We are a Living History group based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, who focus on aspects of the Roman invasion and occupation of Britain in the 1st Century AD. A Legion at Longthorpe
Within the confines of greater Peterborough lies what was once the separate village of Longthorpe. The village is home to Longthorpe Tower, a 14th century fortified manor house which contains some of the finest peri
od domestic wall paintings in Western Europe. Close to the village lies the Thorpe Wood golf course beneath which lies once of the earliest Roman forts in the country. This fort was preceded by a smaller marching camp covering around 5 acres, just to the south of the River Nene at Water-Newton to guard the river crossing. Soon after this, and certainly within 5 years of the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 AD, a larger fort, initially covering an area of 25 acres, was built further East. It was large enough to house around 5 cohorts of a Roman legion along with auxiliary troops, probably around 3000 in all. From later information, it seems almost certain that the fort was built and garrisoned by Legio VIIII Hispana. It was erected here to govern the local area which was already well established as a major industrial region. The fort itself measured 1,150 feet NW-SE by 950 feet NE-SW (350 x 290 metres) within the ramparts, which were fronted on all sides by a double ditch system and enclosed an area of almost exactly 25 acres (c. 10ha). The gateways of this large fort were centrally placed in the NE and SW sides, but on the NW and SE sides were off-set markedly towards the south-west by a ratio of 3:2; on this evidence it would appear that the fortress faced north-east. The fortress may have been built as early as c.A.D.44, prior to the campaign against the Coritani of Lincolnshire. It is equally probable however, that the fortress was built in response to the uprising of the Iceni c. 48 AD. That the fortress was not in existence at the beginning of the revolt is possibly substantiated by the fact that the revolt was suppressed by the use of auxiliary forces only, implying perhaps that there were no legionary forces nearby. The site was discovered by observation from the air in 1961: no traces now remain on the surface. Excavations between 1967 and 1973 have shown that a fortress with timber buildings, accommodating a legionary vexillation together with auxiliary troops, was succeeded by an 11-acre fort. Crop marks observed from the air at Orton Stanch, 400 m. south-east of the fortress, have led to the discovery of a native farmstead. Excavations there have shown that agricultural activities were intermitted for the period of the occupation of the fortress, the settlement being replaced by a large industrial establishment or works depot involved in pottery manufacture and possibly in bronze-working with clear military connections. The succeeding 11 acre Fort made use of existing buildings but it has not been possible to refine the construction date of the smaller fort within this time span. The smaller fortress measured approximately 660 feet NW-SE by 725 feet NE-SW (c.200 x 220 metres), with a single ditch on all sides but the south-east where part of the original defences were utilized, the original gateway on this side being retained while a simple narrow gateway pierced the new north-eastern rampart. The ditch of the smaller fort measures about 10-11 ft. (c.3.2m) wide. The Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus (Annals; XIV.32) narrates how, during the initial stages of the revolt of Boudicca in the winter of 60/61AD, a detachment of the Ninth Legion under the command of Quintus Petilius Cerialis was severely mauled by the rampaging Britons, the infantry was annihilated and the legionary legate escaped "back to the camp" with only his cavalry intact. Excavations carried out on the Longthorpe site revealed that the defences of the fortress had been reduced in size to that of a large auxiliary fort, and that the work was carried out in a hurried fashion at around this period in history. It seems reasonable to assume therefore, that the "camp" to which Cerialis' cavalry escaped was in fact, the Longthorpe vexillation fortress. By 60 – 62 AD the fort appears to have fallen into disuse and by 65 AD the ninth legion appear to have moved on the found a legionary fortress at what was to become Lincoln. The arrival and then departure of the Roman army had a lasting effect of the surrounding area. To the west a new town had taken root called Durobrivae (Water-Newton) and this settlement became the hub around which much of the industry in the Nene valley flourished. Its location made it a cross-roads with routes going East-West as well as being a vital stop along the great North Road. Another Roman settlement has been identified under the village of Castor. In addition to pottery production, including Nene valley colour-coated ware, the area housed iron smelting, salt extraction, wood and charcoal. The Nene itself provided an easy means of transport of bulk good produced locally.
