“Senchus” is a blog created by me, Tim Clarkson, as a personal notepad for things Scottish and medieval.
I graduated with a PhD in medieval history in 2003. My dissertation’s title was ‘Warfare in Early Historic Northern Britain’. Prior to this I gained an MPhil in archaeology with a research thesis entitled ‘The Solway Region AD 400-650 and the Kingdom of Rheged’. Since completing my doctoral thesis I have continued to pursue my interests in early medieval history as an “independent scholar”.
I am a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
I have written eight books. Click on the titles below for further information:
The Men of the North: the Britons of Southern Scotland
The Makers of Scotland: Picts, Romans, Gaels and Vikings
Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age
Scotland’s Merlin: a Medieval Legend and its Dark Age Origins
Æthelflæd: the Lady of the Mercians
A Mighty Fleet and the King’s Power: the Isle of Man, AD 400 to 1265
I can be contacted via email at: etarlindu [at] gmail [dot] com
Follow me on Twitter: @EarlyScotland
I also run a blog called Heart Of The Kingdom about the early medieval history and archaeology of Govan.
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Senchus 
Fancy Website! But some pictures would be a good idea……
More pics are on the way…
Tim, are your thesis and dissertation available to read for those of us who don’t have access to the relevant University libraries? As a Cumbrian resident with an interest in early medieval military history they sound fascinating!
Thanks for your interest in my researches, Roger. Unfortunately neither of them have been published in any form. I hope to get the warfare thesis published as a book at some point in the future but no definite plans just yet. Your local public library may be able to obtain both via the inter-library loan system but, if so, they will probably charge for it.
I have recently rekindled (after 20 yrs !)my interest in Dark Age Britain. Currently re-reading many books on the subject – especially those on the Picts. Also catching up on those published in the interim.
This is just a note to say I have just finished reading your book ‘The Picts – A History’. I thoroughly enjoyed it – accessable and thought provoking. I have recommended it to several fellow students.
I look forward to your next published work.
Regards
Phil
Thanks for the thumbs-up, Phil. I’m glad you enjoyed the book. If it provokes a few thoughts or prompts a debate or two I’ll be more than happy.
Have you a new book out in early 2010 ? Sure I saw something on Amazon to that effect……..
Things are a bit uncertain at present but I hope to put a new book out next year.
Hello Tim,
As a Canadian whose great grandparents emigrated to Canada from the Isle of Arran, circa 1849, I’ve always been fascinated by our origins. I’ve traced my direct line on Arran back to 1780, when our name was MacMhurrigh, and there the written records ran out. I can only presume we are descended from Muireadach Albannach, otherwise known as Muireadach O’Daly, an Irish poet, and that he brought literacy to Scotland, according to historian Ian Grimble. The only link I could find was that Arran was given to one Muirdach (various spellings) by the King of Norway after the so-called Battle of Largs, and again, presume this man to be a son or grandson of Muireadach Albannach and also a poet/bard/warrior. So I conveniently accepted that the Scots were a tribe of Irish who gradually took over from the Picts, etc. Now the evidence doesn’t seem to support this, so I’m even more fascinated. While I now live in Thailand, I return to Canada to conduct orchestras and wind ensenbles, and I shall try to locate a copy of The Picts: A History, and be even more fascinated. Thanks.
Interesting connections. I was unaware of the derivation of the surname Currie from a Mac- name.
Tim,
Wonderful personal notepad. My great, great, great grandparents are buried in St. Serf’s Kirkyard at Dunning – watched over today by the Dupplin Cross. We are scattered like autumn leaves now around the world but its always good to know more about home.
I hope to post a photo of St Serf’s church on this blog. It’s a very evocative place, as well as providing an ideal setting for the Cross in recent years.
As a fellow historian and writer working in the field of early mediaeval Scotland and Ireland, I thoroughly enjoy your posts! Thanks and keep up the good work.
Paula
Thanks Paula.
Hi Tim
Thoroughly enjoyed reading your articles keep up the good work.
Louie
I followed your YouTube link, Louie. The 3D animations of ancient sites are excellent. I especially enjoyed the ones of Dumbarton and the crannog, and the Roman Clyde videos.