SoA Forum

History => Ancient and Medieval History => Topic started by: Duncan Head on Dec 10, 2025, 04:26 PM

Title: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Duncan Head on Dec 10, 2025, 04:26 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/10/country-diary-an-unlikely-job-for-a-farmer-preserving-a-roman-fort
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Imperial Dave on Dec 10, 2025, 05:12 PM
I love the word class...use it myself (meself)
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Erpingham on Dec 10, 2025, 06:18 PM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on Dec 10, 2025, 05:12 PMI love the word class...use it myself (meself)

Were you intending to reference the word "clag" in the article here?
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Imperial Dave on Dec 10, 2025, 06:37 PM
Erm...indeed...

Autocorrect failure  :(
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Erpingham on Dec 10, 2025, 06:49 PM
While I'm sure I've heard fog described as clag, not sure about mist.

Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Keraunos on Dec 11, 2025, 03:14 AM
I have always thought of clag as being the heavy clay mud that clings around ones boots and won't let go, not as being mist or fog.  Clearly (or unclearly) I have become separated from my Cumbrian roots linguistically.
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Imperial Dave on Dec 11, 2025, 07:57 AM
Clag has always meant the stuff that clings to mountains....a bit if etymology might be in order  :)
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Jim Webster on Dec 11, 2025, 08:01 AM
Quote from: Keraunos on Dec 11, 2025, 03:14 AMI have always thought of clag as being the heavy clay mud that clings around ones boots and won't let go, not as being mist or fog.  Clearly (or unclearly) I have become separated from my Cumbrian roots linguistically.

Cumbria was never really a unified area, linguistically or otherwise
The south has a different accent/dialect. The East again is different, and the west and north aren't all that similar either  ;)
To me, in the south, clag is more likely to be used for mud than mist of fog
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Imperial Dave on Dec 11, 2025, 08:07 AM
Clag is possibly Scandinavian in origin giving the eventual word clay for one apparently

Although I also like the RAF version clown low aircraft grounded meaning  :)
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Martin Smith on Dec 11, 2025, 08:44 AM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on Dec 11, 2025, 08:07 AMAlthough I also like the RAF version clown low aircraft grounded meaning  :)

Or possibly a Krusty layer ? 😁🤡
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Keraunos on Dec 11, 2025, 09:01 AM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on Dec 11, 2025, 07:57 AMClag has always meant the stuff that clings to mountains....a bit if etymology might be in order  :)

So a mountaineer who has slipped and is clinging to the mountain for dear life is clag?  ;)
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Erpingham on Dec 11, 2025, 09:10 AM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on Dec 11, 2025, 08:07 AMClag is possibly Scandinavian in origin giving the eventual word clay for one apparently

Must admit this is what I have thought - clag meaning clinging mud being the primary meaning. I'd guess cloy is also related, though I don't think it has a noun form.
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Andreas Johansson on Dec 11, 2025, 09:23 AM
Quote from: Erpingham on Dec 11, 2025, 09:10 AMI'd guess cloy is also related, though I don't think it has a noun form.
"Cloy" is a wholly unrelated Romance loan, actually.

Dubiously interesting factlet of the day: klägg, the Swedish equivalent of "clag", basically means "gunk", but in my student days it was also used to mean a pastry or soft biscuit, especially one sold at the student co-op café.
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Imperial Dave on Dec 11, 2025, 09:58 AM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on Dec 11, 2025, 08:07 AMClag is possibly Scandinavian in origin giving the eventual word clay for one apparently

Although I also like the RAF version cloud low aircraft grounded meaning  :)
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Sharur on Dec 11, 2025, 09:16 PM
Quote from: Andreas Johansson on Dec 11, 2025, 09:23 AMDubiously interesting factlet of the day: klägg, the Swedish equivalent of "clag", basically means "gunk", but in my student days it was also used to mean a pastry or soft biscuit, especially one sold at the student co-op café.

Interesting, as my late father (born in N Yorks) always called the malted fruit loaf marketed in the UK as "Soreen" "clag", although from my own experience, "clag" was more typically used in NE England as meaning heavy mud. Not entirely dissimilar either way though ;D .
Title: Re: Preserving a Roman fort in Cumbria
Post by: Imperial Dave on Dec 11, 2025, 09:38 PM
True....