Leland came here in the 1530s:
Hene Dinas a quarter of a mile out of Oswestre north-west. The toune or castelle of Hene Dinas standith apon a rounde hillet aboute half a mile in cumpace. Ther be iii. greate diches in the botom of the hillet cumpasing it, and in the toppe of the hille now grow great treas of oke. The commune people say that ther was a cite withyn those ditches. I think rather a campe of men of war, wheras perventure was the campe when Penda and Oswaldes did fight. There is a nother hillet of caste yerth bytwixt it and Oswester not far from Dinas self.
It always has to be about fighting when it comes to you men doesn’t it. Or so it seems. The nother hillet I assume is the little wooded bump between the fort and Oswestry, on the line of Wat’s Dyke. I’d have liked to have seen all the oke treas up there.
From John Leland’s Itinerary In Wales.
Lovely stuff. Not sure about your swepeing generalisationne though.
No it's a bit meene isn't it, sorry. But the old (male) writers did so love to leap to battles and fighting. You never ever get mention about the latest fashions being drawn up on the looms, or where the best or nearest water is, or local plants good for eating and medicine, which way's the prevailing wind, where you can get clay for pots... all the stuff I'm more interested in. No, it's always speculation about famous pseudo-historical men fighting each other. I get bored of it. I do know not all men go round thinking about punching each other. At least most of the time.
:)
I'm off out to have to a fight now.
frankly, I thought as much. tchh