Roman occupation in Leeds

[maeve]

Can anyone tell me if there is confirmed evidence of Roman Occupation in the City of Leeds itself? I have never come across anyone who has definate proof of a settlement. Recently, on travelling the road past Rothwell, we noticed a sign which said "Roman Farm", which I suppose could be the name of the person who lived there. Interesting to find out. Regards Maeve

[Lyn Knowles]

Maeve
Probably a little later than you were thinking of but...
As a Yorkshire WORTH family descendant; research tells of a Ralph de Pagnell (meaning Pagan) He was from a Roman Pagan tribe and came with William the conquerer and was sheriff of Yorkshire in the 1100's. He was progenitor of the WORTHS, and is documented in the Doomsday Book. His brother lived in Devon thus supporting the connection of WORTH families in Yorkshire and Devon.
Lyn

[paul]

Hi Maeve,
I found this on the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service's website

http://www.archaeology.wyjs.org.uk

ROTHWELL

No-one can say for certain when people first settled in the Rothwell area. Archaeologists working at Rothwell Haigh in 1977 found the remains of a Romano -British settlement dating back to the 4th century AD. The site contained a 12m deep well, at the bottom of which was a human skull. It is not certain why the skull was placed there but there are examples of the same thing happening in other parts of the country and it is possible that this is evidence for some form of Celtic ritual.

LEEDS

The city’s early beginnings

Several finds of Roman material have been made in central Leeds and a settlement adjacent to the crossing point of the River Aire seems likely. The exact location of this settlement cannot now be identified, but the observations of the antiquarian Ralph Thoresby on Quarry Hill (now the site of the Yorkshire Playhouse) may offer some indication as to the site. In 1715 he observed that:

Upon the ascent of the hill are the vestiges of a very large camp; the trenches, considering the nearness to the town, and the interpretation of many ages, are very deep: but whether it was a Roman or a Saxon camp, I dare not positively assert; though, from the single vallum and the convenience of the water (which the Romans always made sure of) at the foot of the hill, I suppose it to be the former.... Somewhat of the vallum is still retained in the name Wallflat.

(Spelling and punctuation modernised)

The location and shape of these earthworks was also discussed by Wardell in 1851, although, by that time they had been almost completely built over. He states that:

Traces of prior occupation were, until recently, observable at the summit of Quarry Hill, along the western edge of which ran an earthwork of considerable length and magnitude and of semicircular form.

A hill top location for a Roman fort is unlikely. Wardell’s reference to a semicircular earthwork is more indicative of an earlier Iron Age defended site.

A missing Roman town

Whatever the status of the Quarry Hill earthwork, it is clear that it represents a focus of activity at this point on the banks of the River Aire and might have been expected to attract settlement into the area. It has therefore been suggested that Leeds may be the site of the previously unidentified town of Cambodunum. Its location is given in The Antonine Itinerary, a 4th-century Roman route directory, as lying 20 Roman miles from Tadcaster on the road to Manchester. This description does not fit any other known Roman settlement, but would accord well with a site in what is now central Leeds. The town of Cambodunum survived into the Saxon period. Bede refers to it under the name of Campodunum and says that St Paulinus built a church there and that King Edwin had royal residence there. Campodunum was destroyed by Penda of Mercia after the death of King Edwin in 633. The location of the settlement might possibly be indicated by the name Camp Field which was given to an area on the edge of Holbeck south of the River Aire. The area was still open in the 1700s but has since been built over, making it impossible to test the theory.

[maeve]

Thank you both for the interesting articles. It would seem, as I suspected, that no real evidence has been found to support the theory that Leeds was one of the places the Romans settled. Perhaps they found us too awkward to play with, or had trouble getting the locals to open their wallets. Thanks again. Maeve