The transformation of North Derbyshire from 50AD to the present is a fascinating journey through time, reflecting broader historical shifts in Britain. Initially, during the Roman conquest of Britain, Derbyshire fell under the influence of the Roman Empire, becoming part of the province of Flavia Cæsariensis.
The county of Northumberland, with its rich tapestry of history, has undergone significant transformation since 50 AD. Initially, under Roman occupation, Northumberland was a frontier zone, where Hadrian’s Wall marked the edge of the Roman Empire. Post-Roman Britain saw the region become a part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, a name meaning ‘north of the Humber’, reflecting its vast expanse.
Eboracum was the Roman capital of Northern England
This Bronze Age site comprises of three large standing stones, it is thought originally there were as many as five stones in this alignment. Being Bronze Age little is known about the origin of the Devil’s Arrows, the name reflecting a more recent myth. The monument is strongly linked with an alignment with several others covering a line of over 50 miles and heading north south through North Yorkshire.
The Cleave dyke system is several Dykes which combine to create a boundary of between 9 and 18 kilometres running north south to the west of Thirsk.
The Fort at Catterick. It has an unusual shape due to multiple fort plans being overlaid on it. Originally, it was a Roman fort, but a settlement soon sprang up outside the fort, which soon dominated the fort, and Catterick became one of the most important ‘Small towns’ in the north of Britain.
Discovered only recently by air survey and geophysics, this camp lies on the alluvial plain of the River Swale, on the south bank of the river just north-east of Catterick racecourse. The camp lies some 350m to the west of Dere Street.
The henge at Catterick racecourse is an intriguing prehistoric site. Initially thought to be a Roman amphitheatre, it is now believed to be a henge, a type of Neolithic earthwork.
Castle Steads is a Hill-Side Enclosure, seemingly built without worry of threat from the upper slopes of the hill it is built on.
This earthwork was partially excavated in 1870, these revealed the foundations for a Roman villa of obvious opulence. It’s final Roman owners were believed to have suffered a grisly death as the villa burnt around them. It is likely that future excavations will reveal that the villa was built over of an earlier tribal centre. Probably replacing the shrine to the “Light Water” with a more Mediterranean alternative.
