Battlefields›Northern Raid on Hadrian's Wall, 155 AD
Roman Period

Northern Raid on Hadrian's Wall, 155 AD

155
Northumberland, England
Era
Roman Period
Battle Type
Raid
Location
Northumberland, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Roman Wall garrisons
VS
Victor
Northern tribes
Outcome
Renewed hostility, likely led by the Brigantes, led to units of the Wall garrison being withdrawn south, raids on the Wall itself, and destruction of some of its forts; the Antonine Wall was consequently abandoned for a period. A special 'Britannia' coin issue was struck in Britain in 154-155 AD, and Gnaeus Julius Verus was sent to Britain with reinforcements from Germany, likely to suppress the revolt or reinforce troops who had done so.
The Battle

History & Significance

Northern Raid on Hadrian's Wall, 155 AD was a Roman raid, fought in the area of Northumberland, England in 155. Northern tribes prevailed over Roman Wall garrisons. Renewed hostility, likely led by the Brigantes, led to units of the Wall garrison being withdrawn south, raids on the Wall itself, and destruction of some of its forts; the Antonine Wall was consequently abandoned for a period. A special 'Britannia' coin issue was struck in Britain in 154-155 AD, and Gnaeus Julius Verus was sent to Britain with reinforcements from Germany, likely to suppress the revolt or reinforce troops who had done so.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Northern Raid on Hadrian's Wall, 155 AD lies on Yoredale Group, bedrock that formed in the Bashkirian. The rock here is limestone, argillaceous rocks and subordinate sandstone, interbedded.

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Everything a full report reveals about Northern Raid on Hadrian's Wall, 155 AD

This page covers Northern Raid on Hadrian's Wall, 155 AD. 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
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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.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
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.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
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.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Northern Raid on Hadrian's Wall, 155 AD

Enclosed cremation cemetery and shieling 990m north of Gibbs Hill Farm
Enclosed cremation cemetery and shieling 990m north of Gibbs Hill Farm
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 mi

This enclosed cremation cemetery and shieling is a Bronze Age funerary and pastoral site located in Northumberland, approximately 990 metres north of Gibbs Hill Farm. The monument comprises both a cremation cemetery, indicating ritual burial practices typical of the Bronze Age period, and a shiel…

Andrew Curtis / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cawfields Roman temporary camp
Cawfields Roman temporary camp
Scheduled monument · ~1.8 mi

Cawfields Roman temporary camp is a first-century Roman military encampment situated near Haltwhistle in Northumberland, positioned along the Stanegate frontier road. The camp is characterized by its defensive ditches and ramparts, which remain visible as earthwork features across the landscape,…

Sebastian Mierzwa / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road to Caw Gap and the Caw Burn in wall miles 41 and 42
Hadrian's Wall and vallum between the road to Caw Gap and the Caw Burn in wall miles 41 and 42
Scheduled monument · ~1.8 mi

Hadrian's Wall is a fortified linear barrier constructed in the 2nd century AD under the Roman Emperor Hadrian to mark and defend the north-western frontier of the Roman Empire across northern Britain. The section between Caw Gap and Caw Burn in wall miles 41 and 42, situated in Northumberland, p…

n/a / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Mare and Foal stone circle, 400m north east of Milestone House
Mare and Foal stone circle, 400m north east of Milestone House
Scheduled monument · ~2 mi

Mare and Foal stone circle is a Bronze Age monument located approximately four hundred metres north east of Milestone House in Northumberland. The site comprises a circle of standing stones typical of prehistoric ritual and ceremonial landscapes in northern England. Stone circles of this type are…

Mike Quinn / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Milestone House Roman temporary camp and section of the Stanegate Roman road
Milestone House Roman temporary camp and section of the Stanegate Roman road
Scheduled monument · ~2.1 mi

Milestone House is a Roman temporary camp situated in Northumberland along the line of the Stanegate Roman road. The camp dates to the Roman occupation period and forms part of the archaeological evidence for Roman military operations and infrastructure in northern Britain. The Stanegate itself r…

Ian S / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Great Chesters Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall between the Caw Burn and the track to Cockmount Hill farm in wall miles 42 and 43
Great Chesters Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall between the Caw Burn and the track to Cockmount Hill farm in wall miles 42 and 43
Scheduled monument · ~2.2 mi

Great Chesters Roman fort is a Hadrianic fortress situated on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland at wall miles 42–43, occupying a commanding position between the Caw Burn and the track to Cockmount Hill farm. The fort, known as Aesica in antiquity, dates to the second century AD and served as a gar…

mauldy / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Roman aqueduct to Great Chesters from the Cawburn
Scheduled monument · ~0.9 miles
Hadrian's Wall, associated features and a Romano-British settlement between the road to Steel Rigg car park and the road through Caw Gap in wall miles 39 to 41
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 miles
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Battles near Northern Raid on Hadrian's Wall, 155 AD

Late Roman defence of the Wall (post-383)
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~1.2 miles away
Great Conspiracy of 367 AD
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The Barbarian Conspiracy: Picts Breach Hadrian's Wall, 367 AD
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Severan Reconstruction of Hadrian Wall 205-207 AD
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