Research Routes: Carlisle

The county town of Cumbria is actually a city – theGreat BorderCity – and its location has given it a fascinating history.

Before the Romans invaded, Cumbriawas home to the Carvetii tribe, and they would have known modern-day Carlisle as one of their settlements. The Romans knew it as Luguvalium, and by 73AD, a timber fort was being built on what is now the site of Carlisle Castle. By the 2nd century AD, Carlisle was a stronghold on the frontier between England and Scotland. Hadrian built Petriana, also known as Uxelodunum, a fort in the Stanwix area of Carlisle, north of the river Eden. This was part of Hadrian’s plan to build a wall along the frontier; he visited here in 122AD, and the stone-build Petriana would become the largest fort along Hadrian’s Wall. The Romans remained in Carlisle until the end of the 4th century.

After the Roman occupation ended, Carlisle continued to be an important stronghold that various kingdoms sought to control, and by the time of the Norman Conquest, it had become part of Scotland. This situation did not remain, however, and in 1092, William Rufus – son of William the Conqueror – invaded the area and put both Carlisle and the wider area of Cumberland back into England. The following year, the building of Carlisle Castle (www.englishheritage.org.uk/visit/places/carlislecastle/) started, and in 1112, it was rebuilt in stone, with a keep and city walls added. The city, south of the castle, was now enclosed, and access was via one of three gates – the Irish or Caldew Gate to the west; the English, or Botcher, Gate to the south, and the Scotch Gate to the east.

In 1133, Carlisle gained city status with the formation of a diocese, and the priory became Carlisle Cathedral. But this was not the start of a more peaceable era; on the contrary, its location meant that Carlisle and the surrounding area was frequently fought over by armies from both north and south, and tensions were usually high.

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