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FINDINGS
from this period are a little scarce in the Merseyside
area. Some Iron Age finds have been found but are only
things like Celtic torques and other jewellery. But this
period does overlap with the Roman Invasion of England.
Now the Romans didn't have a settlement here on
Merseyside but they did have a fort at Chester, which
they called Deva, built in 73AD. This is where the XXth
legion was stationed, their mission to curb the
Brigantes, the local Celtic tribe in the North of
England, raiding the roman settlements and supply
routes. Now outside of the Roman Settlements life
continued as it had from Neolithic times, families
hunting and gathering and occasionally meeting up for
trade and marriage and war. But within the settlements
life had reached Iron Age standards, with iron tools and
weapons replacing the older Bronze ones. The most
important area on Merseyside can be found at Wilderspool
near Warrington, but there was a camp in Woolton, and a
Roman road can be found in Grassendale running between
Aigburth and Garston. It was found to be only 7 inches
under the old Victorian road that was there. Another
section of the same road was found at Otterspool.
Elsewhere the Romans where a lot more active, but
because they were constantly having to put down
rebellions and policing their conquered subjects in the
South of England, they didn't have time to waste on the
North, so they mostly left them to their own devices.
Hence why they built Hadrian's Wall to the North. They
feared the Scots, then called the Picts, because of
their fearsome aspect and their skill in battle,
actually for most of the English tribes of the
day, warfare was a way of life, with most young men
being given a sword at the age of 5 and learning how to
fight with it.
The geographer of Alexandria, Ptolemy, mentions
Liverpool as Portus Segantiorum, but does not ever
mention the Mersey Estuary itself. Not really surprising
as the 19th century engineers Stephenson and Telford
both theorised that the Mersey Estuary would have been
created by a large earthquake during the Roman
occupation of England around 400AD.
St Patrick is also said to have preached in Liverpool
before continuing on to Ireland. The place where he
apparently preached is roughly the site of the Holy
Cross Church at the corner of Tithebarn Street and
Marybone.
Photographs
taken
by Patrick Trollope BA(Hons) LBPPA.
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