Travel PDH Example 1

NOTE: Under OAR 804-025-0020 (3)(b)(H), the Board allows credit for extended travel outside the RLA’s state of residency. The RLA may be eligible for up to 2 PDH per week (7 calendar days) of travel. Like in this example, the RLA must document how the travel experience improved of expanded professional knowledge and skills. A maximum of 4 PDH for travel may be accepted per renewal period. HISTORICAL LANDSCAPES IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND By Karen Fuller, RLA INTRODUCTION On a holiday to the north of England for two weeks in August 2015, I was able to visit many historical sites and explore their cultural significance, as well as how they were integrated and evolved over time into the greater landscape. This essay and the accompanying CD with photographs and maps focus on three areas and historical periods: Housesteads Roman Fort and Hadrians Wall (lst Century AD_ 5th Century AD); Dunstanburgh Castle (Built in the 14th Century); and County Durham (Present Day). I. Housesteads Roman Fort - Hadrian's Wall: (English Heritage Site) History: In AD 43 the Romans invaded southern England, and almost a century later Emperor Hadrian orders the building of the wall in 122 AD marking Rome's northern frontier. The wall was completed 128 AD with 15 forts along the 73 mile length of the wall. One of 15 forts built along the Wall, Housesteads (known as Vercovicium "the place of effective fighters") is the most complete example of a Roman fort in England. The entire Wall was garrisoned by nearly 10,000 men while Housesteads had an infantry of about 800 men until the end of the 4th century. The last known inscription at the site, around 300 AD to the emperors Rome, was in recognition of a new monumental storage building. A final reference to the garrison appears in an early 5th century Roman list of military commands and civil service posts throughout the empire, known as the Notitia Dignitatum. Immediate post-Roman activity at Housesteads began at the turn of the 5th century but there are no documentary references to the Housesteads during the Middle Ages. The earliest use of the name appears in the 16th century when part of the 'House steads' was reported as belonging to Nicholas Crane of Bradley Hall. By the end of the century it was known as a refuge for thieves and rustlers. From the 18'" century on the fort became a focus for visitors interested in the history of the fort and Hadrians Wall. The fort is an English Heritage Site. Landscape: The importance of Housesteads Roman fort is understood by its location astride the Whinsill escarpment. One can see for miles in all directions from the fort onthe hill, and the Wall can be seen snaking away from the fort over the rolling hills to the east and west. - -- Narrative for Education Credits -August 2015 The site has been very well preserved, and the excavations and signage describing how the fort looked and functioned give one a real feeling for what life was like almost 2,000 years ago. And the interactive museum was useful in explaining the extent and historical context of the Roman Empire in England and throughout Europe, as well as the everyday life of a Roman soldier and the local population that served the occupiers. The terraced fields plowed for crops to feed the troops are still visible south of the fort. (See the County Durham folder on the CD for a map and photographs of the historical site) II. Dunstanburgh Castle: (English Heritage Site) History: Constructed of sandstone, basalt and limestone, the Dunstanburgh Castle was built in the 14rH century as a fortification on the coast of Northumberland in northern England. The castle was built in 1313-1322 by Earl Thomas of Lancaster on the existing earthworks of a former Iron Age fort. Unfortunately, he only visited the castle once before he was executed by the Crown for treason, and later, John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster took possession of the castle and expanded its defenses against the threat from Scotland and the peasant uprisings of 1381. The castle was maintained by the Crown in the 15th century and was a strategic northern stronghold in the region during the War of the Roses, a dynastic conflict between the rival houses of Lancaster and York. By the 15th century the castle fell into what was described by the Warden of the Scottish Marches as a "wonderful great decaye", and sold off by the Crown to private ownership in 1608. The castle and grounds are an English Heritage Site. Landscape: The view north from the Northumberland coastal path to the castle is rugged and windswept. Sheep are grazing in the meadows below the castle and waves are crashing on our right side as we walk closer to the castle, with not a tree in sight. The view of the great gatehouse standing on the high slope above the sea, and the castle ruins present a jagged outline of great historical power and presence. The cliffs provide a vantage point for watching seabirds that colonize the site. Normally dry, the shallow meres surrounding the castle to the west occasionally flood and restore the castle to its medieval island- like appearance. (See the Dunstanburgh Castle folder on the CD for a map and photographs of the historical site) - narrative for Education Credits -August 2015 III. County Durham - Present Day History: My history with the county, and especially the village of Stanhope goes back eight years. My partner's family has deep roots in the area, where she grew up in the city of Durham and her parents retired to Stanhope. The photos on the CD were from out latest visit in August 2015 and include several trips through the countryside and to small villages like St. Johns Chapel, where we had tea at the Chatterbox Cafe and watched sheep being herded through the main street; and a visit to a pub with a dog in Stanhope. Landscape: Driving through the countryside in County Durham is a journey through centuries of human occupation and molding of the land for farming and grazing. Lush, deeply green fields and forests dominate the low lands while higher up in the windswept hills the bleakly beautiful moors are covered with heather and scattered with scraggly sheep. The area around Stanhope used to be mined for lead and shale, and evidence of the tailings and abandoned mines are evident, while the economy is now based on tourism and agriculture. Because many of the villages were built long before cars were invented it is jarring to often see the crowding and tight spaces within the villages in order to accommodate cars. (See the County Durham folder on the CD for photographs of the county). Narrative for Education Credits -August 2015 .

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