Mention the city of Leicester in the UK, and what is the first thing that comes to mind? For some, it will be the city’s modern cultural diversity, while others might recall its hosiery industry. More recently, the city has found itself firmly on the historical map with the rediscovery of the body of Richard III in 2012 and its controversial 2015 reburial.
Many people felt that siting the last resting place of a King of England in what they viewed as a provincial town was inappropriate. However, Leicester may be small, but it is by no means insignificant in historical terms. It is one of the oldest cities in Britain, situated at a nexus of roads and territories that made it strategically important to a variety of peoples. The land that became Leicester was probably first settled by the Celts before being colonised by Saxon and Viking incomers. But archaeology shows that Roman Leicester was one of the first cities in Roman Britain.
Beginning with a fort, the Romans created Ratae Corieltauvorum, a city, complete with roads, industries, townhouses and public buildings to rival any other Roman town in Britain.
Pre-Roman Leicester
Before the Roman invasion, the Coritani/Corieltauvi — the Celtic tribe whose lands encompassed Leicestershire and the surrounding counties — established a settlement on part of the area that became Leicester.
This early iron age settlement occupied land on the east bank of the River Soar, on the outskirts of what was to become the modern city centre. Archaeologists have discovered traces of roundhouses, pits and ditches — but none of the features we associated with a town.
But Celtic Ratae was no rural backwater. Finds of high-quality continental goods such as pottery and jewellery prove that the settlement had close trade links with the continent and so, by definition, the rest of Britain during the pre-Roman period.
The Roman Fort
Post 43AD, the Romans established the earliest post-conquest frontier in Britain between Exeter and Lincoln. A series of forts marked this border, linked by one of the earliest British Roman roads, Fosse Way. Leicester was the site of one of those forts
Archaeology has not conclusively established the exact position of the fort https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/researchframeworks/eastmidlands/wiki/Eastmid6. Archaeologists excavated a defensive ditch and bank formation along the River Soar, 200m from the centre of the old Roman town. Using pottery, the structure was dated to the early first century AD, making it contemporary with establishment of the Roman defences of the settlement. This discovery, which aligned at right angles to the Fosse Way makes the feature a possible — if tenuous — part of the fort.
How vital any fort at Leicester was to the frontier is debatable. According to Elizabeth Blank, finds of military equipment suggested an unimpressive presence. Finds include a few legionaries bronze belt plates, sword pommels and scabbard hooks dating from the time of Claudius and Nero. It seems that defences may have been strengthened during the period of the Boudiccan revolt of 60-61AD although Leicester was never attacked.
The Early Roman Town
Despite its early military origins, Roman Leicester’s development was along more peaceful lines. Archaeology offers more evidence for the first Roman town. Excavations in the city centre during redevelopments in the 1990s by Connor and Buckley show that a Roman-style settlement began to develop in the early first century AD.
The city’s first buildings were unimpressive, consisting of timber and mud walls. Many followed the same alignments as the Iron Age buildings beneath them. Rough roads, however, were being constructed, dated by pottery found in their ditches to the earliest phase of the town’s history.
Despite this relatively unimpressive start, the fledgeling town did eventually acquire monumental public buildings. These buildings probably the first recognisably Roman structures in the town — and the first to be built of stone. Excavations on the periphery of the modern city centre have revealed substantial walls which survive up to half a meter in height, complete with mortar floors and possible stylobates. These features suggest an important civic building, particularly as it is situated in what was the heart of Roman Leicester.
Ratae Corieltauvorum
By the second century AD, Leicester had become the centre of administration or civitas for the Coritani. The new tribal capital was renamed accordingly as Ratae Corieltauvorum.
By now, the town had a recognisable Roman form. Covering an area of 100 acres, its streets formed a classic grid pattern with metaled roads. According to ULAS excavations, these roads were well built and substantial. The Tripontium Road, the principle southern approach to Leicester was between nine, and 11m wide surfaced in compacted pebbles and accompanied by drainage ditches.
Good roads were essential. The civitas of Leicester occupied a strategic position on the road system of Roman Britain. It was at a junction formed by three vital imperial routes: Fosse Way, Watling Street and Gartree Road which led to Colchester. These roads linked Leicester to many important centres of commerce. The town’s economy began to flourish as it traded local goods for luxury items from around the empire.
At the same time, the authorities constructed a forum and basilica — and public utilities such as bathhouses and temples. Domestic timber buildings began to give way to stone ones. Many houses had floor heating, private bath suites and fashionable decor. High proportions of glass found in excavations also suggest many of the city’s homes had glazed windows.
The Third Century Boom.
By the third century, Roman Leicester was at its peak. A substantial 4m high stone wall was added to the earlier ditch and rampart defences. But this was not a sign of troubled times — far from it. Instead, Leicester’s walls were a symbol of its success. Blank suggests that these new fortifications went beyond the old city walls, effectively increasing it’s limits, suggesting it had outgrown its old walls.
New civic buildings constructed at this time emphasis this prosperity, which centred around trade. A macellum — the equivalent of a modern-day indoor market or shopping centre — was erected just to the north of the forum. This building was a place for locals to buy and sell not only locally produced but imported goods.
The Fourth Century: Continuity or Decline?
By the fourth century, there is evidence of decline. Many of the town’s residential areas show signs of abandonment. Some became rubbish dumps. Others such as the Vine Street Villa were converted into workshops. Connor and Buckley’s excavations show how certain residential areas became used for sand and gravel quarrying. Tesserae and wall paintings found in layers relating to the period suggest high-status buildings were left unrepaired and may even have been demolished.
However, there is evidence that important parts of the infrastructure, such as the roads, were still maintained. Pottery found amongst the final gravel surfaces laid on roads can be dated to the fourth century — showing that maintenance work continued even at this late stage in its Roman era.
Sources
- Blank, E, 1970, A Guide to Leicestershire Archaeology. Leicester Museums
- Connor, A and Buckley, R 1999. Roman and Medieval Occupation in Causeway Lane, Leicester. Leicester Archaeology Monographs no 5 1999: University of Leicester Archaeological Services
- Morris, M, Buckley, R, and Codd, M, 2011, Visions of Ancient Leicester: reconstructing Life in The Roman and Medieval Town from the Archaeology of the Highcross excavations. University of Leicester Archaeological Services.
- Todd, M, 1991. The Coritani. Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd.
- University of Leicester Archaeological Services:
The Romans are just the beginning of Leicester’s story. Discover more about the long and fascinating history of one of Britain’s oldest cities in Leicester in 100 Dates.
