Berwick upon Tweed Civic Society

We were very pleased to welcome Dr Jones on a return visit to the Society this month. His lecture challenged a common present day view of slavery in which slaves are regarded as inferior and of little value. Dr Jones took us back in time and place and gave us an informative and fascinating insight into what life was like for the Romans and their slaves around the second and third century CE. This was a time when land ownership in the expanding Roman Empire reflected wealth and power and ownership of slaves an equal measure of status.

Slavery played a significant role in Roman Society. At its peak slaves represented up to 20% of the population with some Masters owning many hundreds of slaves. Slaves were acquired in many ways. Vast numbers of prisoners of war or the bounty of pirates were bought and sold, with due taxation, in the markets. They may have been abandoned or put on the market by parents. They could be born into slavery. In some cases individuals would opt to become slaves and we were to understand why this might have been a good option.

Slaves were subject to the laws of ownership and were not entitled to marriage although they did form ‘common law’ relationships. The life of a slave varied from those placed in dangerous and harsh conditions to those who were regarded as an investment and highly valued by their owners despite the expense of owning a slave, especially those who came with artisan and academic skills able to carry out many roles in society indistinguishable from others. Many of these had been captured from other cultures.

Brutal treatment of slaves was regarded as obscene and could result in a court case. Slaves were used as gladiators – inevitably with a limited life expectancy. There were Revolts and rebellious activity and attempts to escape which resulted in being tagged and dealt with harsh punishments. The Public Treasury commissioned hundreds of slaves to work on civic projects e.g. in the mines, aqueduct maintenance and fire prevention.

As the opportunities and importance of trade increased slaves with business skills were used for trading as this was not seen as an appropriate occupation for the elite. This could lead to a partnership benefitting both owner and slave and in some cases enabling slaves to acquire vast personal wealth. Some chose to gain freedom with citizen status, albeit with certain restrictions although children of these Freedmen were accepted as full Roman citizens. Many former slaves continued to work as Freedman but continued in partnership with their former Master bringing financial advantages to both and this could result in the Freedmen repeating the pattern of buying land and slaves as a reflection of their acquired wealth.

The Roman Jurists’ view that ‘Slavery is a human invention, not found in nature’ is still relevant. However, despite the abolition and opposition of slavery in more recent times, today more than half the countries in the world do not regard ownership of slaves as a criminal activity. However, sadly, there are no opportunities for modern slaves to become millionaires.

Sandra Y Gann

Grave relief of freedman Publius Aiedius Amphio and freedwoman Aiedia Fausta Melior

Roman Slave Relief Slab

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North East Air Ambulance Service

Homer Lindsay — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:38:00 +0000

A presentation by Robert Bruce, 11th June 2025

Bob’s introduction told us of his former career which included service in the Army’s Special Air Force (SAS) during which he served as a pilot in the Falklands and the Gulf. He is now a volunteer speaker keen to spread information about the Air Ambulance Service to as many people as possible as the organisation is completely reliant on charitable contributions to fund the £10 million or more it costs to run annually. It was a consolation to learn that the one advantage to not having government funding is that the organisation has control and allocation of resources – government funding does have a tendency to be cut or redirected. We were assured that all public contributions are used directly for service provision.

The Great North East Ambulance Service (GNEAAS) covers 10,000 square miles of the Northeast, Cumbria and the Isle of Man from two sites. Eaglescliffe (Teeside) and Langwathby (Penrith). The emergency responses are co-ordinated from the air desk at Eaglescliffe. This operates a 24 hour monitoring of all 999 calls and liaises with other emergency services as needed.

The fleet of 3 top of the range Dauphin N3 and Dauphin N3+ helicopters are manned by a highly trained Critical Care team composing of a doctor, paramedic and pilot/driver. They carry any emergency equipment that would be available in an A&E Department, “We will bring the hospital Casualty Department to you.” Every call out, whether by helicopter during the daylight hours or car at night arrives at the scene of the accident within 20 minutes. There are over 2,500 call outs a year at a daily operating cost of over £30,000.

Other valuable services the GNEAAS offer are courses in pre-hospital medicine covering emergency anaesthesia and an emergency medicine crew course. This attracts applicants worldwide and provides a welcome income. New courses are being developed.

Bob told us of the many ways the public can help, not just by donating financially but collecting clothing and having other fundraising events. Please see the GNEAAS website for further information.

Bob’s presentation included 4 videos showing aspects of the work of the service including two case studies. This together with the knowledge of the costs involved was sobering however Bob’s entertaining presentation ensured that there were were many laughs along the way.

Sandra Y Gann

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