Aldborough is a village to the north-east of Knaresborough, in the civil parish of Boroughbridge in the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Aldborough was built on the site of a major Romano-British town, Isurium Brigantum. The

Brigantes The Brigantes were Ancient Britons who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England. Their territory, often referred to as Brigantia, was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire. The Greek geogr ...

, the most populous Celtic tribe in the area at the time of the

Roman occupation of Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...

, used the settlement as a capital. Isurium may also have been the base of the Roman

Legio VIIII Hispana Legio IX Hispana ("9th Spanish Legion"), also written Legio VIIII Hispana, was a legion of the Imperial Roman army that existed from the 1st century BC until at least 120 AD. The legion fought in various provinces of the late Roman Re ...

Archaeology

Aldborough was built on the site of a major Roman town, '' Isurium Brigantum'', which marked the crossing of Dere Street, the Roman Road from York north to the

Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as ''Vallum Antonini'', was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some twe ...

via Corbridge and

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

. Isurium Brigantum, after AD160, was the administrative centre of the

(and around about the centre of two ridings and York's land that the Brigantes originally covered), the most populous British tribe in the area at the time of the Roman occupation. Traces of comfortable houses have been found, with many potsherds, coins and bronze, iron and other objects, and a large part of the town walls can be seen. The Aldborough Roman Site museum, run by English Heritage, contains relics of the Roman town, including mosaic pavements. Currently an extensive project is in progress directed by

Rose Ferraby Rose Ferraby is an archaeologist and artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a ...

and Martin Millett, which has undertaken extensive geophysical surveys, not only of the town and also the suburbs. These have revealed the regular layout of the town, showing the presence of a military compound and confirming the position of the forum and amphitheatre.

History

Aldborough was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Burgh'' (

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

''burh'' 'ancient fortification'). By 1145 the prefix ''ald'' (old) had been added. Aldborough lost much of its importance when the river crossing was moved to Boroughbridge in Norman times. In the Middle Ages it was made a

Parliamentary Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

, and returned two Members of Parliament (MPs) until the seat was abolished in the Great Reform Act of 1832. Aldborough was a large

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...

, which included townships in both the West Riding of Yorkshire and across the River Ure in the North Riding. In the West Riding the parish included Aldborough, Boroughbridge,

Lower Dunsforth Lower Dunsforth is a village in located in the civil parish of Dunsforths, in the Borough of Harrogate of North Yorkshire, England. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book ...

, Minskip,

Roecliffe Roecliffe is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near the A1 road motorway which connects London with Edinburgh and is 1 mile west of Boroughbridge. It is on the banks of the River Ur ...

and

Upper Dunsforth Upper Dunsforth is a village in located in the civil parish of Dunsforths, in the Borough of Harrogate of North Yorkshire, England. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Boo ...

. In the North Riding the parish included Ellenthorpe and

Milby Milby is a hamlet and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated to the immediate north of Boroughbridge. History The Roman road, ''Dere Street'' crossed the River Ure at Milby. Until the mid 19th cent ...

. All these places became separate civil parishes in 1866.Vision of Britain website
/ref> In 1938 the civil parish of Aldborough was abolished and merged into the civil parish of Boroughbridge. In 1974 Aldborough was transferred from the West Riding to the new county of North Yorkshire.

Notable people

, artist and archaeologist. * Richard Aldborough, politician from the 1600s.

References

External links

Aldborough Roman Site: English Heritage
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Boroughbridge Former civil parishes in North Yorkshire

Archaeology

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links