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larkspire's review
3.0
Barnes is better known as a poet (particularly in the Dorset dialect) and a writer of books like Glossary of Dorset Dialect and Philological Grammar. He was also an advocate for "purifying" English by removing the influence of Greek and the Romance languages, leaving us with a wholly Germanic and Celtic vocabulary and grammar. His approach to this history book, that any insights he makes will come from his careful consideration of the language of the ancient Britons, comes as no surprise.
The title of this book could be taken as a bit of a misnomer - Barnes focuses on the Welsh, and those Britons who lived in today's England (and maybe part of the Scottish Lowlands). Anyone looking for special insight into the Picts and the Scots (not to mention anyone who lived outside the island of Great Britain) might be a little disappointed.
While this book is short, it is almost encyclopaedic. It's divided into a number of very short, descriptive chapters, and seems designed to be a reference work to be referred to rather than read straight through. Most chapters aren't linked to the others, and Barnes creates no narrative; there isn't really any particular core argument driving the book, or even each chapter. While he does argue against established thought, take sides in debates, and draw his own conclusions, any arguments or insights that he makes are usually presented as smaller parts of the (almost) purely descriptive overview that's the focus of each chapter.
The major exception is his chapter on crime and punishment: while he briefly mentions the geald system, this is also covered in other chapters; the chapter instead drives the conclusion that the law system in the Britain of his own time ought to have focussed on retribution for the victim rather than the perpetrator's rehabilitation or punishment.
In all, anyone with an interest in ancient Britons will find this at least a little stimulating. Even if you aren't interested in the etymology of placenames in Dorset, you might still learn something from (or at least enjoy) Barnes's descriptions of the Britons' food, or their early interactions with the invading Saxons, or their tattoos, etc. However, it's mainly intended for people who already have a little background knowledge of the ancient Britons — if you don't know who Hywel Dda is, for example, you might want to read a general (chronological) early British history before you take a look at this book.
The title of this book could be taken as a bit of a misnomer - Barnes focuses on the Welsh, and those Britons who lived in today's England (and maybe part of the Scottish Lowlands). Anyone looking for special insight into the Picts and the Scots (not to mention anyone who lived outside the island of Great Britain) might be a little disappointed.
While this book is short, it is almost encyclopaedic. It's divided into a number of very short, descriptive chapters, and seems designed to be a reference work to be referred to rather than read straight through. Most chapters aren't linked to the others, and Barnes creates no narrative; there isn't really any particular core argument driving the book, or even each chapter. While he does argue against established thought, take sides in debates, and draw his own conclusions, any arguments or insights that he makes are usually presented as smaller parts of the (almost) purely descriptive overview that's the focus of each chapter.
The major exception is his chapter on crime and punishment: while he briefly mentions the geald system, this is also covered in other chapters; the chapter instead drives the conclusion that the law system in the Britain of his own time ought to have focussed on retribution for the victim rather than the perpetrator's rehabilitation or punishment.
In all, anyone with an interest in ancient Britons will find this at least a little stimulating. Even if you aren't interested in the etymology of placenames in Dorset, you might still learn something from (or at least enjoy) Barnes's descriptions of the Britons' food, or their early interactions with the invading Saxons, or their tattoos, etc. However, it's mainly intended for people who already have a little background knowledge of the ancient Britons — if you don't know who Hywel Dda is, for example, you might want to read a general (chronological) early British history before you take a look at this book.
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