The Roman Ridge, Hilltop near Rotherham

[Bayleaf]

This article first appeared in the Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society, Vol 6, p 95, and is reproduced here by kind permission of the Society.

http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/hunter/index.html

(and with special thanks to SteveHB for stitching the map and diagram)

"THE ROMAN RIDGE," HILL TOP, KIMBERWORTH, near ROTHERHAM.

By DOROTHY GREEN.

THE lines of earthworks known locally as the "Roman Ridge", "Scotland Balk" and "Barber Balk", which cross the County Borough of Rother¬ham from the South-West to the North-East, are familiar landmarks and have presented a problem in the past to many archaeologists.

The earthworks start from Wincobank Hill-Fort, Sheffield, cross the Blackburn Brook and, entering the County Borough of Rotherham near Meadow Hall Works, continue partly alongside and partly under the present Meadow Hall Road to a point where they divide, one line running almost due North and the other continuing in a North-Easterly direction, as shown on Map 1.

The entire length of the earthworks is about 11 miles from Wincobank Fort to the marshy ground between the Rivers Don and Dearne, near Mexborough. Certain portions are scheduled as "ancient monuments", and in some areas the Ridges stand to a height of 8 feet with a ditch on the South side.

In the later months of 1944, my good friend, Mr. R. Taylor of Richmond, near Sheffield, told me that his firm, The United Steel Companies Ltd. would be laying an 18-inch gas main through Kimberworth, near Rotherham, and that the trench for this main would pass through the Ridge at the point marked "A" on Map 1.

Mr. Taylor suggested that his firm, if approached, might agree to bear the cost of excavating the portion of the trench through the Ridge by hand instead of using the mechanical excavator, and thus enable us to examine the structure of the earthwork in detail.

Accordingly, I got in touch with Mr. B. H. St. J. O'Neil, M.A, V.-P.S.A., Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Ministry of Works, and with Mr. F. J. Boardman, Curator of Rotherham Museum. We decided to ask The United Steel Companies Ltd. if they would adopt this suggestion. They most courteously agreed to do this and to grant us facilities to examine the Ridge whenever the excavations took place.

When the trench for the gas main reached the vicinity in March, 1946, the Contractors, Messrs. E. & L. Jeavons & Co. Ltd., stopped the mechanical excavator before it reached the Ridge and dug by manual labour until they were through the earthwork.

Their Engineer, Mr. A. Dent, was most courteous and obliging and, thanks to his deep interest, we were able to get a very clear section of the ditch and rampart and to give Mr. Northend the chance to take the excellent photographs we publish.

The actual digging of the trench through the Ridge was supervised by Mr. F. Wakelin and Mr. F. L. Preston, and I appeared from time to time as representative of the Rotherham Museum.

The trench for the gas main enters the earthwork some 300 yards South-East of Hill Top, at the point where the 6-inch Ordnance Survey Map (Sheet 289, S.W. Yorks., W.R.) shows the 400-foot contour line crossing the Ridge. This stretch of the earthwork runs due North and South, the gas main crossing it at an angle of about 50° West of North. A steeply sloping bank, about 7 feet in vertical height, is now the sole surface indication of the rampart, as the ground on either side is now level with the top and bottom of the bank respectively.

The actual trench dug by pick and shovel was some 18 feet in length, commencing at point "A", 5 ft. 6 ins. from the present toe (sic) of the bank, and continuing through the latter and carrying on for about 7 feet beyond. When this trench had reached a bed of undisturbed sandstone without any "finds" appearing, it was widened and deepened by the mechanical excavator.

The section shows that at point "A" the trench had been cut into the scarp of the ditch which ran along the East face of the ridge, At point "B" the section shows the abrupt commencement of a layer of red sand, 9 inches thick, resting on the red sandstone.

This layer, which represents the original surface of the ground, was uniform in thickness for a distance of 30 feet, until at point "C" it thickened to 1 ft. 6 ins., and so continued for about 14 feet, when it returned to its normal thickness of 9 inches. It was traced for a considerable distance to the North-West, remaining at this thickness of 9 inches and 1 ft. 8 ins. below the present ground surface.

On the surface of this red sand for a distance of approximately 14 feet from "B" traces of vegetable matter were found under the mass of consolidated earth which formed the rampart. This rampart rose to a maximum height of 3 ft. 1 in., its top being 1 ft. 2 ins. under the present surface.

The section then shows unstratified stone mixed with disintegrated stone and soil, 3 feet at its highest point; this, in turn, gave place to loosely packed stones with very little soil in the interspaces, 2 feet in height, which died away at 25 feet from ``B".

It was felt that to complete the work it was necessary to trace the width of the ditch. Mr. Dent, therefore, continued his trench in a South-Easterly direction, point "A", for about 25 feet and laid bare a ditch approximately 5 ft. 3 in. deep. It was unfortunate that this trench was compelled to continue on the oblique line of the excavation, but it would appear that the defensive ditch may have been originally about 10 feet wide and 5 ft,. 3 ins. deep, as shown on the conjectural section.

The rampart had probably been some 8 feet high when first erected, but during the ages, it has been levelled and the only original portion left to us is the 14 feet commencing at "B".

One feels in writing this report that the whole credit for the success of the excavation is due to the courtesy of The United Steel Companies Ltd. for rendering it possible and to Mr. Taylor for his kindness in advising us exactly when and where the cut would be made. To him also must be given thanks for his sympathetic reading of the draft report and kindly help with the section here reproduced.

To Mr. Dent, the Engineer for Messrs. E: & E. Jeavons & Go: Ltd., especial thanks are due for his unfailing help during the excavation, and to his assistant, Mr. Ashley, who made the first rough sections. Mr. F. Wakelin, whose expert knowledge as an archaeological "digger" was of the greatest assistance, spent many hours directing the operations on the site, and Mr. F. L. Preston, who has made a careful study of this type of earthwork, spent much time in making notes as the work proceeded, and it is from his records and Mr. Wakelin's observations that this report is largely built up.

One last word must be said about the men on the job. They were helpful throughout, and contributed to a very good task pleasantly conducted and completed.

[RichardB]

May I nominate Stuart (if he's willing) to create an index to all the HAS stuff; which is excellent, and deserves to be in appropriate threads, but also deserves a heading/index of its own - Stuart has done great work on such stuff before and I can't do it.

I just found out if you click on the big SheffieldHistory-thingie it takes you back to the top - image how many backwards and forwards I've done since the place started !

[Guest Jeremy]

Very interesting. Many thanks to you and HAS for posting this. A while back I started to try to write an article on the Roman Ridge, but I found it difficult to find out much about it so I didn't get very far--the result is here

Jeremy

[dunsbyowl1867]

There is an index of volumes 1-22 on here ! Which may help

http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/hunter/publications.html

[RichardB]

There is an index of volumes 1-22 on here ! Which may help

http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/hunter/publications.html

Aye, seen that. What I meant was a single list here pointing to the various articles that have been transcribed - by their very nature and subject matter they are all over the place in the appropriate threads.

[Bayleaf]

Aye, seen that. What I meant was a single list here pointing to the various articles that have been transcribed - by their very nature and subject matter they are all over the place in the appropriate threads.

I've still got copies of the transcriptions so I can put a list together. All I have to do is remember where I posted the darn things! :unsure:

[Guest Gramps]

I've still got copies of the transcriptions so I can put a list together. All I have to do is remember where I posted the darn things!

Which reminds me I still have a couple of articles to tidy up and post to you...

BROOM HALL, SHEFFIELD - By JAMES R. WIGFULL, F.S.A Vol 6 p161

SHEFFIELD TURNPIKES IN THE 18th CENTURY. - By A. W. GOODFELLOW, M.A. Vol ?? p71

The second one has masses of tabulated data which I can only stomach in small doses I'll try and get the Broomhall one finished this weekend

[JohnEBoy]

Has anyone read "South-West Yorkshire's Roman Ridge" by K.A.Kronk? It's a very in-depth study of the site/s through history, yet doesn't presume to have the ultimate answer, despite it being some obvious and huge oundary bulwark against some opposing tribe/army/invasion?

The Brigantes- Queen Cartimandua's federation of tribes based in this region, are perhaps the favourites, yet as a 'collaborator', why would she have built this against the Romans, her friends? And being THE biggest warrior-tribe of the region, she wouldn't have needed a huge defensive earthwork either?

However, her husband Venutius may have had reason to oppose the nearby Templeborough Roman fortress (built by the 4th gaul Cohort in wood and earth at first), but did he have the time to build such a colossal earthwork, as he only 'ruled' from 1069-71 after overthrowing his estranged wife, the Queen until the Romans assimilated his tribe in bloody warfare northwards?

Likewise, for time, it also couldn't have been Olaf Guthrithsson's Viking Norse army of 940 that, in the immediate aftermath of the death of the mighty Wessex/Mercian king Athelstan, swept southwards, re-taking York and Lincoln and overtaking deep into Mercia? He died in 941, allowing another Anglo-Saxon strike north and reconquest.

[JohnEBoy]

The author narrowed the list of 'suspects' down to three possibles, amongst many;

• The boundary builders of the late Bronze Age who may have needed to protect their territory north of the River Don from the farming community on the Sheffield Moors who, after c.1000bc, needed new land due to a worsening climate?
  
• The kings of Elmet, particularly Gwallag 'beloved by his warriors', famous in the north and west of Britain from the Clyde to mid-Wales whose enemies were "prepared to live quietly and peacefully under his watchful eye"? This king had the manpower and authority to build and patrol the Roman Ridge and it seems that, below the ridge to the south, his serious enemies, the Angles of Lindsey and Hatfield, needed careful watching?
• Two 9thC kings of Northumbria, Eanred and Osbert. In a previous recent era in which over nine kings had ruled in 50years, these two men ruled for 30 and 20 years respectively. Could they have been building defences against Viking raiders or kings from Mercia and Wessex? Eanred had met Egbert of Wessex in a submission ceremony in 829 at Dore- had he benefitted from the Ridge's impressive defences?