The Roman Rig (also known as Roman Ridge, Scotland Balk, Barber Balk, Devil's Bank or Danes Bank) is the name given to a series of earthworks in the north of

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. I ...

, England. They are believed to originally have formed a single

Dyke Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...

running from near Wincobank in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Mexborough Mexborough is a town in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. Situated between Manvers and Denaby Main, it lies on the River Don close to where it joins the River Dearne, and the A6023 road runs through the town. It is contigu ...

. Its purpose and date of construction are unknown. Formerly thought to have been a

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman R ...

, modern archaeologists think that it was built either in the 1st century AD by the Brigantian tribes as a defence against the

Roman invasion of Britain The Roman conquest of Britain refers to the conquest of the island of Britain by occupying Roman forces. It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the southern half of Britain by 87 when the St ...

, or after the 5th century to defend the kingdom of

Elmet Elmet ( cy, Elfed), sometimes Elmed or Elmete, was an independent Brittonic kingdom between about the 5th century and early 7th century, in what later became the smaller area of the West Riding of Yorkshire then West Yorkshire, South Yorks ...

from the

Angles The Angles ( ang, Ængle, ; la, Angli) were one of the main Germanic peoples who settled in Great Britain in the post-Roman period. They founded several kingdoms of the Heptarchy in Anglo-Saxon England. Their name is the root of the name ...

. The southernmost end of the dyke is thought to have been close to Lady's Bridge at the River Don in Sheffield, but today it only becomes visible close to the Iron Age fort at Wincobank. The dyke continues in a north-easterly direction following the Don Valley to

Kimberworth Kimberworth is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north-west of Rotherham town centre and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) north-east of the City of She ...

where it splits into two branches that continue roughly parallel to each other in a sweep starting to the north-east and turning east. The southern branch passes through Greasbrough, intersecting the River Don just south of Swinton at Kilnhurst. The northern branch passes close to another Iron Age fort at

Scholes Coppice Scholes Coppice (also called Scholes Wood) in an area of ancient woodland located to the north-west of Kimberworth in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It was once part of the Kimberworth Deer Park, and contains ...

and runs to the north of Swinton, meeting the River Don at Mexborough. Part of the western end of the ridge was used in the Middle Ages to demarcate the boundary of

Ecclesfield Ecclesfield is a village and civil parish in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, about 4 miles (6 km) north of Sheffield City Centre. Ecclesfield civil parish had a population of 32,073 at the 2011 Census. Ecclesfield wards ...

and Sheffield. This western part parallels the Don, and a report of 1891 in the ''

Sheffield Independent Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...

'' stated that it had formerly run as far west as Bridgehouses. Part of the northern branch formed the boundary between Wath-on-Dearne on the one side and

Rawmarsh Rawmarsh (locally ) is a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-northeast from Rotherham town centre and ...

and Swinton on the other. David Hey, ''Medieval South Yorkshire''

References

*Brigantes Nation (2002)
Roman Rig.
(Accessed 17 December 2005.) *Cronk, K A. Journey Along the Roman Ridge: Exploring the Purpose of South-West Yorkshire’ Ancient Dykes. The Clifton and Wellgate Local History Group, 2004. *Cronk, K A. South West Yorkshire's Roman Ridge: A Who-Dug-It Mystery. The Clifton and Wellgate Local History Group, 2004. *Hunter, Joseph (1819). An inquiry into the early state and remote history of the Parish of Sheffield. In: ''Hallamshire. The History and Topography of the Parish of Sheffield in the County of York.'' pp15–23. London: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mayor & Jones.] *Leader, R.E. (1906). ''The Highways and Byways of Old Sheffield.'' A lecture delivered before the Sheffield Literary and Philosophical Society
transcription
History of Sheffield History of South Yorkshire Scheduled monuments in South Yorkshire {{SouthYorkshire-geo-stub Linear earthworks Archaeological sites in South Yorkshire

See also

References