FORTS

Rooke established the Northfield Villa was occupied from around 80AD. Other Romano-British settlements unearthed in the north Notts region are dated to 2nd & 3rd century occupation, subsequently making Northfield arguably the earliest settlement. According to the Roman Ordnance Survey Map of Britain, Northfield is the closest to Ryknild Street, the military road that ran north from the Fosse Way in Gloucestershire through the West Midlands to just inside Brigantes land in the low-lying east Pennine region. The road connected the Neronian built (54-68AD) forts at Derby (Stutts Park ) west of the Derwent, to Chesterfield and Rotherham (Templeborough).

Northfield is situated on the north-east Notts/Derbyshire boundary where the magnesian limestone forms a narrow north-south ridge of higher ground. The ancient Celtic tribes used the ridge as a track and also a natural boundary line between Brigantes and Corieltauvi territories. The ridge diminishes in the area of NW Nottingham where the Roman fort at Broxtowe was built. The ridgeway route ran north from Broxtowe through Hucknall to Annesley, Pleasley (Northfield) and from there to a fort at Clowne (Dambrook), an Iron-Age fort built on the hills of Markland Grips. The road continued north to Rotherham where it converged with Ryknild Street. To the west of the magnesian limestone ridge lie the lower lying coal measures, running from the South Yorkshire border, southwards through North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Amber Valley and Erewash - the route of Ryknild Street. Coal storage pits have been found at all forts on Ryknild Street although the sites of extraction have been lost under latter day mechanical extraction activity, however, the fortlet at Prentrich on Ryknild Street is adjacent to the exposed coal around the Erewash Valley and would suggest a connection. The Erewash rises on the Magnesian Limestone below Pinxton, where the river turns southward cutting a deep valley along the crest of a local anticline in the underlying coal measures, consequently exposing coal seams along both sides of the valley. The Romans & even Iron-Age tribes undoubtably worked this valley. In modern times the Erewash Valley was the region of numerous collieries such as Jacksdale & Brinsley. Picture right - The narrow magnesium-limestone ridge running northsouth (highlighted in blue) Coal in grey.

The Claudian built fort (41-54AD) at Broxtowe (NW Nottingham) is 10 miles due south of Northfield. Excavations have produced pottery & coin dating that ended around 80AD. From this dating we can deduce that after the defeat of the Brigantes tribe in 77AD, this fort was abandoned, having no further military use, infact, excavations have suggested that it may have only served as a supply base. This event corresponds with Governor Julius Agricola's order in c80AD to move resources north after the completion of the 2nd phase of militarisation of former Brigante territory. Agricola resited the fort at Strutts Park, (Derby) to the north side of the River Derwent (Little Chester). He probably also instigated the founding of Northfield Villa to increase food supply to the northern Ryknild Street forts at Chesterfield and Rotherham via the ancient ridgeway and a connecting road to Chesterfield.

There is no conclusive ground evidence of a road link from Northfield to the auxiliary fort at Chesterfield but there is a clue in a 13th century deed relating to a boundary description. The transcription of the Latin deed reads '..this is a Roman Road running eastwards from Chesterfield to Calow through Palterton and passing over Buckbridge...'. An archaeological appraisal of Arkwright open-cast site supported evidence of two Roman roads. One connecting the forts at Chesterfield and Clowne (Damsbrook). The second was the road described in the deed at Buckbridge (Doe-Lea Bridge) that is considered to run to the Roman settlement at Pleasley Vale, however, further ground evidence is needed to confirm the route.

The ancient ridgeway on the Derbyshire side of the river Meden at Pleasley (Longhedge Lane/Newboundmill Lane) is part of the Bolsover-Hardwick ridge. Longhedge Lane runs along the boundary of the Pleasley Colliery site, which was excavated by a team from Sheffield University in 1976 who found evidence of Roman built tracks. This area, now Pleasley Colliery Country Park, rising 550ft above sea-level, is the likely site of a Roman legion's temporary camp. A Roman legion is recorded as being at Pleasley in 138AD, the year of a recorded Brigantes revolt. Temporary camps used a combination of natural fortifications and 4-sided ditch defences for overnight stays at sites that were large enough to camp a legion of between 4000 - 6000 soldiers. It seems likely that the auxiliary Chesterfield legion were stationed there to prevent the Brigantes gaining access to the Trent Valley settlements. The substantial earthworks in Pleasley Park near Northfield Villa will not be the site of the Roman legion's camp as some texts suggest. A Roman temporary camp was based on ditches & ramparts to 4 sides whereas the Pleasley Park earthworks are 2 parallel ditches that may have more in common with Iron-Age fortifications.

This ancient route south, through Nottinghamshire to Broxtowe, is unclear as road metalling evidence has not been found, indicating that the track south of the Meden was not used by the military. Ryknild Street, the military road running northsouth from Derby to Chesterfield and Rotherham would be their normal route Additionally, an excavation at the Iron-Age, Corieltauvi fort at Clowne found an abundance of industrial waste dated from the 2nd century, concluding that this was a later adopted settlement and not considered to have been used by the military either. The principal military supply routes to Pleasley appear to be between the auxiliary fort at Chesterfield via Palterton and the fort at Rotherham via the ancient ridgeway. Therefore, the logical assumption would be that the auxiliary Chesterfield legion was at Pleasley in 138AD to contain a tribal threat on Northfield, the admin. centre of the region's agriculture & industry and to prevent them passing through Pleasley to the south.

The Google Earth image below shows the 2 northsouth roads highlighted in pink: Ryknild Street is on the left & the ancient ridge track on the right as far as Clowne. The 2 roads converge at Rotherham. The other highlighted roads in pink are as described in the aforementioned 13thC deed. The road highlighted from Northfield connecting with the ridgeway is as described by Rooke in 1786 when assessing the cutting down into the Vale.