Hi again,
so I have really started my own Viking-project here a bit. :)
I just wanted to level with the Viking-congress, that was on Saturday, in Chester.
But I'll update and level more, when I know more, from my contact with the experts in Norway.
Hope this is alright, and sorry that I'm sending so much correspondence about this!
Thanks again for the good food, on Saturday, even if it wasn't 'speke'-food, I still think it was good food with the chicken balti sandwiches etc.
Best regards,
Erik Ribsskog
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Erik Ribsskog <eribsskog@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 12:15 PM
Subject: Fwd: Viking-congress in Chester/Fwd: St. Olave's Church in Chester
To: Steve.Harding@nottingham.ac.uk
Hi,
here is what the Riksantikvaren in Norway, wrote about the Vikingship on the Wirral, by the way:
Date: 2010/10/18
Subject: Svar på spørsmål "hjelp med å grave opp vikingskip i England"
To: eribsskog@gmail.com
Hei og takk for
e-post.
Det er flere kompetansesentra og forskere som er dyktige på feltet
om vikingskip. Anbefaler først og fremst: Kulturhistorisk museum med
Vikingskipshuset, dernest Norsk Maritimt Museum og Norsk Institutt for
kulturminneforskning. I Danmark er det kompetanse ved Roskilde museum.
Lykke til!
(Translates to:
Hi and thanks for the e-mail.
There are many competence-centers and scientists who are good at the field vikingships. I recomend first and foremost: Cultural-historical museum with the Vkingships-huset, then Norwegian Maritim Museum and Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Science. In Denmark they have competence at Roskilde Museum.
Good Luck!).
(This was sent before I read about the project on your website, regarding this vikingship).
Helsing
Gunvor Haustveit
Informasjonsseksjonen
Riksantikvaren
Postboks 8196 Dep
0034 Oslo
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Erik Ribsskog <eribsskog@gmail.com>Date: Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 11:15 AM Subject: Re: Viking-congress in Chester/Fwd: St. Olave's Church in Chester
To: Stephen Harding < Steve.Harding@nottingham.ac.uk> Hi,
yes, but if they have vikingships on museums in Norway, they are also made of wood, and they don't decay.
They even have Vikingship-museums in Northern Germany, that used to be southern Denmark, as far as I remember.
I've heard that the vikingship is under the _parking-lot_ of the pub, (like I said on the congress).
But I have contacted, (like I wrote), the University of Oslo, cultural-historical museum, both before and after the congress, and I hope to hear back from them soon.
I just went to Meols, to look at the old Viking-harbour, you see, just to get some fresh air, since I live in the City Centre of Liverpool.
And then I asked one of the 'natives' about where the viking harbour was, and he also told me, that there was a viking ship, under the pub there.
And then I went to the pub, the Railway Inn, and spoke with the staff there, (a woman in her 20's, I think, who almost looked Norwegian, I think).
And she showed me that there was newspaper-articles on the wall, in the big pub, and pictures of a viking longship, etc.
I promised I'd write about this on my blog, so that people in Norway could read about it.
Then I contacted University of Oslo.
But then, later, I read about your desition, to leave the ship under the clay.
But then, I saw that you had asked universities in Gothenburg and Stockhome for advise.
And I don't understand why you ask Swedish universities for advise, regarding Norwegian vikingships.
Because the Swedes went east.
And the Norwegians went to the Irish Sea, etc.
The Swedish Vikings didn't go to England and the Irish Sea, they went to Russia etc, in the east.
So I thought that project was a bit strange, why involve Swedish universities in this?
Since there is a rivalary between Sweden and Norway, after many wars, from the Viking-time and up to modern history.
So that made me a bit sceptical, to that project, when I saw that many Swedish universities were involved.
My reflex, since I am from Norway, would be not to let Swedes be to much involved in a Norwegian/(Irish) Viking-project.
But anyway.
But I have contacted the University of Oslo, cultur-historical museum about this, who the 'riksantikvaren', in Norway, refered me to.
So I'm just waiting to get an answer from them.
And then I'll contact you when and if I hear something back from them.
Hope this is alright!
Thank you very much for your replies, and sorry that I was a bit late for the congress, I just missed the Chester-train, and then I had to take the next train, for Port Ellismere, and change for Chester, so then I was delayed.
This is mostly because I'm from Norway, that I'm interested in the congress and the Viking-places on the Wirral, because in Norway, this is almost like general knowledge, that we learn about on school etc., so this with Viking-stuff is almost the only thing we take serious in Norway, (except from skiing).
(Only joking).
But that's why I'm so interested in this.
Thanks again for the reply to my e-mail!
Best regards,
Erik Ribsskog
On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 8:03 AM, Stephen Harding <Steve.Harding@nottingham.ac.uk> wrote:
Dear Erik I was part of the team that did the Ground Penetrating Radar studies 3 years ago that appeared to verify the existence of the old vessel and we did discuss this in detail with the people in Oslo – Arne Christiansen and Knut Paasche of the skiphuset Bygdoy. The Chair of the afternoon session was Dr. David Griffiths, distinguished Viking Archaeologist from Oxford, born and brought up in Heswall and like myself a passionate Wirralian – as he explained in his talk. All 3 of us – Rob Philpott, David and myself are in total agreement as to the situation about the boat. Unfortunately you can’t just go down and expose the boat as the old wood would decay rapidly: this would be very irresponsible!. Its underneath a pub and near a major road so unless we can find an estimated 8-10 million pounds, we have to leave it where it is. Then when we have the money lets go for it! To repeat what Rob has said, if you have any ideas where we can get this money, let us know. Believe me we would dearly love to have this excavated but it just can’t be done at the moment. However we are going to have a meeting soon but I can’t see – without the money - much else we can do at the momentThe Friends of Meols Park organisation are having trouble trying to raise £40,000 for a statue of Ingimund for Meols Park, again if you have any ideas for funds that would be great.
Nottingham involvement: The organizers of the conference were Liz Royles and myself. Liz: is Keeper of early archaeology at the Grosvenor Museum at Chester - and was born and brought up from Meols. Liz did a tremendous job putting on the exhibition and obtaining the grants so that everyone could attend for free – and even have free refreshments.
Myself: Indeed I am now at the University of Nottingham but was born and brought up in Wirral – near Meols and then Wallasey, and come from 2 very old Wirral families that go back at least several hundred years, and very proud of this – if you have a chance please look at my website
even Tranmere – Tranmael - my team, has a Norwegian name: http://trsn.blogspot.com/
it would be great if you could join us! I have just written another book with Liverpool FC fan Stig Vaagan from Hamar – det Norske Liverpool - Vikinger, DNA og Nåtid, which will be published soon in Norway, which includes a lot about the Scandinavian Church on Park Lane: do you know these people there.
I have also secured an agreement from the people re-constructing the “Drakken” ship of Harald Harfagre for it to sail to Liverpool and Wirral in 2012/2013 after the boat is complete and indeed have been trying very hard for the last 10 years to develop the whole areas Viking Heritage.
What about meeting up for a beer sometime and we can discuss the boat?
All the best Steve Harding
From: Erik Ribsskog [mailto:eribsskog@gmail.com]
Sent: 23 November 2010 04:11
To: Stephen Harding
Subject: Re: Viking-congress in Chester/Fwd: St. Olave's Church in Chester
Hi, I wasn't aware of that there were boats in clay in Scandinavia.
But, like I wrote in the earlier e-mail, in Scandinavia, we have a lot of ships in museums from before.
And they had made 46 trenches in Irby, and none in Meols, even if Meols is more Norse/Viking, Irby means town of the Irishmen. So I question the priorities here, and as I wrote, and updated the congress about, I have contacted the University of Oslo, about this.
So I was mostly summarising, what I said on the congress.
Further, to my complaint.
I think what happened after lunch, distroyed the congress.
The chair from University of Chester was ill, and a new chair, from Nottingham, was a reserve.
I remember it like you only mentioned his firstname, briefly before the congress started again, after lunch.
And his field wasn't mentioned I think.
I understood this to be a national Viking congress, and not a Nottingham one.
So noone knew who this guy was or what his field was, (the new chair).
He was a reserve, and should have toned himself down, I think, due to this, and due to that his name and field wasn't mentioned in the agenda. So I think this distroyed the congress a bit, I'm sorry to say, because the new chair went directly in, with facts, or 'facts', from Scandinavia, all the time.
Without saying e.g. that the ship was in Gothenburg, he just said 'Scandinavia'.
And with 't' becomming 'd', like the young chair said was usual in Scandinavia.
I think that is in Germany, that 't' becomes 'd', like in 'Donerstag' instead of 'Thursday'.
So my experience of the congress was distroyed by this new chair, I have to admit, so I wanted to complain about the congress.
I also think it's strange that all this Viking-stuff on the Wirral should be run from Nottingham.
I think one should have a centre in the Wirral or Chester or Isle of Man, to do with the Norwegian Vikings.
Because the Norwegian Vikings weren't in Nottingham I think.
I think a local university, which is located geografically, in what was Norwegian Viking-territory, in the UK, should 'run the show' on this.
I think Nottingham was south of were the Norwegian Vikings lived, in the UK.
I think the Wirral was obviously a Norwegian Viking-land.
Why don't the Wirral run the show on this?
Why is the Wirral Viking-stuff run from Nottingham, (and Chester).
Maybe Chester would be logical, but was has Nottingham to do with Norweigan Vikings in the Wirral?
This sounds strange to me.
Also, I think one should have a specialist in Viking-archology, digging up the Viking-stuff on the Wirral, because the professor from National Museum Liverpool, in a specialist in Roman and 'later' archeology.
And he explained that he thought something was roman, and then someone else came and said that bird-figure for a weight, was viking.
I don't think this is taken seriously enough.
Look at the Roman arcahology, with the Circus etc, in Chester.
You say it isn't proven the Viking-ship in Meols is Viking.
But it is 'klinke'-buildt, which means it's Norse.
So I think you try to make this unclear, the ships origin, it definately Viking/Norse, and not anything else.
So I question really the whole congress and you at Nottinghams motivation. I understand that University of Oslo or University of Trondheim didn't send any people, it's probably because they didn't feel welcome.
Sorry that I think I have to write this direct to put it strange.
But there wasn't much viking about that congress I think.
Then it should have been served beer/ale and not wine.
And 'speke'-food, and not Pakistani samosa-food.
This was not a Norse Viking-congress I think.
Best regards,
Erik Ribsskog
On Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 9:09 PM, Stephen Harding <Steve.Harding@nottingham.ac.uk> wrote:
Thanks Erik, yes we thoroughly enjoyed the congress, everyone seemed so enthusiastic … and it was great having a Norwegian at the conference. The books on sale were Vikings in the Irish Sea (Dr. David Griffiths), Irby (Dr. Rob Philpott) and Viking DNA (by Turi King, Mark Jobling and myself).
Thanks for modern dynge = heap, but I will check with Dr. Paul Cavill to see if this can help. Dingesmere: there are some links to this and Brunanburh on my own Viking page http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve
Boat: yes we’d all love to get this out, but as Dr. Philpott said it would cost 8-10Million to achieve, but the boat is perfectly safe in the blue clay until that time comes.. which may not be for a long time. We don’t know its Viking, all we know its very old! There are I think boats in blue clay in Scandinavia – one in Karmoy and one near Gothenburg which have been left for the foreseeable future. If there are any developments with Wirral we’ll be sure to let you know,
Hope this helps! Beste hilsener
Steve Harding
From: Erik Ribsskog [mailto:eribsskog@gmail.com]
Sent: 21 November 2010 07:24
Subject: Viking-congress in Chester/Fwd: St. Olave's Church in Chester
Hi, thanks for arranging the Viking-congress, which I thought was a very fun idea! I was just wondering, who was the chair, after lunch again, (the young man in his 30's with a beard on his chin or under his mouth, or what it's called).
Because I thought he was a bit 'on' me. The one who replaced the professor from Chester who was ill.
I've also sendt to the professer from National Museums Liverpool and cultural historical museum Oslo University again, about possible founding or expertice from Norway, for the vikingship in Meols, which I brought up about, yesterday, on the congress, after the professor from National Museums Liverpool spoke about the archeolology in Irby.
Also, I tried to explain about my contributing regardin the subject of Dingesmere, to do with the big battle between the Vikings and the English, on the Wirral.
In Norwegian, 'dynge' means 'heap'.
And I thought that could be relevant, since Norwegian and English once were the same language.
The young chair was an expert on Scandinavia, (which I'm not I'm just a normal Norwegian, but I've worked on a viking-farm in Norway, actually, Løvås farm in Kvelde, (where someone tried to murder me, i 2005, so I went to Liverpool, and the police wont investigate).
The young chair said that in Scandinavia 't' often became 'd'.
(This I don't know myself from being Norwegian, even if I one term at high-school got the best grade, 'S', in Norwegian).
The young chair also said that vikingships in Norway weren't always dug up. But, in Norway, we have many vikingship, in several musums, (like in Denmark etc).
But in the Wirral/North-England, you haven't got a single vikingship which had been dug up.
So if it's right that we have ships like that, under clay, in Norway, then at least we have some vikingships which we have put in the museum first.
E.g. the Vikingship Museum in Bygdøy, in Oslo.
Also, I thought I had to 'argue' with two people at the same time, when I spoke.
Because the young chair, interrupted, my dialog with the two professors, I thought a bit.
So that's why I left before the book-launch, because I was a bit disapointed in the young chairs behavour.
So I was just a bit currious, who the young chair was again.
Because his name wasn't mentioned on the agenda, since the initial chair, after lunch, the professor from University of Chester, was ill, if I understood you right, when you briefly spoke, after lunch, yesterday.
Thank you very much in advance for any reply! And thanks again for holding the Viking-congress, which was very fun, and the Viking-exhibition, at the Grosvenor Museum, in Chester, was also very fine I think!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Steve Harding <Steve.Harding@nottingham.ac.uk>
Date: Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 9:31 AM
Subject: RE: St. Olave's Church in Chester
To: Erik Ribsskog <eribsskog@gmail.com> Dear Erik
Many thanks for your email. I will write a more detailed reply later but I thought I'd better point out that the present St. Olave's building is of course not the original but is probably on the site of an original building which may have been wooden - we don't know. It is in the southern part the city which we believe to be the Scandinavian part of Chester in the 10th Century (and includes the discovery site of a viking treasure hoard at Castle Esplanade and some timber constructions similar to those in Dublin). The main area of Norse settlement in the area was in Wirral where there is extensive place name, archaeological and historical evidence, including 2 hogback tombstones.
If you get a chance have a look at my website http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve
and its links, but I will write back to you more when I have some more time, Beste sommerhilsener
Steve Harding http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve
steve.harding@nottingham.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0) 115 951 6148 (fax 6142)
Mob: +44(0) 78110 90635 From: Erik Ribsskog [mailto:eribsskog@gmail.com]
Sent: 19 July 2009 19:25
To: Steve.Harding@nottingham.ac.uk
Subject: St. Olave's Church in Chester
Hi, I'm from Norway, but I live in Liverpool, and the other day, I was in Chester, and I coinsidentily
stubled upon, the St. Olave's Church, since I thought I had to see a bit of the other towns and
cities, in the North-West, and not only Liverpool. I took some pictures of the church, and posted on my blog.
From the 'sign' there, it could seem like the church was from the 18th century, so much was
my surprice, when I searched on the internet, and found, that the chuch was almost a thousand years old, built by Norwegian Vikings who were refugees from Dublin, since they lost control there,
it seems to me, after reading on the internet about this.
I read on a blog called 'Ainscough Family History', which I found throug Google, about the 'Viking march', between the Wirral and Chester.
So I wrote a comment on that blog, with questions about the St. Olave's Church, and was adviced
I was just wondering if the church is listed, since I don't think we have that old viking stone-
We have 'stav'-churches, in three, but I don't think we have any stone-buildings, that are this old.
So, I was just curious about this.
I also wondered if there had been conflicts between the St. Olave's Parish and the St. Michaels Parish, since on one building, 'Nine Houses', the borded between the parishes, was written on
And, I was also wondering, why it isn't a plaque there, explaining about, that the church is almost
a thousand years old, built by Vikings from Ireland, because the plaque that's there now, makes
it almost seem, that the building was built much later, or, it only least the year the church was conserved, in the 18th century, I think it was. As I understand, all the part of Chester, from the main street, and down to river, used to be I was wondering, on some of the half timbered houses, I saw some symbols that looked a bit
like what we call 'firkløver', that's four-cleaver, I think, in English, could these symbols have
been from Norway, or are they English, since I heard that these black and white half-timbered houses are 'Tudor-style', so I guess that the Vikings, in Chester, would have other types of
buildings, that was there, before the Tudor-style buildings,contemporary with the St. Olave's Sorry that I'm asking a lot of questions, I understand if you haven't got the time to answer any
I just coincidentaly notices this church, when I was in Chester, and thought it was fun, to see
place-names, and buildings, named after a Norwegian king, that we learned about at school,
And at school, in Norway, we, as far as I remember, only learned about that York, or 'Jorvik',
like the Vikings called the town or city, was a Norwegian Viking-town or city.
But we didn't learn about, that there were viking setlements, in Cheshire and Merseyside.
So I wasn't aware of, that there was Viking-buildings, in Chester, when I went there, so I was
a bit surprised to see the church, and read about it on the internet, so that was very fun. I thought that maybe this church, could be one of the few buildings etc,. that remained,
after the Vikings, that had to leave Ireland.
In Norway, we learn at school, that Vikings founded Dublin etc., but we don't learn that
they went to England, after they lost control in Ireland, so this was fun to learn.
So sorry again that I'm asking a lot of questions, and thanks in advance, if you have the
time to explain about any of the questions which I've ask!
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