The Romans In Wales

Image from Jackmac34 at Pixabay

The Romans first reached the borders of what we now know as the country of Wales in 48 AD. At that time there were more than five native tribes who had their home here, including the Deceangli, the Ordovices, the Demetae, the Silures and the Cornovii.

One can only imagine what the Romans made of the land and the peoples they were to conquer, considering, at the very least, the difference in climate and customs.

They had been in what became England for some time and had been met with fierce resistance. History has it that Caractacus, or Caradoc, the son of the king of the Catuvellauni, of Wessex, had been putting up a fight for some time; but following a defeat, possibly near the River Medway, he had been forced to flee to Wales where, joining forces with the Ordovices and the Silures, he mounted a guerrilla war against the Romans.

Their efforts were impressive but in 50 AD Caradoc was captured and taken to Rome where he was apparently pardoned by the Emperor Claudius for his courage and oratory. His history is a little hazy from then on with a number of tales told of his future life but there is no evidence that he returned to his native land.

In 61 AD, Anglesey, a stronghold of the Celts and their priestly Druids, was attacked by Roman forces. It was reported by the Roman historian Tacitus that the spells and incantations of these Celtic priests so terrified the Roman forces that they were quite paralysed. However the spells did not hold and the Romans were ultimately the winners

Around 30 years later (90 AD) the Romans had succeeded in conquering most of what we now know as Wales. They mined for gold here. Some traces of the mines can still be seen at Dolau Cothi in Carmarthenshire. They built a number of fortresses, amphitheatres and roads but only ventured a short way into West Wales.

Want to know more? There is a wealth of information online to flesh out this very brief summary. Please let us know if you have a particular interest in the history of Pembrokeshire. We would love to hear from you.