This article first appeared in The Oakengates News

by Alex Byles

"The wind howled like the prowling wolves, as missiles of rocks and spears rained down on the legionaries like shards of fury from the heavens. The wild Britons, devoid of the plate armour worn by the Romans, but protected in part by a cloak of frenzy and vigour, wailed in fury at the invaders from the heights of the Salopian crest. That Caractacus himself, King of the Britons, had chosen the Cornovii tribe of what is now Shropshire to aid him in his last stand to spare Britain from the rule of Roman Emperor Claudius I, enhanced their thirst for battle more than ever before: Britain depended upon them! But the legionaries, forming the military tortoise or testudo and advancing at a steady, yet relentless tempo, forced Caractacus' warriors, sporting dazzling and brilliant hues of paint on their weatherworn skin, to make a tactical withdrawal to the safety afforded by the wall of stone near the peak's summit.

Yet regardless of their spirited defence, and aware that the liberty of Britain depended on their efforts there and then, the Cornovii were met by the proficiency of the men of the greatest empire ever witnessed by the known world! Turning to use their advantage and knowledge of the Salopian high ground, they wheeled, only to be faced by the lightly armed yet nimble Roman auxiliaries, and were cut down by the swords and spears of Emperor Claudius' men. Caractacus, barely able to flee to the safety of the Brigantes tribe, critically abandoned his family to the mercy of the conquerors. But fate saw that he himself, Caractacus, King of the Britons, was delivered upon request to the Romans, thus ending the final significant resistance to Roman rule in the whole of Britain on the heights of Shropshire's hills..."

Caer Caradoc above Church Stretton (Picture - Tim Hughes)

Although historical evidence is of a bare minimum and certainly inconclusive, it is possible to assert that Caractacus' last stand occurred in the area we know today as Shropshire, or at least in the easternmost reaches of Powys. But what, if anything, could be the historical significance of an event that occurred almost 2000 years ago in approximately 50 AD? Even the magnificence of Julius Caesar had failed to thwart the supremacy of the tribal leaders of the British Isles, and despite previous attempts to conquer the island, it remained independent of foreign rule. But Emperor Claudius' defeat of Caractacus, King of the Britons, effectively ended large-scale organised resistance to the Roman Empire in what we know today as England. Exactly what, and where the battle came to pass remains in the hand of legend, save for the only historical evidence that transpires in the accounts of Tacitus, the Roman commentator of the day, whose writings are relied upon as one of the principal historical texts of the Roman Empire. Yet even Tacitus' account of the events of Caractacus' last stand was sparse of historical evidence at best.

Cunobelinus ruled as King of the Britons and was leader of the people of the Catevaulauni tribe whose area expanded into modern day Hampshire and Suffolk. The generally accepted facts appear to explain that upon his death, the kingdom was divided between two of his three sons, Togodumnus and Caractacus. Adminius, the third son of Cunobelinus, was said to have been expelled from Britain by his father and so sought a deal with Rome: he would surrender Britain to their mercy, and in return would act as a client King to the empire of Claudius. In addition, it is believed that for Rome attack would serve as the most favourable form of defence, as the conquest of Britain would remove the threat posed by British invaders to northern European shores under Roman command. Landing on the British south coast in 43AD, the four Roman Legions found an early victory in Kent which sought to drive Caractacus and his brother Togodumnus northwards. Although the Roman advance under Ostorius Scapula appeared to be not as swift as their initial progress suggested, Caractacus was forced into the border marches. Yet utilising guerrilla tactics, his knowledge of the area, and aided by the local tribesmen he was able to maintain the campaign against the invaders. That was until he was forced into decisive conflict in 50AD...

The Wrekin - seen from Caer Caradoc above Stretton (Picture - Tim Hughes)

Known as Caractacus (or Caratacus) to the Romans, he was more generally referred to as Caradoc and it is of no small consequence that two of Shropshire's hills bear the name Caer Caradoc, and lay claim to staging the Briton King's last stand. Caer Caradoc near Clun hosted an ancient hill fort, and in addition it was cradled by a river, which was one of the few significant geographical clues left to us by Tacitus. But the River Redlake was not going to issue the challenge to the Roman army that the Vyrnwy or the mighty Severn would have. However, Tacitus did indeed comment that the place of Caractacus' last stand took place on a mound of ramparts and steeps. Anybody who has ever climbed Church Stretton's Caer Caradoc would certainly vouch for that! Not only passed by an important Roman way, but it would have also been within eye-sight of one of the Cornovii tribe's most important and populous hill forts, now known to Salopians as the Wrekin.

Yet Stretton's Caer Caradoc lacks the obstacle of a river that Tacitus mentioned in his chronicle, so it is possibly exempt from the claim that it actually was the site of Caractacus' last stand. It has also been suggested that perhaps either the Breidden Hills or Llanymynech Hill could have served as useful defences against the might of the Roman Empire. Both areas hold abrupt inclines and site ancient hill forts, and have the all important water obstacles, the Severn and the Vyrnwy respectively, that would have proved worthy of mention in the writings of Tacitus, especially when cascading a furious deluge in the height of winter. But the hill fort of Craig Rhiwarth at the southern tip of the Berwyn's, where the extremities of the Cornovii controlled territory became the land of the Ordovices tribe, has also more recently provided the historian with more fuel for deliberation on the exact location of the conflict.

Led through Rome in chains, Painting by Thomas Davidson

Betrayed by the Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, after he had fled to her territory further north, Caractacus was delivered upon Emperor Claudius in Rome. "My present condition, disgraceful as it is to myself, reflects glory on you", Tacitus recalled Caractacus' address unto the Emperor. "Possessed as I once was of horses, men, arms and wealth, what wonder is it if I parted from them with reluctance. Had I sooner been betrayed, I had neither been distinguished by misfortune nor you by glory. But if you now save my life I shall be an eternal monument of your clemency."

And so the King of Britons was spared his life along with his family, and was reputedly held in the highest regard by Rome. Although the definitive answer to the actual area of Caractacus' last stand remains to be seen, when walking across the Salopian countryside and gazing across the hills, it is as proper as any suggestion to state that here, in our county, saw the final and chief struggle against the Roman Empire.

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From the Annals of Tacitus

"The army then marched against the Silures, a naturally fierce people and now full of confidence in the might of Caractacus, who by many an indecisive and many a successful battle had raised himself far above all the other generals of the Britons. Inferior in military strength, but deriving an advantage from the deceptiveness of the country, he at once shifted the war by a stratagem into the territory of the Ordovices, where, joined by all who dreaded peace with us, he resolved on a final struggle.

He selected a position for the engagement in which advance and retreat alike would be difficult for our men and comparatively easy for his own, and then on some lofty hills, wherever their sides could be approached by a gentle slope, he piled up stones to serve as a rampart. A river too of varying depth was in his front, and his armed bands were drawn up before his defences. Then too the chieftains of the several tribes went from rank to rank, encouraging and confirming the spirit of their men by making light of their fears, kindling their hopes, and by every other warlike incitement.

As for Caractacus, he flew hither and thither, protesting that that day and that battle would be the beginning of the recovery of their freedom, or of everlasting bondage. He appealed, by name, to their forefathers who had driven back the dictator Caesar, by whose valour they were free from the Roman axe and tribute, and still preserved inviolate the persons of their wives and of their children. While he was thus speaking, the host shouted applause; every warrior bound himself by his national oath not to shrink from weapons or wounds.

Such enthusiasm confounded the Roman general. The river too in his face, the rampart they had added to it, the frowning hilltops, the stern resistance and masses of fighting men everywhere apparent, daunted him. But his soldiers insisted on battle, exclaiming that valour could overcome all things; and the prefects and tribunes, with similar language, stimulated the ardour of the troops. Ostorius having ascertained by a survey the inaccessible and the assailable points of the position, led on his furious men, and crossed the river without difficulty.

When he reached the barrier, as long as it was a fight with missiles, the wounds and the slaughter fell chiefly on our soldiers; but when he had formed the military testudo, and the rude, ill-compacted fence of stones was torn down, and it was an equal hand-to-hand engagement, the barbarians retired to the heights. Yet even there, both light and heavy-armed soldiers rushed to the attack; the first harassed the foe with missiles, while the latter closed with them, and the opposing ranks of the Britons were broken, destitute as they were of the defence of breast-plates or helmets.

When they faced the auxiliaries, they were felled by the swords and javelins of our legionaries; if they wheeled round, they were again met by the sabres and spears of the auxiliaries. It was a glorious victory; the wife and daughter of Caractacus were captured, and his brothers too were admitted to surrender. There is seldom safety for the unfortunate, and Caractacus, seeking the protection of Cartismandua, queen of the Brigantes, was put in chains and delivered up to the conquerors, nine years after the beginning of the war in Britain.

His fame had spread thence, and travelled to the neighbouring islands and provinces, and was actually celebrated in Italy. All were eager to see the great man, who for so many years had defied our power. Even at Rome the name of Caractacus was no obscure one; and the emperor, while he exalted his own glory, enhanced the renown of the vanquished. The people were summoned as to a grand spectacle; the praetorian cohorts were drawn up under arms in the plain in front of their camp; then came a procession of the royal vassals, and the ornaments and neck-chains and the spoils which the king had won in wars with other tribes, were displayed.

Next were to be seen his brothers, his wife and daughter; last of all, Caractacus himself. All the rest stooped in their fear to abject supplication; not so the king, who neither by humble look nor speech sought compassion. When he was set before the emperor's tribunal, he spoke as follows: "Had my moderation in prosperity been equal to my noble birth and fortune, I should have entered this city as your friend rather than as your captive; and you would not have disdained to receive, under a treaty of peace, a king descended from illustrious ancestors and ruling many nations. My present lot is as glorious to you as it is degrading to myself. I had men and horses, arms and wealth.

What wonder if I parted with them reluctantly? If you Romans choose to lord it over the world, does it follow that the world is to accept slavery? Were I to have been at once delivered up as a prisoner, neither my fall nor your triumph would have become famous. My punishment would be followed by oblivion, whereas, if you save my life, I shall be an everlasting memorial of your clemency." Upon this the emperor granted pardon to Caractacus, to his wife, and to his brothers. . . The Senate was then assembled, and speeches were delivered full of pompous eulogy on the capture of Caractacus."

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Alex Byles
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