Caradoc

Roman Invasion
Govenorship
Various sites
My Speculation
Opposing Forces
The Battle
Sites To Visit
Cefn Carnedd
Photographs
Aerial Photos
Bibliography

Various sites of the Battlefield

Over the years many sites have been put forward as the place where Caradoc made his last stand against the might of Rome. Many of these are pure guesswork, and many are based on the description given by Tacitus in his account of the battle. Once again he is the only real source we have to go by, and the fact that it was written many years later, and that Tacitus himself never saw the battlefield means that we must allow him a good deal of artistic license in his dramatic description of the site.

Without going into the details of other possible areas where the battle may or may not have been fought, let us restrict ourselves to the region around the hill fort of Caer Caradoc, overlooking the three main rivers that have been speculated upon more than others-The River Teme, The River Redlake, and the River Clun.¹⁵

In his book,' Battlefields of England', volume II, Colonel A.H.Burne puts forward his own theory of where the battle took place. Burne suggests that the area around Purslow Wood, Black Hill and Clunbury Hill was the place where Caradoc ranged his army to meet the Roman legions as they crossed the River Clun. At first sight the ground here looks well suited to the defense of Caer Caradoc hill fort; however it is far too great an area to be covered in strength. Burne says that,' It was desirable to hold Clunbury Hill as well as Purslow Wood. Moreover it would be unnecessary to hold the whole extent of the line everywhere in strength'.¹⁶ Since the extent of Caradoc's position here would be close to three miles wide, he would have needed at least 30-40,000 troops to cover the terrain. If we give an average of 10,000 men to the mile, and allow for a reserve of 10,000, this still is far too thin a screen to have prevented a concerted effort by two legions and their auxiliaries from being overwhelmingly strong at one point. How long it would have taken Caradoc to pull-in troops from two miles away Burne does not recount. Burne's own figures for Caradoc's army he estimates at 15,000. This number, spread over three miles would have meant an average of only 5,000 per mile, without reserves, or approximately three, or at most four men per meter, hardly sufficient to hold back a Roman attack in strength. One last point that Burne does not consider is the fact that his chosen site is susceptible to being outflanked by cavalry, as the ground to the British left flank is excellent manoeuvring country.

The name Tacitus gives to the river is "amnis", which could mean almost anything; however we do know that it was not the River Severn, as Tacitus calls this river, "fluvio", a term still used today in relation to Britain's longest river. The Clun is far too small, even though an article in the, 'Archaeologia Cambrensis' states that it formally carried a larger body of water.¹⁷ If this is the case, then the River Teme must have carried an even greater amount, and is I think the river we are looking for. The River Redlake, which flows between the Clun and the Teme, has long had a reputation among the locals in this area as being a place where a battle took place, and if my own speculation is correct then it did indeed play a very important role in Caradoc's position.

It is of the utmost importance when viewing the site of a battlefield that is almost two thousand years old, to consider the changes that have taken place in terms of natural erosion of the landscape, and the impact of agriculture and deforestation. No large-scale drainage was undertaken until the sixteenth century, and consequently river valleys would have been marshland and flood plains. The crossing points of rivers would have been well pronounced, with tracks leading to fords and causeways, but many of these would not have been adequate for the passage of large armies.

There is the possibility however that just such a place did in fact exist. Midway between the town of Knighton and the village of Lentwardine, on the A4113, at what is now Lingen Bridge over the river Teme, there are two weirs. These I speculate are what Tacitus calls, "vardo incerto" (shifting fords?). The crossing point is indeed very ancient, and the existence of a bridge here shows that it must have been a focal crossing point on the river. The weirs were probably fords, converted at a later date, and if this is the case then they could have been made even more accessible by the Roman legions constructing pontoon bridges or causeways. Why I choose this site is because in 1983 aerial photography discovered two large Roman marching camps; one at Brampton Bryan, the other at Walford.¹⁸ These camps lie directly in front of the two weirs at Lingen Bridge. The Brampton Bryan camp is enormous, covering some 64 acres (25.9 ha), while the one at Walford is also of a substantial size at 25 acres (10 ha). The Romans never built a camp larger than they could defend, therefore the Brampton site shows the presents of at least two legions, together with their auxiliary troops; in all around 15,000-20,000 men, while the one at Walford may have been used for the cavalry, say 2,000-3,000 men and horses.

The reason for Scapula concentrating his forces here becomes obvious when we consider that it was Caradoc who offered battle. After years of disappointment at not being able to get to grips with the slippery British chieftain, Scapula now had a chance to destroy the last real threat to his conquest of Wales. He would not have been interested in any wide outflanking manoeuvres which would allow the enemy once more to retreat into the mountain fastness, nor would he be inclined to pursue any complicated military tactics that might jeopardize his chances of success. A set -piece battle, in which the Romans could use their discipline and drill to full effect, would do the job in short order, with no frills attached. Also it is possible that Scapula was aware of the morale of the British army, which may or may not have been eroded due to tribal disputes and needed a victory to reduce any signs of dissention.

15 See enclosed map of the area around Bucknell, Brampton Bryan and Purslow Wood, O.S.Map 137;Ludlow and Church Stretton.

16 Colonel A.H.Burne,' Battlefields of England', Vol II, page 6

17 Ibid, page 8

18 S.S.Frere and J.K.S.St.Joseph,'Roman Britain from the Air', page 98