Stanwick Iron Age Settlement

Stanwick was an important Iron Age settlement prior to the arrival of the Romans. It was the tribal centre of the Brigantes who were (or became) responsible for controlling much of Northern England. The outer earthworks surrounding the Stanwick oppidum were stone faced and ran for over 4 miles, enclosing an area of 270 hectares. It was not a town but would have contained residential, industrial, agricultural, gathering and burial spaces.

The place-name ‘Stanwick’ is thought to derive from Old Norse stein-veggr, ‘stone walls’.

Close to modern day Scotch Corner, the location of Stanwick was strategically important. As well as commanding the route north from the Vale of York to Northumberland, Stanwick was well placed to control east–west movement over the Pennines via the Stainmore pass to Carlisle (the current A66).

By the end of the first century, the Romans chose to develop Aldborough (30 miles to the south) as their regional base and it appears that Stanwick soon decayed as a settlement.

We have few insights into the prehistoric Great North Road but the archaeological investigations of Stanwick provide a few glimpses of earlier road networks, travel and trade routes. This is particularly true for the 100 years prior to the Claudian invasion of AD 43, when links and allegiances with the Roman world were starting to develop.

A strategic location at the intersection of Pennine and Vale of York routes. The north-south route would become the Roman Dere Street.   Image Credit – Colin Haselgrove

The five postulated gateways through the Stanwick enclosure leading through to the inner defensive area known as the “Tofts” give clues to the prehistoric routeways in the area. For instance, the north-east entrance is orientated towards a present-day bridge over the Aldbrough Beck and thence a footpath that runs all the way to the River Tees at Piercebridge. Less than 50m downstream from where this footpath meets the Tees, investigations by Time Team identified timber piles dated to 40 BC– AD 115 These piles might be the remains of an existing crossing adopted by the Romans until they built a new bridge 115m to the east.

The southern entrance leads towards an intersection with the Iron Age Scots Dike, from where it is less than 2 miles to Scotch Corner.

Stanwick viewed from the north-east, looking towards the snow-covered Pennines. The whole perimeter can be seen sprawling across the undulating countryside, with modern field boundaries and tree lines often respecting the ancient earthworks. Image Credit – D MacLeod, Historic England

The Brigantes

Historical sources are limited but it is generally believed that the Brigantes coalesced as an Iron Age tribal confederation governing northeast England and the Pennines. It is possible that their reach extended to the west coast. The term “Brigantes” translates as “hill-people”, “up-landers” or “high-landers”.

The Romans had been taking an interest in northern Britain and its mineral resources since Julius Caesar’s visits in 55 and 54 BC. There was trade developing well before the invasion of AD 43 and the Romans had been keen to cultivate relationships with the established tribal groups. It may well have been this “soft power” process which increased the importance of the Brigantes – and stimulated the establishment of an impressive base at Stanwick.

The approximate territory of the Brigantes and other tribal groups during the Roman invasion of Britain.
Image courtesy of The Map Archive

Cartimandua and Venutius

By the time of the Claudian invasion, Cartimandua was queen of the Brigantes and an ally of Rome. It is likely that her powerbase was centred on Stanwick.

The defeated leader of the Catevellauni tribe in the Midlands (Caratacus) mis-judged the situation when he asked Cartimandua to provide sanctuary in AD 51. She refused and instead handed him over to the invaders. They took him to Rome where he was paraded in public as a great prize by the Emperor Claudius. Tacitus says that as a result Cartimandua gained great wealth and prosperity.

Six years later Cartimandua split from her husband, Venutius, prompting him to lead a rebellion against her. He eventually took over as ruler of the Brigantes, resisting Roman control. The reaction of Rome, of course, was a full invasion of the north.

Caractacus, King of the Silures, deliver’d up to Ostorius, the Roman General, by Cartismandua, Queen of the Brigantes. 1788 print by Bartolozzi after William Hamilton. Image Credit – British Museum

The Archaeological Evidence

Attention was drawn to the Stanwick site in the 1950s when Mortimer Wheeler undertook excavations and sought to explain its significance. Further excavations were undertaken in the 1980s, centred on the “Tofts” inner defensive area. Since then, geophysical surveys and enhanced dating techniques have brought our understanding of the site into clearer focus.

What had started out as a typical farmstead was by 10 BC transforming into something different. A huge rampart was erected at the Tofts enclosing an area of over 6 hectares. Within it, large and distinctive structures were built, echoing those found at royal sites in Ireland and the south of England. These were maintained and upgraded through to the middle of the first century, by which time there was increasing use of stone rather than wood. It was at about this time that the vast external perimeter wall was constructed, signalling the power of the ruling elite to their own people, to affiliated tribes and to the new arrivals from Europe. Perhaps it was Queen Cartimandua who was behind this show of strength.

Reconstruction of a comparable Iron Age structure at Fison Way, Thetford

The perimeter boundary often measures 7m from top of rampart to excavated base of ditch.
Image Credit – English Heritage

There is clear evidence of imported luxury goods – presumably the Romans buying diplomatic favours. First, a few pots and jars; by the time of the invasion and in the decades following, far more generous. Excavated items include amphora for storing wine, ceramics from southern France and the Rhineland, and German and Italian glass.

It appears that Stanwick was abandoned by around AD 70. This is broadly in line with the narrative of Tacitus which refers to the rescue of Cartimandua by Roman forces and the subsequent invasion of the north. The Romans preferred to establish their own regional centre at Aldborough (Isurium Brigantum), 30 miles to the south on the navigable River Ure, closer to the military stronghold of York.

Cartimandua’s capital? The late Iron Age royal site at Stanwick, North Yorkshire, fieldwork and analysis 1981–2011, edited by Colin Haselgrove
[BEWARE – VERY LARGE DOWNLOAD!]

The Rise and Fall of the Late Iron Age Royal Site at Stanwick:

Image at top of page:
Reconstruction drawing of Stanwick north-west entrance. Credit – York Museums Trust