 1937 and on those the engine and gearbox were mounted
together, rather than joined by a separate drive shaft. Albion introduced a range of diesel
engines, initially from Gardner, from 1933. By which time, the Albion Motor Car Company
Ltd. had been renamed Albion Motors, a name change that occured in 1930.
After World War II, Albion’s
range was progressively
modernised and underfloor
engined models were introduced with two prototypes
in 1951. That led to the
‘Nimbus’, which appeared in
production models from
1955. Complete trucks, and
single and double decker
buses, were built in the
Scotstoun works until 1972
and the firm’s buses were
exported to Asia, Australia,
East Africa, India and South
Africa. Almost all Albion
buses were given names beginning with ‘V’, such as the ‘Victor’, ‘Valiant’, ‘Viking’,
‘Valkyrie’, and ‘Venturer’, except for the ‘Nimbus’ and the ‘Aberdonian’, which was
designed to be the lightest, full size, underfloor engined bus. The ‘Aberdonian’ was a much
more economic, in terms of fuel consumption, derivative of the ‘Nimbus’ and it was built
between 1957 and 1960.
In 1957, Lancashire-based Leyland Motors acquired Albion Motors as the first step in an
expansionist policy, which saw famous names like Scammell, A.E.C. and Guy
sucumb. Albion Motor’s name was changed, rather ignominiously, to Leyland (Glasgow)
and later, in 1987, to Leyland-DAF. Then, in 1993, a management buy-out brought Albion
Automotive, as it then became known, back into Scottish ownership. Since 1998, Albion
Automotive has been a subsidiary of American Axle & Manufacturing, and manufactures
axles, driveline systems, chassis systems, crankshafts and chassis components out of its
premises on South Street, which it took over from the neighbouring Coventry Ordnance
Works in 1969. Today, you can visit the Albion Archive, in Biggar, where Thomas Blackwood Murray originally lived. You can also visit the annual Veteran & Vintage Vehicle Rally
at the showfield in Biggar, which is held in honour of the Albion Motor Car Company and
its founders.
It always amazes me the roads and paths the things we dig up take us down.
Have you found anything you like recently?
We are looking for photos of things found
to go into our magazine.
Send a photo of it to [email protected] with
your name and we will put the photo in the
magazine for everyone to see.
Do you have anything you want
published in this magazine email it to
[email protected]
Editor’s Ramblings..............................................2
Detecting Scotland Dig96……………………....3/4
The Antonine Guard……………………………..6/9
Under the Spotlight Bob McGarry………….11/12
Detecting Scotland dig 100
Charity dig for Cot Death …………………...13/20
The Ring Pull………………………………………21
Lincolshire Trip 2015…………………………22/25
Update on the seal found at Detecting Scotland
dig100……………………………..…………….27/28
From buried treasure to hidden gem……...29/32
The Albion Badge …………………………….34/36
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