Roman Ridge
Encyclopedia
The Roman Rig is the name given to a series of earthworks to the north east of Sheffield
in South Yorkshire
, England that are believed to originally have formed a single Dyke running from near Wincobank in Sheffield
to Mexborough
. Its purpose and date of construction are unknown. Formerly thought to have been a Roman road
, modern archaeologists think that it was built either in the 1st century AD by the Brigantian tribes
as a defence against the Roman invasion of Britain, or after the 5th century to defend the kingdom of Elmet
from the Angles
.
The southernmost end of the dyke is thought to have been close to Lady's Bridge
at the River Don in Sheffield, but today it only becomes visible close to the Iron Age fort at Wincobank
. The dyke continues in a north-easterly direction following the Don Valley to Kimberworth
in Rotherham
where it splits into two branches that continue roughly parallel to each other in a sweep starting to the north-east and turning east. The southern branch passes through Greasbrough
, intersecting the River Don just south of Swinton
at Kilnhurst
. The northern branch passes close to another Iron Age fort at Scholes Coppice
and runs to the north of Swinton, meeting the River Don at Mexborough.
Part of the western end of the ridge was used in the Middle Ages to demarcate the boundary of Ecclesfield
and Sheffield. This western part parallels the Don, and a report of 1891 in the Sheffield Independent stated that it had formerly run as far west as Bridgehouses. Part of the northern branch formed the boundary between Wath-on-Dearne on the one side and Rawmarsh
and Swinton on the other.
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England that are believed to originally have formed a single Dyke running from near Wincobank in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
to Mexborough
Mexborough
Mexborough is a town in the metropolitan borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England, situated on the north bank of the River Don west of its confluence with the River Dearne...
. Its purpose and date of construction are unknown. Formerly thought to have been a Roman road
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
, modern archaeologists think that it was built either in the 1st century AD by the Brigantian tribes
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
as a defence against the Roman invasion of Britain, or after the 5th century to defend the kingdom of Elmet
Elmet
Elmet was an independent Brythonic kingdom covering a broad area of what later became the West Riding of Yorkshire during the Early Middle Ages, between approximately the 5th century and early 7th century. Although its precise boundaries are unclear, it appears to have been bordered by the River...
from the Angles
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
.
The southernmost end of the dyke is thought to have been close to Lady's Bridge
Lady's Bridge
Lady's Bridge is the oldest bridge across the River Don in the City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the central section of the city, linking the Wicker to the north with Waingate to the south.-The first bridge:...
at the River Don in Sheffield, but today it only becomes visible close to the Iron Age fort at Wincobank
Wincobank (hill fort)
Wincobank is an Iron Age hill fort in the district of Sheffield, England of the same name. The fort stands on the summit of a steep hill above the River Don, it is oval in shape and covers about 10,000 square metres , surrounded by a ditch that was originally 1.5–2 m deep and a bank...
. The dyke continues in a north-easterly direction following the Don Valley to Kimberworth
Kimberworth
Kimberworth is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, about 2.2 miles north west of Rotherham town centre and 4.7 miles north-east of the City of Sheffield....
in Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
where it splits into two branches that continue roughly parallel to each other in a sweep starting to the north-east and turning east. The southern branch passes through Greasbrough
Greasbrough
Greasbrough is a suburb of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England.Greasbrough has 2,038 inhabitants and of land belonging to Earl FitzWilliam. It is located two miles north of Rotherham and includes the neighbouring hamlets of Bassinthwaite, Ginhouse, Cinder Bridge, Nether Haugh, and part of...
, intersecting the River Don just south of Swinton
Swinton, South Yorkshire
Swinton is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England on part of the west bank of the River Don...
at Kilnhurst
Kilnhurst
Kilnhurst is a village in South Yorkshire, England, on the banks of the River Don and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. It grew up around the coal mining, ceramics, glass, brick-making and locomotive industries; none of these industries remain in the village.-Residents:The sculptor...
. The northern branch passes close to another Iron Age fort at Scholes Coppice
Scholes Coppice
Scholes Coppice in an area of ancient woodland located to the north-west of Kimberworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It was once part of the Kimberworth Deer Park, and contains a number of archaeological sites, the most significant of which is thought to be...
and runs to the north of Swinton, meeting the River Don at Mexborough.
Part of the western end of the ridge was used in the Middle Ages to demarcate the boundary of Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield is a suburb and civil parish in the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, about north of Sheffield City Centre. At the 2001 census the civil parish— which also includes the Sheffield suburbs of Chapeltown, Grenoside, High Green, and formerly Thorpe Hesley —had a population...
and Sheffield. This western part parallels the Don, and a report of 1891 in the Sheffield Independent stated that it had formerly run as far west as Bridgehouses. Part of the northern branch formed the boundary between Wath-on-Dearne on the one side and Rawmarsh
Rawmarsh
Rawmarsh is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England. It is two miles north of Rotherham. It has a population of 18,210. The village also forms part of the Sheffield Urban Area.-Etymology:...
and Swinton on the other.