Historic%20Yorkshire

18
LEEDS BEFORE THE CONQUEST.
There was a sound of clashing arms before the arrival
of foreign invaders. The Britons were ever carrying on
an intestine warfare, which was but exchanged for a
divided and futile conflict with the veteran legions of
Rome. The Brigantes held out for more than a century
after the first arrival of the invaders, but once fallen, they
became submissive subjects, and Leeds was made a
station of the conquerors. There have at various times
been discovered considerable Roman remains. There
was a castrum or entrenched camp on the hill lying
between Charles Street and High Street, and called
" Wall-flatt." Across the Aire was a trajectus, not
far from where stands its more modern successor.
Leeds was, as we should expect, " on the high-road," or
rather on one of the great Roman roads, which (passing
from Tadcaster to Manchester) layin a part ofits course
a little to the east ofBriggate. Leedsparticipated,doubtless,
in the prosperity which prevailed over the land
during a greater part of the Roman supremacy, and in
an equal degree in the tribulation which followed the
Roman departure. At a period about 308 years after the
birth of Christ, the Imperial empire began to be hemmed
in by her barbarian foes, and the Britons, feeling the
growing weaknessof their masters,made several attempts
to throw off their yoke. At a battle in 326 the Romans
suffered a signal defeat, and in 440 they had retired to
concentrate against the Goths, leaving Britain and the
Britons to the Picts and Scots, who poured down from
their northern strongholds, and speedily had the effete
population at their mercy. These, calling in the aid of
the formidable Saxons, found their friends their direst
enemies, for after repellingthe Caledonians, the Saxons
turned their victorious arms against those they came to
help,and in time drove them to the remotest parts of the
island, leaving but a few bare names to show that ever
such a people lived. This was not performed without a
protracted struggle. The ancient ferocious spirit of the
Britons which remained unbroken after nearly five