Introduction

The oldest part of the village of Copmanthorpe is the Roman road that runs along Top Lane and into Colton Lane (in the picture below) and is part of the route between Roman York (Eboracum) and Roman Tadcaster (Calcaria). So it is worth mentioning a little of the Roman history of York.

Birth of York (EBORACUM)

Myth: Because of its geographic importance (it was the natural crossing point between East and West Yorkshire), the Romans created York as a Roman Fortress city.

Truth: According to Ptolemy the Roman geographer, York was already a place of inhabitants prior to the Roman invasion. The town belonged to the local tribe of the Brigantes who ruled most of Yorkshire (and Lancashire).

We cannot really guess as to the size of York prior to the Roman invasion. Some historians believe that it was just a farmstead. My personal feeling is that if York was at a strategic position for the Romans then it would have been strategic for any earlier local tribes and hence may have supported something more than a farmstead.

Whatever the situation prior to the Romans, there can be no doubt about the Roman history. York enjoyed an unusually high status during Roman Times (AD 71 - 410). This can be demonstrated in a number of ways (and is worthy of a book in its own right):

• It was one of only 3 towns in Britain to have a permanently manned fortress, the other two being Caerleon (Isca Silurium) and Chester (Deva). The fortress was built on a site between the river Ouse and Foss which sat on the Terminal Moraine. Although only 10.5 metres above sea level, this was high enough to stop the then tidal rivers from flooding it.

•  A civilian town grew up outside the fortress to trade with the soldiers. This town achieved the highest ranking status of Colonia. There were only 3 other British towns that qualified for this honour - Gloucester (Glevum), Colchester (Camulodum) and Lincoln (Lindum). 

• York was the administration centre of Britannia Inferior, London was the administration centre for Britannia Superior. 

• In AD 306, Constantine was proclaimed Roman Emperor in York. In AD 208 - 211, Emperor Severus went one better by actually ruling the whole of the Roman Empire from York.

Roman Roads around York

When the Romans first built their fortress, they then started to build roads to stretch out North, South, East and West of the fortress. The route of the road West (through Copmanthorpe and onto Tadcaster) would have had to follow the course of the ridge of the terminal moraine leaving York. Indeed in Lesley P. Wenham book 'EBORACUM', he suggests that the lower ground of Hob Moor and the Knavesmire would have been flooded or waterlogged as to be impassable. If this was the case, then the Roman road would most certainly have followed the route of much older prehistoric track. This has been confirmed by a number of discoveries of flint axes on the terminal moraines around Holgate.