1.
Roman Britain
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Roman Britain was the area of the island of Great Britain that was governed by the Roman Empire, from AD43 to 410. Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 and 54 BC as part of his Gallic Wars, the Britons had been overrun or culturally assimilated by other Celtic tribes during the British Iron Age and had been aiding Caesars enemies. He received tribute, installed a king over the Trinovantes. Planned invasions under Augustus were called off in 34,27, in AD40, Caligula assembled 200,000 men at the Channel, only to have them gather seashells. Three years later, Claudius directed four legions to invade Britain, the Romans defeated the Catuvellauni, and then organized their conquests as the Province of Britain. By the year 47, the Romans held the lands southeast of the Fosse Way, control over Wales was delayed by reverses and the effects of Boudicas uprising, but the Romans expanded steadily northward. Around 197, the Severan Reforms divided Britain into two provinces, Britannia Superior and Britannia Inferior, during the Diocletian Reforms, at the end of the 3rd century, Britannia was divided into four provinces under the direction of a vicarius, who administered the Diocese of the Britains. A fifth province, Valentia, is attested in the later 4th century, for much of the later period of the Roman occupation, Britannia was subject to barbarian invasions and often came under the control of imperial usurpers and imperial pretenders. The final Roman withdrawal from Britain occurred around 410, the kingdoms are considered to have formed Sub-Roman Britain after that. Following the conquest of the Britons, a distinctive Romano-British culture emerged as the Romans introduced improved agriculture, urban planning, industrial production, after the initial invasions, Roman historians generally only mention Britain in passing. Thus, most present knowledge derives from archaeological investigations and occasional epigraphic evidence lauding the Britannic achievements of an emperor, over the centuries Roman citizens settled in Britain from many parts of the Empire, such as Italy, Spain, Syria and Algeria. Britain was known to the Classical world, the Greeks, Phoenicians and Carthaginians traded for Cornish tin in the 4th century BC, the Greeks referred to the Cassiterides, or tin islands, and placed them near the west coast of Europe. The Carthaginian sailor Himilco is said to have visited the island in the 5th century BC, however, it was regarded as a place of mystery, with some writers refusing to believe it existed at all. The first direct Roman contact was when Julius Caesar undertook two expeditions in 55 and 54 BC, as part of his conquest of Gaul, believing the Britons were helping the Gallic resistance. The second invasion involved a larger force and Caesar coerced or invited many of the native Celtic tribes to pay tribute. A friendly local king, Mandubracius, was installed, and his rival, hostages were taken, but historians disagree over whether any tribute was paid after Caesar returned to Gaul. Caesar conquered no territory and left no troops behind but he established clients, Augustus planned invasions in 34,27 and 25 BC, but circumstances were never favourable, and the relationship between Britain and Rome settled into one of diplomacy and trade. Strabo, writing late in Augustuss reign, claimed that taxes on trade brought in annual revenue than any conquest could
2.
Vindolanda
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Vindolanda was a Roman auxiliary fort just south of Hadrians Wall, which it predates, in northern England. Located near the village of Bardon Mill, it guarded the Stanegate. It is noted for the Vindolanda tablets, among the most important finds of military, the first post-Roman record of the ruins at Vindolanda was made by the antiquarian William Camden, in his Britannia. Occasional travellers reached the site over the two hundred years, and the accounts they left are useful because they predate much of the stone-stealing that has damaged the site. The military bath-house was still partly roofed when Christopher Hunter visited the site in 1702, in about 1715 an excise officer named John Warburton found an altar there, which he removed. In 1814 the first real work was begun, by the Rev. Anthony Hedley. Hedley died in 1835, before writing up his discoveries, little more was done for a long time, although in 1914 a workman found another altar at the site, set up by the civilians living at the fort in honour of the Divine House and Vulcan. The garrison were auxiliary infantry or cavalry units, not components of Roman legions, from the early third century AD onwards, this was the Fourth Cohort of Gauls. The earliest Roman forts at Vindolanda were built of wood and turf, the remains are now buried as much as 4 metres deep in the anoxic waterlogged soil. There are 5 timber forts, built one after the other, the first, a small fort was probably built by the 1st Cohort of Tungrians about AD85. By about AD95 this was replaced by a wooden fort built by the 9th Cohort of Batavians. That fort was repaired in about AD100 under the command of the Roman prefect Flavius Cerialis, when the 9th Cohort of Batavians left in AD105, their fort was demolished. The 1st Cohort of Tungrians came back to Vindolanda, built a wooden fort, and remained here until Hadrians Wall was built around AD122. Soon after Hadrians Wall was built, most of its men were moved north to the Antonine Wall, a stone fort was built at Vindolanda, possibly for the 2nd Cohort of Nervians. From AD208 to 211, there was a rebellion against Rome in Britain. The Roman army may have built these to accommodate families of British farmers in this unsettled period, Septimius Severus died at York in AD211, his sons paid off the rebels and left for Rome. The stone buildings were demolished, and a new stone fort was built where the huts had been. A vicus, a village, developed to the west of the fort
3.
Roman roads
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They provided efficient means for the overland movement of armies, officials, and civilians, and the inland carriage of official communications and trade goods. Roman roads were of several kinds, ranging from local roads to broad, long-distance highways built to connect cities, major towns. These major roads were often stone-paved and metaled, cambered for drainage and they were laid along accurately surveyed courses, and some were cut through hills, or conducted over rivers and ravines on bridgework. Sections could be supported over marshy ground on rafted or piled foundations, at the peak of Romes development, no fewer than 29 great military highways radiated from the capital, and the late Empires 113 provinces were interconnected by 372 great roads. The whole comprised more than 400,000 kilometres of roads, in Gaul alone, no less than 21,000 kilometres of roadways are said to have been improved, and in Britain at least 4,000 kilometres. The courses of many Roman roads survived for millennia, some are overlaid by modern roads, livy mentions some of the most familiar roads near Rome, and the milestones on them, at times long before the first paved road—the Appian Way. Unless these allusions are just simple anachronisms, the referred to were probably at the time little more than levelled earthen tracks. Thus, the Via Gabina is mentioned in about 500 BC, the Via Latina in about 490 BC, the Via Nomentana, in 449 BC, the Via Labicana in 421 BC, and the Via Salaria in 361 BC. There is hardly a district to which we expect a Roman official to be sent, on service either civil or military. They reach the Wall in Britain, run along the Rhine, the Danube, and the Euphrates, and cover, as with a network, a road map of the empire reveals that it was generally laced with a dense network of prepared viae. Beyond its borders there were no paved roads, however, it can be supposed that footpaths, there were, for instance, some pre-Roman ancient trackways in Britain, such as the Ridgeway and the Icknield Way. For specific roads, see Roman road locations below, the Laws of the Twelve Tables, dated to about 450 BC, specified that a road shall be 8 Roman feet wide where straight and twice that width where curved. Actual practices varied from this standard, the Tables command Romans to build roads and give wayfarers the right to pass over private land where the road is in disrepair. Roman law defined the right to use a road as a servitus, the ius eundi established a claim to use an iter, or footpath, across private land, the ius agendi, an actus, or carriage track. A via combined both types of servitutes, provided it was of the width, which was determined by an arbiter. The default width was the latitudo legitima of 8 feet, Roman law and tradition forbade the use of vehicles in urban areas, except in certain cases. Married women and government officials on business could ride, the Lex Iulia Municipalis restricted commercial carts to night-time access in the city within the walls and within a mile outside the walls. Such roads led either to the sea, or to a town, or to a public river and these roads bear the names of their constructors
4.
Northern England
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Northern England or the North of England, also known as the North Country or simply the North, is the northern part of England, when considered as a single cultural area. The area roughly spans from the River Trent and River Dee to the Scottish border in the north, Northern England roughly comprises three statistical regions, the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber. These have a population of around 14.9 million as of the 2011 Census. The region has been controlled by groups from the Brigantes. After the Norman conquest in 1066, the Harrying of the North brought destruction, a Council of the North was in place during the Late Middle Ages until the Commonwealth after the Civil War. The area experienced Anglo–Scottish border fighting until the unification of Britain under the Stuarts, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the economy of the North was dominated by heavy industry such as weaving, shipbuilding, steelmaking and mining. The deindustrialisation that followed in the half of the 20th century hit Northern England hard. For government and statistical purposes, Northern England is defined as the covered by the three statistical regions of North East England, North West England and Yorkshire and the Humber. This definition will be used in article, except when otherwise stated. Using historic county boundaries, the North is generally taken to comprise Cumberland, Northumberland, Westmorland, County Durham, Lancashire and Yorkshire, the Isle of Man is occasionally included in definitions of the North, although it is politically and culturally distinct from England. Additionally, some areas of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have been associated with the North. The geographer Danny Dorling includes most of the West Midlands and part of the East Midlands in his definition of the North, conversely, more restrictive definitions also exist, typically based on the extent of the historical Northumbria, which exclude Cheshire and Lincolnshire. Personal definitions of the North vary greatly and are sometimes passionately debated, when asked to draw a dividing line between North and South, Southerners tend to draw this line further south than Northerners do. Various towns have been described as or promoted themselves as the gateway to the North, including Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent, through the North of England run the Pennines, an upland chain often referred to as the backbone of England. This stretches from the Cheviot Hills on the border with Scotland to the Peak District, the geography of the North has been heavily shaped by the ice sheets of the Pleistocene era, which often reached as far south as the Midlands. On the other side of the Pennines, a glacial lake forms the Humberhead Levels, a large area of fenland which drains into the Humber. This has left the North a region of contrasts, the Lake District includes Englands highest peak, Scafell Pike, which rises to 978 m, its largest lake, Windermere, and its deepest lake, Wastwater. However, dense areas have emerged along the coasts and rivers
5.
Corbridge
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Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England,16 miles west of Newcastle and 4 miles east of Hexham. Villages nearby include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe, known to the Romans as something like Corstopitum or Coriosopitum, wooden writing tablets found at Vindolanda suggest it was probably locally called Coria. Some relationship with the Roman name Corstopitum seems clear, however, Coria was the most northerly town in the Roman Empire, lying at the junction of Stanegate and Dere Street. The first fort was established c, AD85, although there was a slightly earlier base nearby at Beaufront Red House. By the middle of the 2nd century AD, the fort was replaced by a town with two walled compounds, which were garrisoned until the end of the Roman occupation of the site. The best-known finds from the site include the stone Corbridge Lion, in Rudyard Kiplings Puck of Pooks Hill, the town of Hunno on the Wall, is probably based on Corstopitum. The Roman Town is now managed by English Heritage on behalf of HM Government, the site has been largely excavated and features a large museum and shop. The fort is the attraction in Corbridge and is open daily between 10 and 6 in the summer and at weekends between 10 and 4 in the winter. The Church of England parish church of Saint Andrew is thought to have been consecrated in 676, Saint Wilfrid is supposed to have had the church built at the same time as Hexham Abbey. It has been altered several times since, with a Norman doorway, the Church is built largely from stone taken from Hadrians Wall, and the entrance to the Church is through glass doors given by Rowan Atkinson and etched in memory of his mother. There are only three fortified vicarages in the county, and one of these is in Corbridge, built in the 14th century, the Vicars Pele is to be found in the south-east corner of the churchyard, and has walls 1.3 metres in thickness. The register for St. Andrews dates from 1657, later on in the towns history, Wesleyan, Primitive and Free Methodist chapels were all built too. Even older than the Vicars Pele is Corbridge Low Hall, dating from the late 13th or early 14th century with one end converted to a tower in the 15th century. The main block was remodelled in the 16th and 17th centuries, a number of fine Victorian mansions were developed on Prospect Hill to house successful industrialists and local businessmen in the late 19th century. Corbridge suffered, as did many other settlements in the county, raids were commonplace, and it was not unusual for the livestock to be brought into the town at night and a watch placed to guard either end of the street for marauders. A bridge over the Tyne was built in the 13th century, the present bridge, an impressive stone structure with seven arches, was erected in 1674. Corbridge is in the constituency of Hexham. An electoral ward of the name exists
6.
Dere Street
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Portions of its route are still followed by modern roads, including the A1 and the A68 north of Corbridge. The Roman name for the route is lost and its English name corresponds with the post-Roman Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Deira, through which the first part of its route lies. That kingdom possibly took its name from the Yorkshire River Derwent, the term street derives from its Old English sense, which referred to any paved road and had no particular association with urban thoroughfares. Portions of the road in Scotland were later known as St Cuthberts Way, owing to this, some stretches or the entirety of Dere Street is sometimes referenced as Watling Street. It should not, however, be confused with the route between Canterbury and Wroxeter in the south nor with the Carlisle route to its west. The Itinerarys 2nd and 5th British routes—which split off to reach the western territories—share the stations between Eboracum and Cataractonium, the forts along the roads were manned by infantry cohorts and cavalry alae of the Roman armys auxiliaries. Margary notes that the last entry is probably in error and should be emended to 10 Roman miles, the modern route omits the now-lost road south of York but continues farther north along Roman roads either omitted by the compiler of the Antonine Itineraries or constructed after his time. The route begins at York and crosses the River Ure near Aldborough close to Boroughbridge and it crosses the Swale near Catterick. The A66 road preserves the route of the Roman-era Watling Street, branching off here to cross Stainmore to Penrith, Dere Street crossed the River Tees over a stone arch bridge near the present-day Piercebridge Roman Fort ruins. Such bridges were rare in Roman Britain except for here in the far north, the original bridge was replaced by one on a different alignment. There is evidence of minor realignments of Dere Street over the Roman period. In 1994, construction of a garage at Cliffe exposed a section of the Roman road and discovered pottery, selkirk suggested that the ruins on the south side of the Tees at Cliffe are the remains of a jetty, the archaeological television programme Time Team investigated this in 2009. The next river crossing occurred over the Wear near present-day Bishop Auckland, at this point, the fort Vinovia guarded a branch road that turned off to the right heading for Durham, Chester-le-Street, and Newcastle. There, the Pons Aelius crossed the River Tyne, Dere Street, meanwhile, travels onward past Lanchester and Ebchester, the sites of the former forts of Longovicium and Vindomora. At Coria, it met the Stanegate road which runs parallel to Hadrians Wall, crossing at Corbridge, the route passed though Portgate on the Wall and passed into lands only tenuously claimed by Rome. The route passes north into Redesdale and thence into the Cheviot Hills, where there are the remains of marching forts at Fourlaws, West Woodburn, Rochester, and at Chew Green. Brementium was the last stop listed for Antonine Itinerary, but the Roman roads remains now lead further, nearby, there are the remains of a camp at Pennymuir. Further on, well-preserved sections of the road part of St Cuthberts Way to Trimontium near Melrose
7.
Carlisle, Cumbria
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Carlisle is a city and the county town of Cumbria. Historically in Cumberland, it is also the centre of the City of Carlisle district in North West England. Carlisle is located at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and it is the largest settlement in the county of Cumbria, and serves as the administrative centre for both Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council. At the time of the 2001 census, the population of Carlisle was 71,773, ten years later, at the 2011 census, the citys population had risen to 75,306, with 107,524 in the wider city. The early history of Carlisle is marked by its status as a Roman settlement, the castle now houses the Duke of Lancasters Regiment and the Border Regiment Museum. In the early 12th century, Henry I allowed the foundation of a priory in Carlisle, the town gained the status of a city when its diocese was formed in 1133, and the priory became Carlisle Cathedral. The introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution began a process of transformation in Carlisle. This, combined with its position, allowed for the development of Carlisle as an important railway town. Nicknamed the Great Border City, Carlisle today is the cultural, commercial and industrial centre for north Cumbria. It is home to the campuses of the University of Cumbria. The former County Borough of Carlisle had held city status until the Local Government Act 1972 was enacted in 1974, what is known of the ancient history of Carlisle is derived mainly from archaeological evidence and the works of the Roman historian Tacitus. The earliest recorded inhabitants were the Carvetii tribe of Britons who made up the population of ancient Cumbria. According to Boethius and John of Fordun, Carlisle existed before the arrival of the Romans in Britain and was one of the strongest British towns at the time, in the time of the emperor Nero, it was said to have burned down. The Roman settlement was named Luguvalium, based on a name that has been reconstructed as Brittonic *Luguwaljon, of Luguwalos. This walled civitas, possibly the one in northwest Britain. In the year 79, the two Roman generals Cn, petillius Cerealis advanced through Solway as they continued their campaign further north. As a result, it is likely that control was achieved at Carlisle over anti-imperial groups. This is possibly indicated from the reconstruction of the fort at Carlisle in 83 using oak timbers from further afield, at this time the Roman fort was garrisoned by a 500-strong cavalry regiment, the Ala Gallorum Sebosiana
8.
River Tyne
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The River Tyne /ˈtaɪn/ is a river in North East England and its length is 73 miles. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers, the North Tyne and the South Tyne and these two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed The Meeting of the Waters. The North Tyne rises on the Scottish border, north of Kielder Water and it flows through Kielder Forest, and passes through the village of Bellingham before reaching Hexham. The South Tyne rises on Alston Moor, Cumbria and flows through the towns of Haltwhistle and Haydon Bridge, hadrians Wall lies to the north of the Tyne Gap. Coincidentally the source of the South Tyne is very close to the sources of the two great rivers of the industrial north east namely the Tees and the Wear. The South Tyne Valley falls within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the second largest of the 40 AONBs in England, to the east of Gateshead and Newcastle, the Tyne divides Hebburn and Jarrow on the south bank from Walker and Wallsend on the north bank. Jarrow and Wallsend are linked underneath the river by the Tyne Tunnel, finally it flows between South Shields and Tynemouth into the North Sea. The Tyne Rivers Trust measure the whole Tyne catchment as 2,936 square kilometres, the River Tyne is believed to be around 30 million years old. The largest coal staithes were located at Dunston in Gateshead, Hebburn and Tyne Dock, the dramatic wooden staithes at Dunston, built in 1890, have been preserved, although they were partially destroyed by fire in 2006. And to this day in 2016 Tyne Dock, South Shields is still involved with coal, the tidal river is now managed by the Port of Tyne Authority. Nothing definite is known of the origin of the designation Tyne, nor is the known by that name until the Saxon period. There is a theory that Tīn was a word that meant river in the local Celtic language or in a language spoken in England before the Celts came, there is also a river Tyne that rises in Midlothian in Scotland and flows through East Lothian into the North Sea. The River Vedra on the Roman map of Britain may be the Tyne, the late Thomas John Taylor supposed that the main course of the river anciently flowed through what is now Team Valley, its outlet into the tidal river being by a waterfall at Bill Point. His theory is not far from the truth, as there is evidence that prior to the last Ice Age, Ice diverted the course of the Wear to its current location, flowing east the course of the Tyne) and joining the North Sea at Sunderland. Sculpted by David Wynne, the bronze figure incorporates flowing water into its design. The Environment Agency is currently working with architects and cultural consultancy xsite, in collaboration with Commissions North, the Tyne Salmon Trail will serve as a celebration of the river, its heritage and its increasingly diverse ecosystem. FINS, REFLECTION and JOURNEY were the first 3 cubes to be launched in December 2007 from a family of 10, each cube is inspired by the textures, changing colours, movement and journey of the salmon. With each offering a modern day keepsake to take away, in the form of a designed Bluetooth message, for three days, between 18–20 July 2008, a temporary bamboo artwork was installed over the Tyne close to the Gateshead Millennium Bridge
9.
Scotland
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Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It shares a border with England to the south, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east. In addition to the mainland, the country is made up of more than 790 islands, including the Northern Isles, the Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. By inheritance in 1603, James VI, King of Scots, became King of England and King of Ireland, Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain. The union also created a new Parliament of Great Britain, which succeeded both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England. Within Scotland, the monarchy of the United Kingdom has continued to use a variety of styles, titles, the legal system within Scotland has also remained separate from those of England and Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland constitutes a distinct jurisdiction in both public and private law. Glasgow, Scotlands largest city, was one of the worlds leading industrial cities. Other major urban areas are Aberdeen and Dundee, Scottish waters consist of a large sector of the North Atlantic and the North Sea, containing the largest oil reserves in the European Union. This has given Aberdeen, the third-largest city in Scotland, the title of Europes oil capital, following a referendum in 1997, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature comprising 129 members, having authority over many areas of domestic policy. Scotland is represented in the UK Parliament by 59 MPs and in the European Parliament by 6 MEPs, Scotland is also a member nation of the British–Irish Council, and the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly. Scotland comes from Scoti, the Latin name for the Gaels, the Late Latin word Scotia was initially used to refer to Ireland. By the 11th century at the latest, Scotia was being used to refer to Scotland north of the River Forth, alongside Albania or Albany, the use of the words Scots and Scotland to encompass all of what is now Scotland became common in the Late Middle Ages. Repeated glaciations, which covered the land mass of modern Scotland. It is believed the first post-glacial groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in Scotland around 12,800 years ago, the groups of settlers began building the first known permanent houses on Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago, and the first villages around 6,000 years ago. The well-preserved village of Skara Brae on the mainland of Orkney dates from this period and it contains the remains of an early Bronze Age ruler laid out on white quartz pebbles and birch bark. It was also discovered for the first time that early Bronze Age people placed flowers in their graves, in the winter of 1850, a severe storm hit Scotland, causing widespread damage and over 200 deaths. In the Bay of Skaill, the storm stripped the earth from a large irregular knoll, when the storm cleared, local villagers found the outline of a village, consisting of a number of small houses without roofs. William Watt of Skaill, the laird, began an amateur excavation of the site, but after uncovering four houses
10.
Whitley Castle
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Whitley Castle is a large and uniquely shaped Roman fort north-west of Alston, Cumbria, England that was known to the Romans as Epiacum. The fort was built early in the 2nd century and at least partly demolished, whereas Roman forts are normally playing-card shaped, Whitley Castle is lozenge-shaped to fit the available site. In addition, it has the most complex defensive earthworks of any fort in the Roman Empire, with multiple banks. The fort appears to have been sited to control and protect lead mining in the area as well as to support the border defences of Hadrians Wall. The fort was surveyed by the geologist Thomas Sopwith in the 19th century and the historian R. G. Collingwood in the 20th, with a survey in the 21st. Among finds at the fort are altars with inscriptions to Hercules by the 6th Legion of the Roman army and to Apollo by the garrison of auxiliaries. Other finds include a midden containing shoes, coins, fragments of Samian pottery, beads, nails, Whitley Castle is about 1,000 ft above sea level in the Pennine hills on the border of Cumbria and Northumberland. It lies to the west of the modern A689 road beside the Pennine Way long-distance footpath. During the Roman era, Epiacum was situated about 15 mi south of Hadrians Wall and 20 mi north of the road which ran between Luguvalium in the northwest and Eboracum in the southeast. The Maiden Way road connected it to Magnae on the Wall, Whitley Castle is one of the most isolated Roman sites in Britain, which may help to explain both why it remains largely unexcavated as of 2012 and why so much of it has survived. The site is a spur of high ground on Castle Nook hill farm under permanent pasture. The remains lie under the grass, and are most clearly seen in aerial photographs, the Roman fort itself covers about 4 acres, outside it is a system of concentric defensive ditches. The fort may have been sited to control over the area near Alston and its lead mines. Epiacum was built early in the 2nd century and it was at least partly demolished and rebuilt around AD200, the destruction coincides with an uprising of the northern tribes in 196. The fort was modified or wholly rebuilt about the year 300 and it appears to have been preceded by an Iron Age fort, followed by a Roman camp before the permanent fort was constructed. Also as usual, there is a house and a temple outside the wall. There is an altar to Mithras and another, as already mentioned, Epiacum, however, has two unique features. Six barracks were however fitted in behind the building, and four in front of it
11.
Newcastle upon Tyne
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Newcastle is the most populous city in the North East and forms the core of the Tyneside conurbation, the eighth most populous urban area in the United Kingdom. Newcastle is a member of the English Core Cities Group and is a member of the Eurocities network of European cities. Newcastle was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it became a county of itself, the regional nickname and dialect for people from Newcastle and the surrounding area is Geordie. Newcastle also houses Newcastle University, a member of the Russell Group, the city developed around the Roman settlement Pons Aelius and was named after the castle built in 1080 by Robert Curthose, William the Conquerors eldest son. The city grew as an important centre for the trade in the 14th century. The port developed in the 16th century and, along with the lower down the River Tyne, was amongst the worlds largest shipbuilding and ship-repairing centres. Newcastles economy includes corporate headquarters, learning, digital technology, retail, tourism and cultural centres, among its icons are Newcastle United football club and the Tyne Bridge. Since 1981 the city has hosted the Great North Run, a marathon which attracts over 57,000 runners each year. The first recorded settlement in what is now Newcastle was Pons Aelius and it was given the family name of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who founded it in the 2nd century AD. This rare honour suggests Hadrian may have visited the site and instituted the bridge on his tour of Britain, Pons Aelius population at this period was estimated at 2,000. Fragments of Hadrians Wall are visible in parts of Newcastle, particularly along the West Road, the course of the Roman Wall can be traced eastwards to the Segedunum Roman fort in Wallsend—the walls end—and to the supply fort Arbeia in South Shields. After the Roman departure from Britain, completed in 410, Newcastle became part of the powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, conflicts with the Danes in 876 left the river Tyne and its settlements in ruin. After the conflicts with the Danes, and following the 1088 rebellion against the Normans, Monkchester was all, because of its strategic position, Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, erected a wooden castle there in the year 1080. The town was known as Novum Castellum or New Castle. The wooden structure was replaced by a castle in 1087. The castle was again in 1172 during the reign of Henry II. Much of the keep which can be seen in the city dates from this period. Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was Englands northern fortress, incorporated first by Henry II, the city had a new charter granted by Elizabeth in 1589
12.
George Wade
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He went on to be a military commander during the War of the Austrian Succession and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces during the Jacobite rising of 1745. He transferred to Sir Bevil Granvilles Regiment on 19 April 1694 and was promoted to captain on 13 June 1695 and he was promoted to major on 20 March 1703 and to lieutenant colonel in October 1703. He repelled a force of cavalry at Vila Nova and then commanded the 3rd infantry brigade during the Battle of Almansa in April 1707. He won promotion to general on 1 January 1708. He was promoted to major-general on 3 October 1714 and became commander of the British forces in Ireland in November 1714, Wade returned home to join in the suppression of the Jacobite rising of 1715 and undertook security duties in Bath, where he unearthed a haul of Jacobite weapons. He entered politics as MP for Hindon in 1715, on 19 March 1717 he became colonel of the Earl of Plymouths Regiment of Horse. He became MP for Bath in 1722, retaining the seat for 25 years and his house there is now a Grade I listed building. The government of George I sent Wade to inspect Scotland in 1724 and he recommended the construction of barracks, bridges and proper roads to assist in the control of the country. On 10 May 1725 he was appointed Commander in Chief of His Majestys forces, castles, forts and barracks in North Britain, over the next twelve years Wade directed the construction of some 240 miles of roads, plus 30 bridges. General Wades military roads linked the garrisons at Ruthven, Fort George, Fort Augustus, a reference in verse is said to be inscribed on a stone at the start of one of his military roads in Scotland, If you had seen this road before it was made. You would lift up your hands and bless General Wade, Wade also organised a militia named Highland Watches, calling on members of the landed gentry to sign up and raising the first six companies in 1725. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 15 April 1727, on 1 June 1732 he became Governor of Berwick upon Tweed and on 19 June 1733 he became Governor of Fort William, Fort George and Fort Augustus. He was promoted to general of horse on 17 July 1739 and he raised four more Highland Watch companies in 1739, these were subsequently reorganized as the Black Watch regiment. He still had the time to sign his support to the Foundling Hospital which was established in 1739 in London, on 22 June 1742 he was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance and on 24 June 1742 he was appointed a member of the Privy Council. On 17 December 1743 he became a marshal with his appointment to the joint command of the Anglo-Austrian force in Flanders against the French in the War of the Austrian Succession. Wade organised an advance towards Lille in July 1744 but the action became stalled in the face of logistical problems and he resigned from his command in March 1745, returning home to become Commander-in-Chief of the Forces. Wade helped plan the road, but had died before construction began in 1751 and his Military Road is still in use today as the B6318, it should not be confused with the Military Way built by the Romans immediately south of Hadrians Wall. Wade received mention in a sung as part of God Save the King around 1745, Lord, grant that Marshal Wade May, by thy mighty aid
Media related to Stanegate at Wikimedia Commons
