This 370m stretch between Hill Top Lane and Little Common Lane is a surviving section of the linear earthwork known as Roman Ridge (or Roman Rig), running north from the Sheffield/Rotherham area through South Yorkshire. Despite its name, the monument is now generally interpreted as a post-Roman or possibly late Iron Age territorial boundary rather than a Roman construction, though it remained a prominent landscape feature throughout the Roman period and beyond.
Source: Pleiades — A Community-Built Gazetteer and Graph of Ancient Places. View the Pleiades record →
The earthwork is thought to have served as a major territorial boundary, possibly demarcating the lands of the Brigantes or, in some interpretations, a sub-Roman kingdom such as Elmet defending against incursions from the south. Its scale — originally running for several miles in single and double-bank forms — makes it one of the most substantial linear earthworks in northern England.
The monument typically comprises a bank up to 2m high with an accompanying ditch, though dimensions vary along its course; limited sectioning in the 20th century has failed to produce secure dating evidence, and no diagnostic artefacts have been recovered from this particular stretch. The dating, function, and even the original continuous course of Roman Ridge remain matters of ongoing debate.
This 370m stretch between Hill Top Lane and Little Common Lane is a surviving section of the linear earthwork known as Roman Ridge (or Roman Rig), running north from the Sheffield/Rotherham area through South Yorkshire. It is recorded in the Pleiades gazetteer of ancient places as a site site from the Roman period in Britain.
Roman Ridge: section 400yds (370m) long from Hill Top Lane to Little Common Lane is classified as a Roman site — a civilian site in the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer. Roman Britain's archaeology encompasses thousands of sites ranging from legionary fortresses and marching camps to villas, temples and towns.
Several Roman sites lie within a short distance, including Roman Ridge: SE of Hill Top (section 700yds (660m) long, Meadowhall Road to Hill Top) (0.6 km), Roman Ridge: section 250yds (230m) in length N of Kimberworth Park Road (1.5 km), Roman Ridge: section 600yds (550m) long between Jenkin Lane (now Road) and Tylers Street (2 km). Aubrey Research maps over 2,200 Roman sites across Britain, drawn from the Pleiades ancient world gazetteer.
Aubrey Research generates detailed historical reports for any location in Britain, incorporating Roman heritage, Domesday Book records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and much more. Enter a nearby address to begin.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any address in Britain — drawing on Roman heritage, Domesday records, scheduled monument data, archaeological finds and medieval history to reveal the complete story of a landscape.
Research the area around Roman Ridge: section 400yds (370m) long from Hill Top Lane to Little Common Lane