A reconstruction of the 4th-century Roman signal station at Scarborough

Historic England (illustration by Richard Lea): https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/scarborough-castle/history/significance/

By the late Roman period, Eboracum (York) had become a provincial capital, with a thriving population. Out in East Yorkshire the local landowners were building villas in the Mediterranean style. The headquarters building of the Sixth Legion even got a makeover.

And yet all was not well. The frontier troubles which Severus’ campaigns had clearly failed to solve continued to cause instability. And it was not just the Caledonian tribes now. New raiders had begun to target the region. From Ireland and from northern Europe, invaders began probing the coasts. The late Roman period saw changes in defence strategy, as signal stations communicating with centralized rapid response forces took the place of the old networks of auxiliary forts.

And then it all ended. 410 is the usual date cited. In that year, the Emperor Honorius responded to the pleas of the Britons by telling them that they had to be responsible for their own protection. But in reality this had been a long process of change and decline. What came after would be equally gradual. New peoples, new languages, and new customs had probably been appearing in our region for a long time before the end of Roman rule. But by the beginning of the sixth century, it’s safe to say that the region had changed a great deal. These were the early days of what would become the kingdom of Northumbria, and our information on what exactly was happening is scant – and probably always will be. But written sources there are, as well as archaeological and topographical evidence – all of which we shall use to explore late Roman Yorkshire and the rise of Northumbria.

4 weeks, Thursday 20 November - Thursday 11 December (incl.)

Cost: £20

Please note that this course is subsidised and administered by PLACE, which is a registered charity.

For details of PLACE see here.

This course can only be booked directly with PLACE.