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Did the Romans ever settle in Colne ?? We don't know. Knowbody seems to know for certain - even historians can't make their minds up as to whether the Romans ever had a colony or a military base there. They have not left any trace if ever they did venture to Colne (a town on high ground 600 feet above sea-level) apart from some Roman coin finds around Castercliffe, a "multivallate" Iron-Age hillfort (SD 8849 3838) a few miles to the east. But the Romans gave the town its name? - Colunio, Colinia, Colna or Colnia. Local historians are minded to think that they set up a military base or station on Castercliffe hillfort. We know that the hillfort was settled in the Iron-Age (around the 1st century BC or as early as the 6th century BC ?), but there is no evidence whatsoever to say the Romans had a base on the hill. Or did the Brigantes settle upon Castercliffe instead of the Romans in the first century AD? - its possible but unlikely. Some local people believe the sunken road, actually a lane or track that runs around the eastern side of the fort was built by the Romans or used by them to get from the high ground down to the valley below where the River Calder flows southwards. But this ancient track is probably medieval. The nearest Roman road is at Downham in the Ribble Valley - this goes to Ribchester Roman fort; the nearest fort to Colne being Elslack some 7 miles or so to the north-east. So why have Roman coins been found in the vicinity of Castercliffe. And the very name Castercliffe seems to suggest 'Roman fort upon the cliffe' - Caster or Caister being a Roman place-name. So, anyone have any thoughts about this ?
Last edited by Sunbright57 on Sun Sep 06, 2015 2:57 pm; edited 1 time in total
