Roman Road through Copmanthorpe

When the Romans first built their fortress, like a spider spinning a web, the Romans then started to build roads to stretch out North, South, East and West of the fortress. The route of the road West to Tadcaster runs along Top Lane (pictured below) and then along Colton Lane in a reasonably straight line.

The road between York (Eboracum) and Tadcaster (Calcaria) would have been regularly patrolled by the Romans. Indeed in the late 2^nd Century and early 3^rd Century, the York fortress was rebuilt on more secure foundations, with the wall faces being decorated by Tadcaster limestone. To get such large volumes of stone from Tadcaster, this road must have resembled the equivalent of the A64 at rush hour.

Clues of Inhabitation of Copmanthorpe

It is difficult to surmise how much of the land covering modern day Copmanthorpe was waterlogged at this point. The climate of Britain is not consistent over history and studies of tree rings and grass pollen has shown that the weather in Roman Times was much wetter than today (the scientists find more 'wet grass' pollen appearing in the archaeology digs dated to Roman Times).

There are however a number of little clues suggesting that some of the land around Copmanthorpe may have been farmed by the local tribe of the Brigantes prior to the Roman Invasion:

• If the area of Top Lane was waterlogged in Roman times then the Romans would have built their road along the Terminal Moraine to Bilborough (a higher route anyway and just as straight to Tadcaster). Because they built the road along Top Lane suggest that the North side of the village may have not suffered from water logging. 

• The north of the village is on the side of the Terminal moraine and hence would have been on a slope - any excess water would have simply drained away. 

• Askham Bogs is a peat bog about 1 mile North East of Copmanthorpe. Naturally this area is near the Terminal Moraine and hence should be very fertile land. The only reason that its is peaty now is that the nutrients have been leached away by over farming by man. It is also interesting that the Roman Road avoids this area, suggesting that the area was a peaty bog during Roman Times and hence may have been overworked prior to the Roman Times (as was the case for much of the North Yorkshire Moors but that is another story). 

• Askham Bryan college 0.5 miles North West of Copmanthorpe has the farm with the name West Barrow farm - possible indication that there is a barrow (pre historic burial) near Copmanthorpe. I do accept that this could also be a clever student prank though.

As it stands, this is much guesswork now, only aerial photographs will show if the land around Copmanthorpe was actually farmed. York Field, North East of Copmanthorpe may hold the key to this mystery as Crop Marks each year unveil a history of the field. The swathes of grass in the picture of York Field below are crop marks of the path taken by the earlier heavier mediaeval plough.