Local History of West Cumbria
Discovery of Cockermouth's Roman Amphitheatre?
After the Flood came and left a trail of devastation, little did we know that the flood would also leave clues of a Roman settlement. In fact it doesn't stop there, looking at the Geo-Phys it looks like the possibility of a Roman Amphitheatre lies just below the surface. Wow.....
While I was on the site, I actually had the opportunity to look on as one of the volunteers, Linda, uncovered before my eyes a Roman-Coin. Earlier in the day Linda and her partner had also uncovered a broken stone with partial Roman inscription and a quorn stone which was used for grinding.
This was like something straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. There were trenches scattered all over the place and from the surface you could see lots of volunteers popping up and down as they worked away under the afternoon sun, digging slowly and carefully. The scene reminded me of meer-cat manor.
I spoke to Mark Graham who is leading the dig to find out exactly what was going on there.
Stephen: Why did you decide to excavate here?
Mark: We found Roman Pottery after the flood on the surface, but there was also a lot of modern pottery. but even so there was enough Roman material for us to start to question whether there was actually a settlement here because it can't have washed across it had to come this way, so we had our suspicions that we had a Roman site that had been disturbed by the flood.
But of course we are on a flood plain here and people questioned whether the Romans would have built on a flood plain or not, so then we came and did a geo-phys survey with our volunteers as part of the Bassenthwaite reflections.
S: How long will you be digging here?
M: We have enough funding for a few more weeks.
Mark showed me the geo-phys, and explained more...this is the geo -phys of this field, basically it's a magnetic map using magnetometery, you have a Roman road coming parallel to the river, ditched enclosures and occupation evidence in trenches here, a large circular feature, which we know is Roman, potentially it could be a amphitheatre.
S: How long did it take to survey the field?
M: It took us six weeks.
Mark and his team have also uncovered what they believe to be part of a Mill and a Leet which carried water to the mill.
S: How old is this site?
M: We think its from the second century and probably some third century.
In terms of physical remains the building is incredible to get twocourses of huge stones is fantastic.
We walked around the site where Mark showed me where the occupation site was and it was here that the stone and coin where uncovered.
S: Do you never just want to stay?
M: Laughing, ‘there is never enough time, we have extended two trenches but we only have limited time.
All of the finds will be on display at The Senhouse Roman Museum in the near future after everything has been recorded.
To find out more about all things Roman, visit The Senhouse Roman Museum.
Cumbrian Rebels
Who Tried To Bring Down
The Tudor Kings
by David Siddall
A new book, The Last White Rose, gives a fascinating view of how Cumberland was one of the hot beds of anti-Tudor sentiment that almost brought the famous line of kings and queens to a premature end.
The White Rose of the title referred to the string of Yorkist rivals to Henry the Seventh and Eighth and how several times they came close to toppling the Tudors. Henry the Seventh had a slender connection to the Royal line when he defeated Richard the Third at Bosworth in 1485 and for half a century the Yorkshire claim on the throne of England kept re-emerging.
The first bid to topple Henry VIII was in 1487 when on June 4 the Yorkists, including expensive German mercenaries and Irish footsoldiers, landed at Foulney Island, near Barrow. They then landed troops at Furness Fell where they were welcomed by Cumberland's Sir Thomas Broughton. From here they marched across the Pennines to York. But unfortunately for the power bidders they got a less friendly welcome and the city authorities did not dare defy King Henry and they refused to let the Yorkists in. Landowners in the region did however give support and the army grew to be 10,000 strong. But after a three hours battle near Nottingham the Irish and German troops fled and Henry Tudor defeated this first White Rose bid to destroy the Tudors.
The book goes on to chronicle how there was a huge groundswell of anger in England when Henry VII abolished the monasteries. Monasteries such as Furness, Calder and Lanercost Priory provided hospitals and alms houses for the poor and were some of the few social services available at that time. In 1536 there were still anti-Tudor activists in Cumberland who took part in the mass uprising called the Pilgrimage of Grace.
Carlisle, Penrith and Kirkby Stephen were among towns across the North where thousands armed themselves with billhooks and weapons in revolt over the way Henry had destroyed and sold off the monastic lands to wealthy lords and had increased the taxes on everyday life. The Pilgrimage rebellion was divided into nine armies. But crafty negotiating by the outnumbered Army Royal secured a truce and Henry promised all the rebels a pardon with the exception of ten ringleaders. A year later Henry declared martial law and ripped up any pardons and had a reign of terror across the North. The book recalls how "men were strung up on trees in their own gardens, priests dangled from steeples...some hangings took place without trial to avoid any chance of acquittal. The King rejected all appeals and if a jury found a defendant not guilty, he ordered a retrial."
