Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Conal]

It indicates that a sub culture of pre-Roman Celticness "could" have survived 350 years of dominance by Rome, no doubt changed accordingly by Roman influences.

I beg to differ. Your example describes a group which is , so it's a strange duck in the pond. True, given the same circumstances such a group could exist during the Roman occupation. But the discussion was I think about British society as a whole and traditions that ‘could’ have survived within a far larger group that this relatively small one.

So I’d say that if we are arguing for traditions with a group of 20 families in west Yorkshire I’d say yes. But if we’re arguing for traditions within the larger part of Romano-British society (I know Stuart Laycock does), I’d say no.

Not without any proof, at least. :wink:

I wouild not say "extremely closed-off towards the rest of society" as they do get involved in some parts of society. I know as I lived amongst them for two years as a child. What you have is a tiny minority of a few thousand in a (hostile) population of many millions where as in Britian in the AD400s the majority were indigenous ( 1.5 to 2 million) held in sway by say 45-50,000 Roman troops, administrators etc etc . They were , initially, devided into tribal groups for administration purposes so I see no reason why they would not keep at least some old customs alive via songs, storys and traditional practices. Such things are a good ethnic glue.

My point above was that if a minority can keep things alive then a majority, or at least more than a few West Yorks families, should have no trouble in keeping enough going on which to hang Celtic hats when the "Romans" had departed.