We were privileged to welcome Honorary Professor Dr Barbara Crawford, as speaker to our meeting of 15th January. Prof Crawford is Honorary Reader in History at the University of St. Andrews, having spent over thirty years as a teacher in the Department of Mediaeval History there. She is too an Honorary Director of the Strathmartine Centre for Scottish History; a charitable trust supporting research and education in Scottish History.

Prof Crawford took as the topic for her illustrated talk, the 1923 find of a Norman bronze bowl fragment beneath the ancient motte of Leuchars castle. What emerged was the intriguing story of a 12th century bowl carrying images of five knight-figures attacking beasts in a wood. Traces of latin inscriptions suggest a link to the fight of good against evil in the Christian tradition. The latin ‘IRA’ (anger or rage) perhaps a link to the seven deadly sins and suggesting a possible use of the bowl in a religious community. Perhaps for hand (or feet?) washing - but also as a teaching aid in an abbey or monastery.

During a wide-ranging talk, reference was made to the De Quincey family (Earls of Winchester and Constables of Scotland) who were of Norman descent - and also to the 12th Century, Romanesque, St Athenase Church in Leuchars. 

We learned that this bronze fragment was of well-known type of bowl, possibly made in the Rhineland, where metalworking skills of  a high order existed in those far off days. It was of great interest to see photographs of a complete bowl, 31.5 cm in diameter, of the same type but originating in Carcassonne in France. 

An exciting and absorbing history of times 900 years distant - but of an artefact displaying an unchanging quality of art and craft. Following questions, a vote of thanks was proposed by Findlay McLaren.