The Romans in Leeds

[Leeds Hippo]

As mentioned in the "Oldest Church Thread" I recall seeing an old map of the River Aire in Leeds showing where a Roman coin was found. Is there any other evidence that the Romans were here for example maps etc.

[Leeds Hippo]

Quarry Hill Roman Camphttp://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messages.aspx ... ighLight=1

[Leeds Hippo]

Roman Garrison at Moortownhttp://www.secretleeds.com/forum/Messages.aspx ... Message=25

[Leeds Hippo]

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 35507Roman LeedsWe know little of Roman Leeds. There may have been a fort there. There is an area of Holbeck which used to be known as Camp Fields. This might be an indication that the area once contained the remains of a Roman fort. Certainly it would be in the right place for one. It would be situated on the south side of the river near an important crossing point. Parallel locations can be found at both Ilkley and Castleford. Alternatively 'camp' may just be a corruption of the French word champ, which just means a field. CampodunumWhatever the status of Camp Field and Quarry Hill in the Roman period, it is still possible that the area we now know as Leeds might have been the site of a major royal settlement called Cambodunum. Its location is given in a later Roman route finder called the Antonine Itinerary where it is said to be 20 Roman miles from Tadcaster on the road to Manchester. The town survived into the 7th century. Bede refers to it as Campodunum (with a p rather than a b) and says that it is in the region of Leodis. At the time Bede is referring to, Leodis was the central area of the British kingdom of Elmet.The ancient kingdom of ElmetThe origins of Elmet are obscure. However, it seems reasonable to assume that the kind of cultural differences which were evident before the Roman invasion re-emerged once Roman rule was removed. Alliances broke down and a number of smaller kingdoms were established in the north of England. Elmet was one of these as was the adjacent kingdom of Craven. We are also not sure of Elmet's full extent. There are still a few place names such as Barwick or Sherburn which are still followed by the phrase in Elmet. In earlier times there were many more and some historians have suggested that at the height of its powers Elmet might have stretched out as far as the Humber estuary.

[Leodian]

There is a carving on a rock in Adel Wood in the higher ground above the Leo's Social Club. I was shown the rock two or three years back but the carving was hard to discern as it is very indistinct. It is reported to be believed by English Heritage that it is early Roman and shows a schematic image of Cocidius, a Celtic warrior god that features in Romano-British society. There is though said to be some doubt that it shows Cocidius. The image is said to be about 40cm high, having a sub-circular head, an almost square body and disproportionately long arms and legs. It is though so hard to spot that despite going back to the general area several times I have never yet managed to find the particular rock again!

[chameleon]

Leeds Hippo wrote: As mentioned in the "Oldest Church Thread" I recall seeing an old map of the River Aire in Leeds showing where a Roman coin was found. Is there any other evidence that the Romans were here for example maps etc. Quite a few references have been made in a number of threads about the Roman legacy - maybe they can be pulled together here. A couple of examples come to mind, documented on current OS maps are the Roman Altar located east of Waterloo Lake in Roundhay and the finding of Roman coins in the old limestone pits adjacent to Monkwood Gate off the ringroad in Seacroft.    

[chameleon]

The East Leeds Historical Society publish a booklet giving a resumé of the history of Leeds from 'The Beginnings' through the Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods to the 'Age of Industry'.It is of course copyright of The Society but I don't think there will be objections to including small extracts here - I'll dig my copy out when I have a mo