Roman invasion of Briton (and their affect on the Neath valley)

by | Romans

the roman invasion of briton


Introduction:

The following article can be broken down into three sections:

  • The first is an account of the first two invasions by Julias Caesar in 55 and 54 BC.
  • The second section takes us forward 100 years to an account of the main Roman invasion of Britain which took place in AD 43 and their occupation of Britain was to last just under 400 years until 410 AD.
  • The last section which is more relevant to the people of the Neath Valley contains an explanation of all the Roman sites within the valley. including the Neath fort, the Coelbren forts, Seven Sisters Hoard, and various smaller encampments and signal station within the valley.

1st Roman Invasion of Albion (55 BC):

The first invasion of Albion (Roman name for Britain) took place on the evening tide of the 25th August 55 BC.
Gaia’s Julius Caesar led an invasion force of 80 ships and two Legions of troops from Gaul to the coast of Kent.
An Auxiliary Cavalry of 18 ships further down the coast were delayed in leaving due to a problem getting the horses on board the ships.

It is thought that Caesar was looking to gain military intelligence and prestige for himself rather than the conquest of Albion (Britannia).

On arriving off the coast of Kent he saw a great many Briton troops lined up on the top of the White chalk cliffs, with their Chariots and spears. After sailing along the coast for a few miles with the Britons following his every move, he eventually disembarked onto a shallow shingle beach. 

His forces were fearful to disembark when they saw the Briton chariots thundering up and down the beach and the Britons waiting for them on the clifftop’s, something they had never seen before. A brave trooper jumped overboard and encouraged everyone else to follow him which led to the experienced Roman troops winning the day.

“Leap, fellow soldiers, unless you wish to betray your eagle to the enemy. I, for my part, will perform my duty to the commonwealth and my general.“

Julius Caesar, Gallic Wars – Book IV Chapters 25

They stayed for a few days, under constant attack by the chariots, when they were eventually joined by the 18 ships carrying Caesar cavalry, which had been delayed in Gaul. But, before the Cavalry could disembark a storm blew up and threatened to dash the ships to pieces. This squall stopped them disembarking onto the shore, which in turn forced the 18 ships, which had only just arrived, to sail back to Gaul.

Caesars fleet lay at anchor and was being battered to pieces by the raging storm. On seeing the plight of the Romans the Britons took renewed courage and attacked the troops. Again the Romans beat off the Britons and managed to retreat to the safety of their encampment. The storm eventually died down and Caesar was able to repair his ships, except for twelve of the ships which were behind repair. Then during the night, and undercover of darkness, the Roman legions boarded their ships and returned to Gaul.

So ended the first Roman invasion of Albion. Caesar’s downfall can be attributed to him underestimating the determination of the Britons Celtic tribes to defend their country, and the atrocious weather he encountered.

You can read a full account of this campaign in the link below:

https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/the-roman-conquest-of-britain/julius-caesars-invasion/%20roman-military-campaigns-gaius-julius-caesar-55-54bc/


2nd Roman Invasion of Albion (54 BC):

Again we can rely on Julias Caesar’s memories of the second invasion, as they are included in his memoirs, De Bello Gallico. (Book V, Chapters 1 – 23.) The invasion took place in 54 BC, one year after his first campaign which was more of a reconnaissance campaign. This time he was to come fully prepared.

On his return to Gaul after the first campaign, he returned to Rome, leaving instructions to build a fleet of ships to his improved design. The ships were to have a shallow draft, making them easier to beach, and be broader to carry more animals, troops and stores.

In total over eight hundred ships were either repaired or built for the invasion, compared to the eighty ships he had available for the first campaign the previous year. He also had at his disposal five legions and two thousand auxiliary cavalry, compared to the two legions and the 18 ships worth of auxiliary cavalry he had the year before. This time he meant business.

He also had three legions and two thousand horses left in Gaul which was to secure his rear defence. The invasion force set sail from Portus Itius on the evening tide and landed off the coast of Devon at mid day the following day.
He landed unopposed on a beach between Walmer and Deal, near the mouth of  the River Stour. The Britons having seen the size of the invasion force decided that caution was the better part of valour, and retreated inland into the Kentish countryside.

Caesar then set about establishing a foothold on the coast, and when complete left ten cohorts and three hundred cavalry to secure his rear, and headed inland.

He travelled inland about twelve miles by night, and in the morning came across the Briton army on the high ground on the opposite bank of a river. The Britons defences were no match for the experienced Roman legions, and the Britons were soon put to flight, and Caesars forces continued on their inland progress.

At the same time as the Britons were retreating, Caesar heard that the fleet at anchor back at the coast had been damaged by a great storm. The majority of the ships broke their anchor and were dashed upon the Kent shore. Forty ships were completely destroyed while the remainder needed some sort of repair. Caesar ordered all the ships to be brought ashore and repaired, and working day and night it took them ten days to complete.

After ten days Caesar returned to his campaign, he found on his return to his field-encampment that the Briton tribes had joined forces and had returned in greater numbers. Even with the greater numbers the Britons were no match for the well trained experienced Legions of Rome, and they retreated in front of the Westwards advances of the Romans. The Britons attacked the Romans at every opportunity, when they were building their camp or foraging for wood and food in the forests the Britons attacked them.

“But the enemy, after some time had elapsed, when our men were off their guard, and occupied in the fortification of the camp, rushed out of the woods, and making an attack upon those who were placed on duty before the camp.“

Julius Caesar, Gallic Wars – Book V Chapter 15

Legend also say’s, the Romans used an Elephant to cross the river Stour, this was the first time the Britons had seen an elephant, and it caused much panic amongst the horses and troops.

Eventually they advanced as far as the River Thames, were the Britons had fortified the opposite bank and driven sharpened stakes below the water level of the Thames. But again the defences did not hold back the Romans and the combined forces of the Britons were soundly beaten and sued for peace.

Caesar wrote on the 26 September of his result of this campaign and mentioned that no hostages or booty was taken. Then due to the continued unrest in Gaul, he returned to Gaul with all his troops, leaving none behind as he thought it was too dangerous to leave troops during the winter in a foreign land.

You can read a full account of this campaign in the link below:

https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/the-roman-conquest-of-britain/julius-caesars-invasion/julius-caesars-second-invasion-of-britain-54-bc/


3rd Roman Invasion of Albion (43 AD):

In the first section we looked at what Gaius Julias Caesar achieved with both his invasions of Britannia, and maybe if the weather had been better, then the outcome might have been a bit different. Now 100 years later the Roman Legions were on the march again, and looking to darken our shores once more.

In 43 AD Emperor Claudius sent an invasion force of 40,000 men (including war elephants) made up of 20,000 soldiers and 20,000 auxiliary troops under the command of the Roman General Aulus Plautus. To transport the invasion force of four Legions, the animals and supplies required for such a large invasion force, he needed between 700 to a 1,000 transport and war ships, this time they meant business and they planned to come to stay.

The motivation behind the invasion was to exploit the mineral and agricultural wealth of Britannia. After all, the Roman Empire had grown to include most of Europe and North Africa and they needed Gold, Silver, Iron, Copper and Tin, and especially Food to keep the Legions paid and fed.

The Roman Legions were well seasoned, disciplined, professional soldiers, with well practised tactical manoeuvres in battle. Whereas, the Briton army was certainly courageous and knew their ground well, they fought on foot, on horseback and with chariots, but were no match for the professional, seasoned, Legions of Rome.

The invasion force, like Caesars smaller invasion n 55/54BC, left from the port of Boulogne in probably three waves, due to the number of ships that needed to embark. It’s destination is a little unclear, they either landed at Chichester on the South Coast near the Isle of Wight, or further East on the Kent coast at Richborough. Either way, once they landed they made for the City of Colchester which they took quite quickly, using their war elephants for the first time.

Eleven British Kings were to surrender on the fall of Colchester, but Caractacus (who we will come back to later on), also known as Caradoc in Welsh folklore, the son of the leader of the Catuvellauni tribe of Essex escaped. Caractacus escaped the battle and travelled West towards what is now Wales, to lead the fight against the Romans leading firstly the Dobunni (Gloucester) and then the Silurians in South East Wales. 

“ The march then proceeded against the Silures, whose native boldness was heightened by their confidence in the prowess of Caratacus; …”
Tacitus Annales xii.33

In 47 AD the Roman Legions then travelled West into what is now the Vale of Glamorgan, reaching the borders of Wales in 48 AD. The area that the so called Silures inhabited (South East Wales) was very attractive to the Romans. There were many natural assets that the Romans needed, such as woodland, metal ores, fertile soils for growing crops, freshwater springs and sheltered harbours for re-supplying the Legions.

The Romans also built harbours along the coast of South Wales, there were harbours at Cold Knap, Porthkerry, Old Harbour, Aberthaw in the Vale of Glamorgan, and further West harbours at Neath and Loughor. These harbours would have been used for trading purposes, but also to bring in military equipment to further the Roman advance into Brittania. 

Having the harbours so readily available meant that they could make their military defences away from the battlefields, and then bring them in flat packed like Ikea for distribution to where they were needed. Once the military equipment was unloaded, Roman Legionaries and auxiliary troops would not only carry their armour and weapons on their marches, but they would also carry two wooden staves so that they could build their marching camp defences when they got to the end of the day’s march. They would also utilise mule trains to carry some of said equipment.

This land of the Silures can be broken down into two distinct regions, on one hand there were the fertile flat soils of the Vale of Glamorgan, and further North the mountains and wooded valley’s. This enabled the Silurian armies to attack the Romans in the Vale, and using guerrilla warfare of hit and run, and then to retreat along the mountain trackways to safety into the valley’s and mountains. The fight by the Silurian’s against the Roman legions was to last until 75 AD, until at last, after 28 years of fighting the Silures were subdued.

“… on this occasion, favoured by the treacherous character of the country, though inferior in military strength, he [Caratacus] astutely shifted the seat of war to the territory of the Ordovices: where, after being joined by all who feared a Roman peace, he put the final chance to trial. …”

Tacitus Annales xii.33 

By 75 AD it was reported that there were two Roman legions along with their Auxiliaries initially stationed at Caerleon, in South Wales in readiness for a further campaign further North. There were 11,000 legionaries and their supporting Auxiliaries, in total 22,000 men, it must have made a very impressive sight.

You can read a full account of this campaign in the link below:

https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/the-roman-conquest-of-britain/


Who were the Silurians?:

Let’s explore who the Silurians where, as after all they are our ancestors and have now become you and me. We only know about them from the historian Cornelius Tacitus and a few later stone inscriptions. Tacitus mentioned the Silurians in three of his books, written about 50 years after the start of the 3rd invasion. in about 98 – 105 AD. 

A few words on the name, it’s not a name that the people of South East Wales would have known, it was a fictional name given to them by the Romans, maybe to make the Romans look more impressive that they beat a tribe of people, as opposed to a number of like minded people living in small hill-forts and enclosures.

There are two ideas on what the Latin name Silures means, it could come from the Celtic root Silo- meaning seed of off-spring, which means they were all descended from one original ancestor.  Or, it could come from Silo-riks which means “rich in grain” and maybe the original tribal name.

The land they lived in lay between Gloucester and Carmarthen and to the North Brecon, an area we would now call South East Wales with the main City being Caerleon. The people have been described as swarthy with curly hair and it was though that they had either migrated from Spain or Gaul, and were very warlike.  They lived either in and around the hill-forts of South Wales or in small enclosures.

“… the swarthy faces of the Silures, the curly quality, in general, of their hair, and the position of Spain opposite their shores, attest the passage of Iberians in old days and the occupation by them of these districts; …”

Tacitus Annales Xi.ii

The hill forts and enclosures the Silures lived in were no obstacle for the Roman troops, they may have been ok as a defence against local tribal disputes, but against the Roman Legions they were totally inadequate as a defensive position. The Silures would have quickly realised this and would have reviewed their tactics, so they then retreated into the safety of the mountains of South Wales to carry out guerrilla warfare against the Romans. As it stands at the moment, there is no archaeological evidence of any military action on any of the Hill forts in South Wales.


Romans versus Silurians:

Rome first attacked the Silures tribe in 48 AD, and under the Silutian leader Caratacus, they first fought a guerrilla war against the Romans. Until in 51 AD when he decided to have a full frontal battle in mid Wales with the Roman Legions. This was to prove the downfall of Caratacus, as the Romans were more used to fighting this type of battle, an easily beat the Silures tribes under Caratacus. 

“… neither severity nor clemency converted the Silures tribe, which continued the struggle and had to be repressed by the establishment of a legionary camp. …”

Tacitus Annales xii.32

He fled again northwards towards the Brigantes Tribe under Queen Cartimandua, but this faction of the Brigantes were closely linked to the Romans and they handed Caratacus over to the Romans. He was then transported to Rome, where normally there would have been a triumphant procession through the City, then an execution. But instead of pleading for mercy, he was to make a powerful speech in front of the Emperor Claudius. Below is a small section of his speech:

“I had horses, men, arms and wealth. Are you surprised I am sorry to lose them? If you want to rule the world, does it follow that everyone else welcomes enslavement? If I had surrendered without a blow before being brought before you, neither my downfall nor your triumph would have become famous.”

Caratacus

The speech made such an impression of the Emperor that he was along with his family pardoned and he lived out his life in Rome, although his son and daughter were later to return to Britannia.

The capture of Caratucus did not deter the Silurians in fact it seemed to drive them on, and would lead to attacks against the Romans for the next quarter of a century. The local governor Ostorius was so exasperated that he suggested the extermination of every Silurian, or that they be transplanted, but even this threat did not deter the Silures tribes and they intensified their opposition to the Roman invasion of their lands.

This intensified opposition lead to the complete defeat of a whole Legion of Roman troops. This was a rare occurrence as it wasn’t often that individual tribes were to inflict such a defeat on the Romans, and the historian Tacitus made it clear it happened in the land of the Silurians.

A new governor was appointed in 73 -74 AD and he eventually according to Tacitus,

“ subdued by force of arms the strong and warlike nation of the Silures, after a hard struggle, not only against the valour of his enemy, but against the difficulty of the terrain.”

Tacitus

Bringing to an end over 25 years of resistance to the Roman Legions by the Silures tribes. 

This lead to a time, of what is called Pax Romana, where after a number of generation, the people were allowed to govern themselves with little interference from the Romans.


The Romans in the Neath Valley:

Before we look into the affect of the Roman invasion on the Neath Valley, it may make sense to explain the environmental conditions in the valley during this time. The valley was not like it is today with forestry trees on the mountain slopes and the river lying deep in it’s river bed.

The river would have been meandering along the floor of the valley with many rivulets, bog’s and marshes, which led too much flooding of the valley floor. The valley floor would therefore been vey wet and impassable due to the amount of trees and the thickness of the undergrowth as well as the wet conditions underfoot. The mountain tops and slopes would have also been heavily wooded as the temperature at the time was about 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer during, which allowed the trees to grow at a much higher altitude. 

A higher temperature means the air can hold more water which then comes down as rain, it’s a bit like we are seeing today and what we now call climate change. As we know the prevailing wind comes from the South East and whistles up the Neath Valley from the Bristol Channel, bringing with it the rain when it hits the mountains. So with the higher temperatures and the prevailing wind direction the Neath valley makes for very wet conditions.

This hypotheses can be backed up by the fact that  most Bronze and Iron Age sites close to the village are on the mountain tops, especially on top of Craig y Llyn and around what is now the Rhigos mountain area. 

The only evidence of human habitation close to the village and above the valley floor and before the Roman invasion are the following Hillforts and Bronze Age dwellings and burial cists:

  • There was a small Iron Age Age fort to be found at Brynhyfryd, Glynneath, just off the
    Banwen road, built on a small hillock 75 metres above sea level.
  • There was a small Iron Age fort sitting on top of the Dinas Rock in Pontneathvaughan.
  • There was an Iron Age fort on top of Resolven mountain. 
  • There are Bronze Age burial sites (cists) and small enclosures around the Rhigos area.

Other than that there was not much else to see in the valley.

Even though there hasn’t been many archeological digs on the valley floor, there has been nothing found to indicate any human activity there before the arrival of the Romans. The only artefacts found on the valley floor to date (2004) is a small scraper Microlith no bigger than your thumb nail aged at 5,000 to 6,000 BC which was found in Glynneath, and even this may have come from another area and was dropped where it was found. Also a number of Roman coins were found in the 60’s in the redirected river bank by Avon Street.

So if the valley floor was impassable, how did the Romans move about? To complete the picture we need to look at the two ancient trackways that traverse the mountains on either side of the valley. The oldest is probably Cefn Ffordd which sits on top of Craig Y Llyn and travels between the Vale of Glamorgan and Merthyr Tydfil. Then on Hirfynnydd mountain there is an ancient trackway called Sarn Helen. 

The only way to travel easily and safely in former times was on the top of the mountains, the Neath valley floor was totally impassable and may have been robber infested. These Ridgeway tracks were the motorway’s of their time.

So based on the above scenario you will not be surprised to find out that most of the Roman sites are to be found on the top of the mountains on either side of the valley. The main exception being the Roman Fort at Neath, so below we will start with the Neath Roman fort to explain the Roman sites that we know about within a 10 mile radius of the village.


Neath Roman Fort:

The Roman fort at Neath (Nidum in Latin) was discovered in 1949 whilst work was being carried out on the A474 road at Cwrt Herbert. The road workers first found the South West gateway of the fort, then the following year during excavations by V. E. Williams discovered the South East gateway. During further excavations by V. E. Williams, it was found that most of the site lay under the grounds of Dwr-y-Felin Comprehensive school.

The Auxiliary garrison fort was first built around 74 – 80 AD, 31 years after the Roman legions landed in Britannia. The fort is mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary, which is basically a Roman register of forts, and the distances between them along various routes. Neath fort can be found on a junction of the Via Julia Maritima road which runs Westward between Caerwent and Carmarthen and mostly follows the A48 road. At Neath fort it becomes the starting point for the Sarn Helen track which travels from Neath to Coelbren, and then on to Brecon and beyond. Unfortunately there is no evidence to be found of Sarn Helen leaving Neath to the east or to the West until it reaches Abergarwed, when it travels on the ridge of Hirfynydd mountain to Coelbren.

It is thought that the Neath fort had three periods of construction, the first defences were built of timber – revetted clay and turf banks. Then at a later period the earth ramparts were faced with stone blocks and the towers and double gateway were built of stone.

The fort was abandoned in 125 AD, and then re-built and re-occupied in 140 AD, and subsequently was abandoned again in 170 AD. It was not to be used for the next 100 years and then had a final period of occupation from 275 AD to 320 AD.

The fort was big enough to have housed 500 auxiliary cavalry and their horses as well as 1,000 soldiers and troopers.

The reason for building the Fort at Neath was part of a strategic plan, whereby the Romans built garrisons at harbours and estuaries, in order to bring in supplies for their troops and to enforce the land they had taken. After the Silures had been subdued, these harbours would have been used for trade between Ireland, England and France.

OS National Grid Reference: SS747977
Dimensions: c.525 x 525 ft (c.160 x 160 m)
Area: c.6¼ acres (c.2.5 ha)


Sarn Helen track:

Firstly let’s dispel the myth that all the Roman roads were built by the Romans, are straight and of good quality, this is not the case, the majority of Roman roads follow the ancient tracks of the Briton’s and where there centuries before the Romans arrived on our doorstep. This is the case with Sarn Helen, named after Saint Elen of Caernarfon who was a Celtic saint, she is said to have ordered the construction of roads in Wales in the late 4th century. Her story is told in “The Dreams of Mascen Wledig” which is part of the Mabinogion.

This Ridgeway track travels between Neath, through Coelbren and Banwen then onto Brecon, it then travels on through Mid Wales up to North Wales. The section between Neath, Banwen and Ystradfellte contains two signal stations , two Marching camps, one training camp and a few inscribed stones.

The Ridgeway track is no more than an ancient earth track, but Maria Jane Williams of Aberpergwm house mentions that there are small parts of the track, over streams and gulleys, that have been reinforced by the Romans.

Map Reference: SN81SE
OS Grid Reference: 8588010720


Severn Sister Hoard:

The Seven Sisters hoard is a mixture of Native and Roman Bronze objects found in a stream by some children in1875. The articles shown are military horse harness equipment, five tankard handles, and billets of Bronze and casting sprues. The finds have been dated to 50 – 75 AD, and are thought to be either scrap from a Roman fort, or were taken by a Welsh tribesman after an ambush. Some of the pieces are finely decorated with red and Blue enamel.


Signal Stations:

Between Coelbren and Neath on Hirfynydd lie two signal stations which are very rare in Britain. As it’s name suggests it was probably used as an early warning signal for the movement of Silures troops. The signal station would have had a tall square stone structure with a metal beacon on top in which they burned faggots of wood. Both signal station would have been surrounded by a defensive earthen ditch’s and bank’s. The signal station above Glynneath sat at 450m above sea level, and had a stunning panoramic view of the surrounding countryside, possibly all the way to the Preseli mountains in the West, and to the Gower in the South.

The signal fire could have been used to warn the forts of Neath, Blaen Cwm Bach (above Tonna), and Cwm Caca (above Melin Court) of Silures troop movement. The two smaller forts are both on the ancient track Cefn Ffordd on the Craig y Llyn side of the Valley.


Signal Station or Fortlet above Resolven:

The nearest of these signal stations to Neath lies above Resolven close to the ancient track of Sarn Helen (OS grid ref SN81 04).  This is the smaller of the two signal stations and is a semi rectangular earthworks of about 10.5m by 8.5m.
The signal station would have had a tall square stone structure with a metal beacon on top in which they burned faggots of wood. The signal station/fortlet was excavated in 1986 but little archaeological evidence was found, other than revealing the position of a hearth, and a path leading to Sarn Helen, but it is thought to be Roman in origin and function.

There would have been a small Roman force at the signal station to service the signal fire and defend the signal station.

Map Reference: SN80SW
OS Grid Reference: SN8127004040


Signal Station above Cwmgwrach:

The second Signal station is situated closer to Coelbren on Hirfynydd (SN82 06), and to the West above Cwmgwrach, this station is a near square platform of dimensions 19.5m by 18.3m. It is surrounded by ditches and an earth enclosure, between 0.3m internally and 1m high externally.

The signal station would have had a tall square stone structure with a metal beacon on top in which they burned faggots of wood. There was one entrance to the site and it faces in the direction of Sarn Helen.

The signal station is over 450 metres aboove` sea level and has a commanding 360 degree view of the surrounding area, possibly from the Preseli mountains in the East, the Gower in the South and Northwards to the Coelbren Fort and beyond.
It is though that this signal station could have been used to relay messages across the various military sites across the landscape.

Map Reference: SN82O6
OS Grid Reference: SN828067


Coelbren Forts:

Eleven miles (18 Km) along the Sarn Helen track which traverse’s the mountain Hirfynydd, stands two Roman military sites at Coelbren, (or maybe three and a victus (village outside the fort) as evidence from aerial photography shows.)
So let’ts look at the three sites in some detail:

Map of Coelbren Roman camps

The site at (SN86 10) is an early Marching camp. In his book Romans in South Wales, the author makes the point that it is not an auxiliary camp as mentioned in the literature of Coelbren camps, as it is on such a large scale how could they assume it was an Auxiliary camp. The site is 34 acres that’s the equivalent size of 22 football pitches, so very large. It’s classed as a Flavian fort which means it was built over the rule of the Flavian Emperors, which lasted from 69 – 96 AD. The camp was large enough for a whole Legion of troops.

The Coelbren fort at (SN85 10) is a much smaller affair than the one at (SN86 10) and sits just above the camp mentioned above. The Fort was investigated in 1904 -7 by Colonel Llewelyn Morgan and was found to be occupied, according to the pottery sequence, from C. 74 -84 AD to the early/mid 1st century. The defences were found to be made up of alternating and mixed earth, clay and timber construction.

The size of the command was almost square at 149m x 142m which is an area of 2.25 hectares, or 14 acres which is the equivalent size of 10 football pitches, and was probably used as a garrison for the Roman troops. It was capable of holding a mixed auxiliary unit comprising about 320 infantry and 120 horse-troopers, or perhaps even a cavalry ala of a nominal 500 horsemen.  The site is recorded on the Ordnance Survey maps of 1876 as the “Gaer”. (Welsh for fort.) At the turn of the 19th century there was still evidence of timber building within the defences.

A third Roman military site has been identified by aerial photography during the snowy winter months and clearly shows a rectangular Marching Camp. This camp lay’s immediately South of the Marching camp at (SN86 10) and is much smaller, and is approximately 2 hectares in area. The aerial photographs show the outline of a Marching camp and the possibility of an extensive civilian Vicus (village outside the garrison). There is not much information on this camp and further investigation is needed to fully understand what is there.

Map Reference: SN81SE
OS Grid Reference: SN8588010720


Ystradfellte Marching camp:

About a mile to the North of Ystradfellte at a place called Plas-y-gors lies a Roman Marching camp. The Roman road Sarn Helen passes close by, if not through the camp. These Marching camps were built to protect their overnight encampment, and may have only been used for just one night.

Map Reference: SN91NW
OS Grid Reference: SN9237016370


Standing Stones:

There are  four standing stones, on or close, to Sarn Helen, the first and second among others were taken to the Gnoll manor house and put in a Grotto, which when finished was demolished by a storm on it’s opening day, perhaps the God’s were punishing them for removing the stones from their original place. Below I have listed them with a small explanation.

1, The Macaritin memorial stone found on Hirfynydd mountain and thought to be from the 6th Century. The Latin inscription reads VICVRITIN – FILI BERLIA which translated means, Vicuritinis, son of Beriacus is the favoured translation. The drawing is by J. O. Westward in 1846, the stone has now been removed to Swansea Museum.

2, The Kilted Warrior was found near to Capel Coelbren, it is now thought to represent a Priest wearing a ceremonial apron. Like the stone above it was drawn by Westward, removed to Gnoll grotto, then removed once again to Swansea Museum.

3, About a mile North of Ystradfellte and standing beside Sarn Helen is the Inscribed standing stone Maen Madoc. It stands 2.7 m high, 0.7m wide, and 0.3m thick (9ft x 2.3ft x 1ft). It is believed to have been erected in the late Roman period, possibly to mark the site of a grave.

The Latin inscription reads ‘DERVAC(IVS) FILIVS IVSTI (H)IC IACIT’. This translates loosely as ‘Dervacus, Son of Justus lies here’. The stone has been moved from it’s original position, but no grave was found. It was re-erected in the 19th century, and again in 1940. 

OS: SN918157

4, A mile further North from Maen Madog lies the standing stone Maen Llia which is a Bronze Age standing stone. It stand over 12 ft tall and 9ft wide and was probably used as landmark for one of the ancient trackways. 

The legend behind the stone is that each morning it walks to the River Nedd, which is close by, to drink, another legend say’s it was thrown there by a giant.
I’ll let you take your pick on which you think is true.

SN 92416 19188


Roman Marching camps or training camps:

There are two marching camps or training camps on the East side of the valley. As you come out of Neath making towards the Cefn Ffordd track on the Ridgeway, there is a the first Marching camp just above Tonna. The second camp is a few miles further up the valley above Melin Court, we will look at both camps below.


Blaen Cwmbach Marching camp:

Above Tonna and about 2.5 miles from the Roman Fort at Neath, there is a large temporary Marching campwhich was built Circa 73 – 78 AD, during the times of Sextus Julius Frontinus campaigns. The camp is built close to the ancient track Cefn Ffordd and on the track leading out of Neath. The camp is built on sloping ground with the highest point being 270m above sea level sloping down to 250m above sea level.

Map Reference: SS89NW
OS Map Reference: SS8013098700


Cwm Caca Marching camp:

The earthworks of Carn Caca Marching camp consist of a double bank and ditch, about 44m by 37m. Two possible roundhouses sit within the enclosure. The site was discovered in 1974 by aerial photography about 2.5 miles in an east-north-east direction from Blaen-cwm-Bach site.

Close to the site lies a Bronze Age ring cairn sometimes called “Henllan stone circle”, and an Iron Age double ditched drystone enclosure with at least one large round house within.

Map Reference;  SN8300
OS Map Reference: SN837001


Roman sites within 10 miles of the village:


The Fall of the Roman Empire in Brittania:

In AD 43, the Roman emperor Claudius launched an invasion of Britain. The invasion force was led by the Roman General Aulus Plautiusand, and over the next 45 years the Roman army gradually extended its control over much of present-day England and Wales and ventured into territory now in Scotland. Eventually they established a new Roman province, Britannia, which formed part of the empire until the early 5th century AD. 

the Roman Empire
The Roman Empire

The Romans occupied Britain until 410 AD, as Roman troops were then sent back to the continent to defend other areas of the Empire against the Barbarian invasions. The Huns were putting pressure to the East, and the Roman garrisons to the South and West of Europe were weakening. On the 31st of December, 406 AD, the Vandals and other Germanic tribes crossed the River Rhine into Roman territory, this was to turn out into one of the momentous events of world history, the start of the fall of the Holy Roman Empire.

How did this event effect the Romans in Brittania, well the Roman troops were called back to Europe to defend their hard fought for lands, and led finally in 450 AD, to Roman rule officially ending in Britain, and the start of the Anglo Saxon era beginning in 450 AD.

On retreating to Europe in a hurry, some wealthy Romans had to hide their wealth in order to stop it from being stolen. They decided to bury their coins and other valuable objects in the ground, and that is too this day why Roman hoards are still being found. We have a small example in the Lamb and Flag, “I remember a number of Roman coins were found in the re-directed river bank, close to the end of Avon Street in the 60’s”. Also Roman coins have been found around Neath, as there was a large fort there.

A Summary of the Romans in the Neath Valley, written for this article by the author of (Romans in South Wales, Karl-James Langford.)


Resources and References:

Many resources were used in the writing of the above article on the Roman invasions and especially their effects on the Neath Valley. I have listed them below:

I have used this book – Romans in the Neath Valley (third edition), by Karl-James Langford, to understand all aspects of the Romans in South Wales and the Neath valley. This book and all his other books can be purchased at:
Crystal shop and Friends,
52 Wind street,
Neath,

I have also used a number of online resources to gather information, again I have listed these below:

  • Roman signal station/Fortlet above Resolven:
            Karl-James Langford;Romans in South Wales P.49.