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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Renatus wrote:

It has long been my intention to go to Tring

Nathan wrote:

Yes, somebody probably should! I've looked at most of the sites suggested here over the years on 'Street View', but it's often very deceptive, particularly regarding gradients and elevation.


I suspect Deryk's site might look more immediately appealing, with that big wooded ridge along Hastoe Hill. My suggestion over at Newground has probably been much altered by the canal, railway and road construction, but it might be possible to judge things approximately.

Although I agree with Nathan that the area around Tring is probably where the Boudica battle was fought, it seems that although New Ground is possibly based on a Roman Road between Aldbury and Wiggington this is not the front line of the battle.


Tacitus description does not really suit this setting either (New Ground is at the end of the defile running from Berkhampstead, that in fact the Brythons would have had to have been in and not the Roman Army) so it is SP who is on the edge of the plain and advancing into the defile rather than bursting from it.



Also in AD60 it is likely that the Bulbourne river would have started at Bulbourne and not at Cow Roast as is the case today due to depletion from water usage and the canal system. In fact in 1642 it is mentioned that the River Bulbourne rose near Pendley Manor and therefore the river would have flowed through the middle of the valley at New Road which have made it a great place to camp along but not to fight in.



I do think however that the “killing fields” and slaughter could well have been between Tring Station and Cow Roast when the Brythons tried to flee but were prevented from doing so by the wagons.



So the question is where was the front line?



The small valley underneath Wiggington hill at rightangles to New Ground has been mentioned but again does not really fit the description of a “defile” or allow space for the refugees and the army.



My earlier supposition of the valleys under Hastoe and Chivery Top still hold true (in my opinion and I have visited the area) although the battle site is more undulating than flat.


I believe that in the dim and distant past Nathan suggested a front line that stretched from Aldbury village across to Aldbury Nowers and I do feel that this could be a good place for the front-line to have been as it is in an obvious defile, has a plain sloping down towards where the opposing army would be, is about 1600 meters wide which allows for the disposition of the army as Tacitus states with the cohorts at  8 rows deep and the river is a mile away, which is where the wagons may have camped, effectively on the edge of the “battle plain”.  It also has plenty of ”protected space” behind the front line for the baggage train and the refugees it also had water springs.



Once the Brythons started to flee the cavalry could hunt and cut them down along the river between Bulbourne and New Ground and Cow Roast where archeaology has been found including the Tring Helmet.


There are other options for a battle site along the Bulbourne Valley and there is a Roman Temple at the Berkhamstead Golf Course overlooking a defile into today’s Berkhamstead but doesn’t seem to be large enough to accommodate the army although others may feel that it is an option.



There was a lot of Roman activity in the area including a number of villas and the aforementioned temple and various settlements around Cow Roast, Aston Clinton, Northchurch, Berkhamstead and in  the nearby Gade Valley etc and also coinage found in the area as far back as Tasciovanus showing Brythonic occupation which centered around metal working for centuries near Cow Roast.



There are however two other possible sites in the local area where the battle could have taken place (see attachment) and perhaps it would be worthwhile to see if they are valid.



The first one is at the end of the Gade Valley at Ivinghoe Beacon which fits the description that Tacitus gives and has plenty of room for the combatants and access to St Albans. It is also close to the Upper Icknield Way. It allows for the classic formation with the Legionaries in the centre, the Auxiilliaries next and the Cavalry on the wings.


The final one is interesting and is above Pitstone on the Icknield Way. The frontage of the defile is much narrower than any other site at 600 yards but the battle site is quite steep downhill from the Roman frontline and also limited as it is more like a spur. It is however the only site that seems to work regarding a charge that creates immediate chaos without the Roman Army being enveloped. So can it work in reality utilising double depth rows etc.?


.pdf   Ivinghoe Map.pdf (Size: 1,015.65 KB / Downloads: 16)
.pdf   Aldbury Map.pdf (Size: 1.03 MB / Downloads: 12)
.pdf   Pitstone Map.pdf (Size: 1.23 MB / Downloads: 14)
Deryk
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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 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
RE: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand. - by Theoderic - 09-15-2018, 09:42 PM

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