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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
#26
With regard to the original subject of this thread...

The identification of Mancetter, High Cross and other sites in the west midlands appears to rest on the belief that Paulinus could not have brought the bulk of his army down Watling Street fast enough to fight a battle anywhere closer to London. However, this means that Boudica's force would have had to cover the 100 miles in the other direction in order to meet him and fight the battle (which reminds me of the 'how far can you march in a day?' scene in Zulu :wink: ).

As I've suggested in this post here, it would be possible for Paulinus' full force to be in or around London and St Albans, rather than stuck in the midlands somewhere. So is a battle site in that vicinity a possibility too?

Here's my suggestion - Dunstable Downs lies only 12 miles north-west of St Albans, at the crossing point of Watling Street and the Iknield Way. Boudica, we know, was at St Albans, and Iknield Way would take her tribal band back up into Iceni territory. By making his stand here, Paulinus could block their route home.

The Downs are, or appear to be, an escarpment overlooking a wide V-shaped plain (now occupied by a golf course!). This looks to me very much like the position described by Tacitus:

Quote:He chose a position approached by a narrow defile, closed in at the rear by a forest... in his front... an open plain extended without any danger from ambuscades. (Annals 14.34)

[Image: brucesmith3.jpg]

Not sure in which direction that picture is taken though. Does anyone know?

- Nathan
Nathan Ross
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Messages In This Thread
Re: Calling all armchair generals! - by Ensifer - 03-11-2010, 03:13 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Nathan Ross - 02-16-2011, 08:42 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-18-2012, 06:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 12:02 AM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 02:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 05:40 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 11:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 05:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 09:42 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 10:10 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:25 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 08:36 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-26-2012, 02:57 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-27-2012, 01:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 08-05-2012, 02:24 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-07-2014, 02:18 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-08-2014, 01:50 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-11-2014, 02:03 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-18-2014, 07:54 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-20-2014, 02:37 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-25-2014, 08:29 AM

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