John Winter
Hero Member
According to Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the death of William III was the direct result of a fall resulting from his horse stumbling on a molehill. Due to this accident the king broke his collarbone, a severe illness ensued, and he died early in 1702. For many years afterwards, his Jacobite enemies would raise their glasses and toast the mole – ‘the little gentleman in the black velvet waistcoat’.
Courtesy of Wikipedia - CC Licence
The ‘velvet gentleman’ is again altering the course of history - and this time on the site of a once thriving Roman fort that is now a scheduled monument. The UK moles have been doing some excavations of their own by churning up artefacts at Epiacum, close to the Cumbrian border and near to Hadrian’s wall. Moles have been so busy there that English Heritage have drafted in volunteers to sieve through the molehills and take out any ancient artefact that has been brought to the surface. I learn that our subterranean allies have brought up:
• Pottery fragments from Roman serving bowls
• Earthenware pots
• A jet bead from a Roman necklace or bracelet
• Roman Nails
• A bronze decorative dolphin-shaped piece
The moles are able to do what humans are forbidden by law to do and the landowner’s wife is trying to promote the site as a tourist attraction. However, her husband expressed mixed feelings about the pesky critters. He said: "Moles are the bane of landowner’s lives!"
Courtesy of Wikipedia - CC Licence
The ‘velvet gentleman’ is again altering the course of history - and this time on the site of a once thriving Roman fort that is now a scheduled monument. The UK moles have been doing some excavations of their own by churning up artefacts at Epiacum, close to the Cumbrian border and near to Hadrian’s wall. Moles have been so busy there that English Heritage have drafted in volunteers to sieve through the molehills and take out any ancient artefact that has been brought to the surface. I learn that our subterranean allies have brought up:
• Pottery fragments from Roman serving bowls
• Earthenware pots
• A jet bead from a Roman necklace or bracelet
• Roman Nails
• A bronze decorative dolphin-shaped piece
The moles are able to do what humans are forbidden by law to do and the landowner’s wife is trying to promote the site as a tourist attraction. However, her husband expressed mixed feelings about the pesky critters. He said: "Moles are the bane of landowner’s lives!"
