Battlefields›Battle of the Ordovices: Caratacus's Last Stand
Roman Period

Battle of the Ordovices: Caratacus's Last Stand

51
Montgomeryshire, Wales
Era
Roman Period
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Montgomeryshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Britons (Ordovices and Silures, led by Caratacus)
VS
Victor
Roman Empire
Outcome
Decisive Roman victory; Caratacus's forces were routed, his wife, daughter and brothers were captured, and Caratacus fled to the Brigantes where he was later betrayed by Queen Cartimandua and handed to the Romans.
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of the Ordovices: Caratacus's Last Stand was a Roman pitched battle between opposing field armies, fought in the area of Montgomeryshire, Wales in 51. Roman Empire prevailed over Britons (Ordovices and Silures, led by Caratacus). Decisive Roman victory; Caratacus's forces were routed, his wife, daughter and brothers were captured, and Caratacus fled to the Brigantes where he was later betrayed by Queen Cartimandua and handed to the Romans.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of the Ordovices: Caratacus's Last Stand lies on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of the Ordovices: Caratacus's Last Stand

This page covers Battle of the Ordovices: Caratacus's Last Stand. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of the Ordovices: Caratacus's Last Stand

Newtown Old Church
Newtown Old Church
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~1.7 mi

Newtown Old Church is a medieval church situated in Wales, now protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference MG056. The church stands on bedrock composed of Wenlock Rocks, formed during the Wenlock period of the Silurian era. These rocks, comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone,…

John H Darch / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Newtown Hall Castle Mound
Newtown Hall Castle Mound
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~2 mi

Newtown Hall Castle Mound is a medieval motte situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference MG160. The mound rises from bedrock composed of Wenlock Rocks, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone dating to the Wenlock period. These fine-grained sediments provided a stable foundat…

Penny Mayes / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Castell Dolforwyn
Castell Dolforwyn
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~2.1 mi

Castell Dolforwyn is a late thirteenth-century Welsh castle built on a hilltop near Newtown in Montgomeryshire. Constructed by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Gwynedd, the castle served as a stronghold to defend Welsh territorial interests against English expansion during the final decades of ind…

user Llywelyn2000 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bryn-Derwen Mound and Bailey Castle
Bryn-Derwen Mound and Bailey Castle
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~2.8 mi

Bryn-Derwen Mound and Bailey Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle sited in Wales, protected under Cadw reference MG054. The castle occupies a defensive position built upon Wenlock Rocks, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that provides a naturally solid foundation. These anc…

kevin Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Tregynon Moated Site
Tregynon Moated Site
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~2.8 mi

Tregynon Moated Site is a medieval moated site located in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference MG204. The monument sits upon Wenlock Rocks, a geological formation dating to the Wenlock epoch consisting of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. This stable bedrock would have provided a sound found…

James Allan / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ucheldre Camp
Ucheldre Camp
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~2.9 mi

Ucheldre Camp is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference MG156. The site occupies ground underlain by Wenlock Rocks, geological strata of Silurian age comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have shaped both the charact…

Jeremy Bolwell / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Aber Bechan Dyke
Scheduled monument · Early Medieval · ~0.5 miles
Bryn Bank Hillfort
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~1.2 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of the Ordovices: Caratacus's Last Stand

Battle of Ceri
1228
~3.2 miles away
Battle of Carno
~5.3 miles away
Battle of Old Domen
1095
~6.3 miles away
Relief of Montgomery Castle
1644
~6.5 miles away
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