Roman

from Archaeology of Barnsley

by Barnsley Museums

Medieval

The Roman period in Britain lasted from around AD 43 – AD 410. In Britain, Roman influence extended as far north as the Antonine Wall in lowland Scotland and even to military bases on the River Tay in north-east Scotland. Roman troops were present in South Yorkshire from soon after the start of Roman rule, with the fort at Templeborough in Rotherham constructed around AD 54 and the city of York founded around AD 71. The Barnsley area seems to have been occupied by Romans from the 1st to the 5th centuries AD. Aerial photographs have revealed a range of possible Roman sites in the area, although few of these have been excavated. The presence of enclosures and field systems is suggested by cropmarks (which are created when below-ground archaeological remains affect the growth of crops) at places such as Wharncliffe, Wombwell and Wortley. Most of the evidence points towards small domestic farmsteads, rather than occupation by the Roman military.

A Roman farmstead was excavated at Billingley Drive in Thurnscoe in the early 2000s. The settlement was occupied between the mid-2nd and mid4th centuries AD, and excavated features included a corn-drying oven, a field system and a small cemetery. Many domestic items recovered during this excavation are in the archaeology collections, such as a large assemblage of locally produced Roman pottery sherds. This includes a broken but complete bowl from one of the graves in the cemetery. The excavators also found an intact high-quality iron snaffle bit for a horse, which would have been used for horse-riding rather than agricultural work. This item had been deliberately placed in the terminal of the ditch and may have been buried as a votive or ritual deposit. Quernstones (large, round stone slabs for grinding grain) have been discovered at places such as Darfield, and these also show the domestic nature of occupation in the region.

Other finds of the Roman era include a bronze bracelet from Billingley, which was found during open cast coal mining in 1950. This is thought to date to the 2nd or 3rd century AD. It has been decorated with tiny indented dots, with what appear to be stylised snakes’ heads at both ends. A single bronze coin found in a garden in Gawber dates from AD 70 – 71. This is a billon tetradrachm coin of the Emperor Vespasian, made at a mint at Alexandria in Egypt. The reverse of the coin depicts a personification of the city of Alexandria, wearing the elephant skin cap of the city’s founder Alexander the Great. Some of the most well-known Roman finds from Barnsley are three coin hoards discovered in Darfield between 1947 and 1950, and these are discussed in the following section.

Reconstructed Roman bowl, mid 3rd – 4th century AD, Billingley Drive, Thurnscoe BMBC.TH.1366

Beehive quernstone, Darfield BMBC.TH.1364

Coin of Vespasian, AD 70 – 71, reverse, depicting the personification of the city of Alexandria BMBC.TH.1365 Reconstructed Roman bowl, mid 3rd – mid 4th century AD, Billingley Drive, Thurnscoe, side view BMBC.TH.1366

Upper stone of a Roman quern for grinding grain, Darfield BMBC.TH.1363

Coin of Vespasian, AD 70 – 71, obverse, depicting the emperor BMBC.TH.1365

Partially complete reconstructed Roman bowl, 2nd – 3rd century AD, Billingley Drive, Thurnscoe BMBC.TH.1367

Bronze Roman bracelet, 2nd – 3rd century AD, Billingley BMBC.TH.1362

Roman pottery, mid 2nd – mid 4th century AD, Billingley Drive, Thurnscoe BMBC.TH.1369 Partially complete reconstructed Roman bowl, 2nd – 3rd century AD, Billingley Drive, Thurnscoe, side view. BMBC.TH.1367