Ilkley Roman Fort

Ilkley Roman Fort
Ilkley Roman Fort
	Remains of the outer walls at the Roman Fort, looking towards Ilkley Manor House
	Ilkley Roman Fort shown within West Yorkshire
Known also as	Olicana
Founded during the reign of	Titus
Founded	c. 80 AD
Abandoned	4th - 5th century AD
Place in the Roman world
Province	Britannia
Nearby water	River Wharfe
Structure
— Stone structure —
— Wood and earth structure —
Stationed military units
— Cohorts —
	First cohort of the Lingones tribe
Location
Coordinates	53°55′37″N1°49′30″W / 53.927°N 1.825°W
Town	Ilkley
County	West Yorkshire
Country	England
Reference
UK-OSNG reference	SE115478
Site notes
Excavation dates	1919-21

Last updated April 29, 2023

Ilkley Roman Fort is a Roman fort on the south bank of the River Wharfe, at the centre of the modern town of Ilkley, a Victorian spa town in West Yorkshire, England.

Identification

The traditional view is that Olicana is the fort at Ilkley, but the identification is not settled.^[1] Ptolemy mentions Olikana in his Geographia (c. 150), although Rivet and Smith give Olenacum as the proper form of the name, rejecting Ptolemy's Olikana as corrupt.^[2] The 1086 Domesday Book gives Ilecliue also variants Illecliue, Illiclei and Illicleia for Ilkley. Modern scholarship has, however, suggested that the Roman name would be better applied to the fort at Elslack (Eleslac in Domesday Book) near Skipton.^[1]

Rivet and Smith suggest the name Verbeia instead, this being the Roman name for the River Wharfe.^[2]^: 43 An altar-stone dedicated to the goddess Verbeia is thought to originate from the site.

History

Roman gravestone found in Ilkley RomangravestoneatIlkley.jpg — Roman gravestone found in Ilkley

The first fort at Ilkley was founded by Agricola around 80 AD and was largely constructed of wood,^[3] but this was later abandoned in the 120s.^[1] A second fort was erected around 161 AD which survived for 30 years, before being burnt down,^[3] perhaps during a documented rebellion by the inhabitants of northern Britain.^[1] It was immediately replaced by a stone fort which survived until the end of the Roman period.^[3] The fort was abandoned in the late 4th or early 5th century.^[3]

A substantial civil settlement, the vicus , formed the nucleus of the village that followed.^[3] Excavations have yet to reveal continuous habitation from Roman times, but it is quite likely that a village established itself within the ramparts of the fort following the Roman departure.^[4] Anglo-Saxon settlement probably did not take place until well into the seventh century, and the sculptured crosses are evidence of a church here in the eighth and ninth centuries.^[4]

The site today

A wall, once part of the fort, can still be seen from the back of Ilkley Manor House, which stands on the site.^[5] Around the area are four signs showing the edges of the walls of the fort.^[6] The area of the fort extends underneath the Manor House and nearby All Saints Parish Church whilst the vicus probably existed from the car park in the centre of Ilkley to Christchurch on The Grove. The church and Manor House both have a collection of Roman altars and tombstones, Anglo-Saxon crosses, and Medieval tombstones.^[7] The Roman altars date to the reigns of Antoninus Pius (138 to 161), and Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla (211 to 217).^[8]

Related Research Articles

In ancient Celtic polytheism, Verbeia was a goddess worshipped in Roman Britain. She is known from a single altar-stone dedicated to her at Ilkley. She is considered to have been a deification of the River Wharfe.

The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale.

Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 2011 census. It is in two parts: south of the river is the historic town of Otley and to the north is Newall, which was formerly a separate township. The town is in lower Wharfedale on the A660 road which connects it to Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilkley</span> Town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, England

Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the City of Bradford. Approximately 12 miles (19 km) north of Bradford and 17 miles (27 km) north-west of Leeds, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, one of the Yorkshire Dales.

Wharfedale is the valley of the upper parts of the River Wharfe and one of the Yorkshire Dales. It is situated within the districts of Craven and Harrogate in North Yorkshire, and the cities of Leeds and Bradford in West Yorkshire. It is the upper valley of the River Wharfe. Towns and villages in Wharfedale include Buckden, Kettlewell, Conistone, Grassington, Hebden, Bolton Abbey, Addingham, Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Otley, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Arthington, Collingham and Wetherby. Beyond Wetherby, the valley opens out and becomes part of the Vale of York.

Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Leeds, and 10 miles (16 km) south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point on the River Wharfe until the construction of the A64 Tadcaster by-pass some 660 yards (600 m) to the south, in 1978. There are two rail crossings downstream of the town before the Wharfe joins the River Ouse near Cawood.

Adel is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. To its immediate south is Weetwood, to the west are Cookridge and Holt Park, to the east are Alwoodley and Moortown, and to the north are Bramhope, Arthington and Eccup.

Linton is a village 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-west of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, England, in the parish of Collingham and the City of Leeds metropolitan borough. At the 2011 Census the village fell within the Harewood ward of the City of Leeds Council. It lies between Wetherby and Sicklinghall, on the north bank of the River Wharfe, opposite Collingham on the south bank.

Burley in Wharfedale is a village and a civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the Wharfedale valley.

Appleton Roebuck is a village and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 692 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 792 in the 2011 census and including Acaster Selby. The village is about 9 miles (14 km) south-west of York. It covers an area of around 2,900 acres (1,200 ha).

Skyrack was a wapentake of the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was split into upper and lower divisions and centred in Headingley, Leeds. The Lower Division included the parishes of Aberford, Bardsey, Barwick-in-Elmet, Kippax, Thorner, Whitkirk and part of Harewood, while the Upper Division included the parishes of Adel, Bingley, Guiseley and parts of Harewood, Ilkley and Otley.

Kirby Hill, also called Kirby-on-the-Moor, is a village and civil parish about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the market town of Boroughbridge, in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England.

Weston is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. The village is 1.2 miles (2 km) north–west of Otley and near the River Wharfe which forms the boundary between North and West Yorkshire. The name is from Old English and means western enclosure, farmstead or village.

Ilkley is a town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. It has been inhabited since at least the Mesolithic period; was the site of a Roman fort, and much later an early example of a spa town. In more recent times it serves as a residential district within the travel to work areas of Bradford, Leeds and Keighley.

Netley Marsh is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, close to the town of Totton. It lies within the New Forest District, and the New Forest National Park. It is the alleged site of the battle between an invading Anglo Saxon army, under Cerdic and a British army under Natanleod in the year 508.

Ilkley Manor House, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England, is a local heritage museum, art gallery, and live venue, and was established in the present building in 1961 to preserve local archaeological artefacts after the spa town expanded and much Roman material was lost. It was managed by Bradford Council Museums and Galleries department but had to be closed in 2013 owing to lack of funds. In order to keep the building open to the public, the Ilkley Manor House Trust was formed, and in April 2018, Bradford Council transferred the Manor House and three adjacent cottages to the Trust as a community asset transfer.

The Parish Church of All Saints in Ilkley in West Yorkshire, England is an active Anglican parish church in the archdeaconry of Bradford and the Diocese of Leeds.

Hainworth is a hamlet 1 mile (2 km) south of Keighley in West Yorkshire, England. The hamlet faces north across the lower end of the Worth Valley with a steep wooded incline towards Keighley.

Lancaster Roman Fort, also known as Wery Wall, Galacum or Calunium, is the modern name given to ruined former Roman fort atop Castle Hill in Lancaster in North West England. The first castra was founded c. 80 AD within the Roman province of Britannia.

Nesfield is a small village, 2 miles (3.2 km) north-west of Ilkley on the north bank of the River Wharfe, in the civil parish of Nesfield with Langbar, in the Harrogate district, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the village sits at the southern edge of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

References

1 2 3 4 ILKLEY Archived 17 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine - The Romans in West Yorkshire - West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service
1 2 Rivet, A. L. F.; Smith, C. (1962). The place names of Roman Britain. Batsford.
1 2 3 4 5 Ilkley history before the Victorians
1 2 History of the Church Archived 2 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine - All Saints Parish Church
↑ Ilkley Manor House website
↑ ILKLEY MANOR HOUSE - Art Gallery & Museum
↑ History of the Building Archived 22 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine - All Saints Parish Church
↑ Shaw, Thomas (1830). The History of Wharfedale , Otley: William Walker, pp.72–5

External links

Media related to Olicana at Wikimedia Commons
Historic England. "Site of Roman Fort, Ilkley (1013674)". National Heritage List for England .
Historic England. "VERBEIA ROMAN FORT (49938)". Research records (formerly PastScape).
Ilkley Manor House - Art Gallery and Museum
ILKLEY - The Romans in West Yorkshire - West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[wyaas-1] 1 2 3 4 ILKLEY Archived 17 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine - The Romans in West Yorkshire - West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service

[rivet-2] 1 2 Rivet, A. L. F.; Smith, C. (1962). The place names of Roman Britain. Batsford.

[ilkley1-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Ilkley history before the Victorians

[church1-4] 1 2 History of the Church Archived 2 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine - All Saints Parish Church

[IMH-5] Ilkley Manor House website

[ilkley2-6] ILKLEY MANOR HOUSE - Art Gallery & Museum

[church2-7] History of the Building Archived 22 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine - All Saints Parish Church

[8] Shaw, Thomas (1830). The History of Wharfedale , Otley: William Walker, pp.72–5

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]