Romano-British Herefordshire

The Roman occupation of Britain, truly began under the Emperor Claudius in 43AD, and advanced with great rapidity all over Britain. Within three or four years the whole country as far as the Exe, Severn and Humber rivers was under Roman control.

For a time the more remote districts, like Herefordshire, were left under the protection of the native Celtic Princes, but in the course of the next 30 years the Governor Ostorius Scapula and his successors were engaged in reducing the tribes of the highland districts to the north and west and these areas were gradually absorbed by the Romans.

It was during these campaigns that Ostorius Scapula penetrated through Herefordshire and into the territory of the rebellious Welsh tribe, the Ordovices, whose southern boundary is thought to have lain between the Wye and the Teme. A fierce hill-top battle between the Ordovican 'king' Caratacus and Ostorius Scapula ensued and the Ordovicans were defeated. The site of this battle is unknown but it is possible that it was in Herefordshire, and some scholars (Merivale and Walters) suggest that it may have been on Coxall Knoll near Brampton Bryan, close to the Shropshire Border, but no evidence has been found to definitely confirm this theory.

The region of Herefordshire lies between the Midland Plains and the highlands of South Wales. This topography and it's situation as a borderland between lowland and highland zones has had much influence on its fortunes. Even before the Roman invasion it formed the frontier between British tribes, the Gloucestershire Dobunni and the Silures and Ordovices of Wales. It was later to become the limit of the Norman advance west after the Norman Conquest of 1066 AD. At the time of the Roman occupation Herefordshire was, with the exception of the Wye Valley, an area unsuited to residential occupation. The greater part of the area was covered in uncultivated forest and while the highlands in the west formed useful natural defences these were not conducive to extensive settlement.

The Romans first entered Herefordshire during the long campaigns to subdue the rebel tribes of Wales, especially the powerful and warlike Silures (who held much of south-east Wales). After more than 30 years of fighting the Silures had finally been subdued, the Romans could begin to imprint Roman imperialism upon the area. The Roman administrators recognised that most of what is now Herefordshire was a westward extension of the English plain, which offered fertile soil ripe for settlement, although at this time much of it was covered by dense forest. An added attraction was that the area in the south towards the Forest of Dean offered iron deposits that had been successfully worked by the Celtic peoples for more than a century.

The successful Roman Invasion under the Emperor Claudius took place in 43AD, but it wasn't until c.75AD that the Silures and their neighbouring tribe, the Ordovices, were finally overcome by the Governor Frontinus. He established the military legionary base at Caerleon in Wales, and built the strategic roads and forts essential to the military occupation of South Wales. The first phase of the military occupation in this area is the establishment of a temporary frontier along the line of the Fosse Way c.47AD. This highly strategic road, strengthened by forts (temporary and permanent) for the legions, ran through the territory of friendly tribes such as the Dobunni (Cotswolds) and the Coritani (E. Mids). To the north and west lay great rivers and the hostile tribes of the Brigantes, Silures and the Ordovices (Central and N.W.Wales). In particular the Ordovices, led by Caratacus, were on the offensive against the Roman invasion.

The first move by the Romans against these troublesome tribes was in c.48AD when the Governor Ostorius Scapula advanced to the Upper Severn, established a legionary base at Wroxeter and pushed into north-east Wales. Trouble with rebel tribes in East Anglia cut this move short and the Romans did not regain the initiative until about 50AD when they advanced to the Lower Severn and established a legionary base at Gloucester.

In 51AD the Romans staged an attack across the Severn which led to the famous battle between Caratacus and the Romans in Ordovican territory. The exact site of the battle is not know and it has been 'sited' upon almost every hill-top in the Central Marches of Wales. Caratacus was defeated and his subsequent plan of carrying on the war from the territory of the Brigantes came to nothing.

In 52/53 AD the Silures stormed the legionary base at Gloucester and killed the Commander in charge. Ostorius Scapula died before he could fulfil his vow of destroying the whole tribe in revenge. Under Ostorius' successor the Governor Didius Gallus (52-58AD) the Roman position on the River Severn was restored but no further pushes west were attempted.

The Governor Suetonius Paulinus (59-62AD) moved the Roman troops forward from Wroxeter into N.W Wales. It was hoped that this campaign would push right up to Anglesey but a revolt by Queen Boudicca in 61AD recalled him back inland where he attempted to defend London and the south-east. This revolt caused the Romans such problems that it was to be another 14years before the troublesome Silures could be tackled again, and this time it was to be resolved by the Romans for good.

Julius Frontinus moved from the base at Gloucester to Caerleon and from this strategic offensive base was able to over-run and subdue all of South Wales. To his operations belong the road from Wroxeter via Caerleon (probably at first via Hereford and Monmouth and then later via Kenchester and Abergavenny).

The military work of Frontinus was enduring and he must also take the credit for introducing the Roman way of life into this area. Caerwent as founded as a political and cultural centre for the Silures about 75AD and there is evidence that the small market town of Kenchester began about the same time. From then onwards the Herefordshire area belonged to the civil zone of Roman Britain for as long as the Roman occupation lasted - a period of more than 300 years.

Within Herefordshire there are scarce traces of troops or permanent garrisons, of civil administration or municipal life. The inhabitants of the province were not Romans, but romanised Britons. A sparse and moderately civilised population, romanised in language, arts and industries yet with no large Roman centre in the area to leave a lasting Roman influence after the occupation.

We have no exact record as to when and why the Romans were forced to abandon Herefordshire, but there are signs that its towns were destroyed by violence and fire, (large quantities of charred earth found during excavations at Kenchester. Leintwardine and Ariconium) and no Roman remains have been discovered that date from later than the beginning of the 5th century AD.

The main areas of Roman remains in the county occur along the line of the definite Roman road and in the vicinity of Ross. The Roman road in Herefordshire was part of Watling Street, which ran from Viroconium (Wroxeter) to Isca Silurum (Caerleon), crossing the country from north to south. This street passed by 2 Roman stations in Herefordshire: Leintwardine and Kenchester. At Leintwardine research and excavation has established the existence of a playing card-shaped camp, 14 acres in extent and surrounded by 9ft high embankments. Within the entrenchments Roman tiles, pottery and coins have been dug up. This area has been identified with the Roman station Bravinium, which is mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary, Iter XII.

Leintwardine - looking South © W. baker

Kenchester, near the River Wye, has shown more extensive evidence of Roman occupation. It appears to have been a small market town around 20 acres in size, with suburbs beyond the town walls. It has been identified as the Roman town 'Magna' or 'Magnae' in the Antonine Itinerary. At this site intricate and large mosaic floors have been found (one of which has recently been dated to c.350 AD), along with hypocausts (under floor heating system) and painted wall plaster. In the south-west of the county, at Weston-under-Penyard near Ross, are the remains of a small town or village which was connected with the iron mines of the nearby Forest of Dean. This area appears to be the site of 'Ariconium' from the Antonine Itinerary. Coins, bronze artifacts and iron working remains have all been found at this site. The boundaries of this site have not been definitely identified and there has been no widespread excavation.

Kenchester - looking East - West © W. Baker

There are also a few detached Roman sites in the county. At Blackwardine near Stoke Prior, skeletons, pottery, coins and possible kiln remains were found when the Bromyard to Leominster Railway was constructed, and some traces of a Roman road have been observed. Another site is Stretton Grandison, also apparently on a Roman road, where interesting objects have been found and attempts have been made to match it with 'Cicutio' mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary, although no successful identification has yet been made.

Understanding the extent of the 'romanisation' in Herefordshire is difficult because there is a lack of evidence from which to work from. We do not fully know the extent of occupation by the Roman army in Herefordshire and it is likely that not all the Roman forts or marching camps in the county have been identified. It may be that concentrated excavation, fieldwork and aerial photography will bring to light new sites or more fully explain those that we know to exist and hopefully in the future there will be a focus on uncovering what life was like here in the 1st to 4th centuries AD. Currently the picture of Roman Herefordshire is at best patchy and incomplete, but it is clear from the known villas, mosaic pavements, pottery and coins that romanisation of the Iron Age people occurred here to some extent.

MG