Our Logo
From The Record 2001-2002 (Upper Eden History Society's annual report of meetings, free to members for that year)
"The U.E.H.S. logo derives from a small Romano-British bronze pendant found on the Roman Verterae site at Brough.
We are not sure what it represents! Some suggest it is a dolphin; in the opinion of the Editor, it is a lamprey. Whatever it is, someone treasured it sufficiently for it now to be on display in the British Museum."
Further developments! (Jan 2017)
An early item found in files passed to the current chairman by a former chairman (of more than ten years ago) was this from the British Museum
"September 1997 – the bronze dolphin mount that features as the motif on your society's notepaper is indeed in our collections, reg number PRB 1874, 3-28, 74. It is part of a group of 120 objects, mainly small Roman bronzes, that was purchased in 1874 from Bryce M Wright, a dealer with premises in Great Russell Street, London "found in the neighbourhood of Brough, Westmorland and some of them evidently from Kirkby Thore". The dolphin mount is an armour fitting, one of a pair used to secure shoulder straps to the breast of an iron mail shirt, the dolphin shape being well-adapted to the double hook form. A photocopy of a page of drawings, including the dolphin, accompanies this letter."
I find it interesting that in spite of the doubts of membership of a few years ago, the BM regarded the item as a dolphin, a view of which I have long argued in favour.
Verterae is a Roman Camp which has been built over by Brough Castle.
Lampreys are still to be found in the River Eden. They have been filmed under-water by the Eden Rivers Trust.