Ribchester
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ribchester is a village in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Blackburn and Preston. The village stands on the banks of the River Ribble.
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[edit] Roman Ribchester
The village was originally established as a Roman auxiliary fort named Bremetennacum or Bremetenacum Veteranorum. The first fort was built in timber in AD 72/73. The fort was renovated in the late 1st century AD and was rebuilt in stone in the early 2nd century. During the life of the fort, a village grew up around it. A fort remained at Ribchester until the 4th century AD and its remains can still be seen around the present village.
[edit] Roman remains
A report on Roman remains at Ribchester was published in Roman Britain in 1914 (Haverfield, 1915):
- "In the spring of 1913 a small school-building was pulled down at Ribchester, and the Manchester Classical Association was able to resume its examination of the Principia (praetorium) of the Roman fort, above a part of which this building had stood. The work was carried out by Prof. W. B. Anderson, of Manchester University, and Mr. D. Atkinson, Research Fellow of Reading College, and, though limited in extent, was very successful.
- "The first discovery of the Principia is due to Miss Greenall, who about 1905 was building a house close to the school and took care that certain remains found by her builders should be duly noted: excavations in 1906-7, however, left the size and extent of these remains somewhat uncertain and resulted in what we now know to be an incorrect plan. The work done last spring (1913) makes it plain (see illustration) that the Principia fronted — in normal fashion — the main street of the fort (gravel laid on cobbles) running from the north to the south gate. But, abnormally, the frontage was formed by a verandah or colonnade: the only parallel which I can quote is from Caersws, where excavations in 1909 revealed a similar verandah in front of the Principia. Next to the verandah stood the usual Outer Court with a colonnade round it and two wells in it (one is the usual provision): the colonnade seemed to have been twice rebuilt. Beyond that are fainter traces of the Inner Court which, however, lies mostly underneath a churchyard: the only fairly clear feature is a room (A on plan) which seems to have stood on the right side of the Inner Court, as at Chesters and Ambleside. Behind this, probably, stood the usual five office rooms. If we carry the Principia about 20 feet further back, which would be a full allowance for these rooms with their walling, the end of the whole structure will line with the ends of the granaries found some years ago. This, or something very like it, is what we should naturally expect. We then obtain a structure measuring 81 × 112 feet, the latter dimension including a verandah 8 feet wide. This again seems a reasonable result. Ribchester was a large fort, about 6 acres, garrisoned by cavalry; in a similar fort at Chesters, on Hadrian's Wall, the Principia measured 85 × 125 feet: in the 'North Camp' at Camelon, another fort of much the same size (nearly 6 acres), they measured 92 × 120 feet."
[edit] Post-Roman Ribchester
Not much is known about post Roman Ribchester although the presence of Saint Wilfrid's Church on the site of the old Roman Fort indicates that it remained an important site. The church's website provides a detailed history of both Saint Wilfrid's and Saint Saviour's Church, which stands in the nearby settlement of Stydd and which is perhaps a remnant of a Knights Templar or Knights Hospitallers establishment.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the village was economically dependent on cotton cloth production, not least at Bee Mill, the chimney of which was only demolished in 2005.
The village is now mostly a dormitory for Preston, Blackburn, and Longridge commuters although the former Bee Mill has now been converted into units for light industry and retail. Although a dormitory village it retains an active community with three active churches, a village school (5 - 11 years), three pubs and a sports and social club.
Ribchester is also the home of the Ribchester Music Festival that takes place in Saint Wilfrid's Church and other venues every Summer.
There are many clubs and societies in the Village such as the RATS (Ribchester Amateur Threatrical Society), RADAC (Ribchester and District Angling Club) and a newly formed History Society.
A field site and a residence in the village featured in the first series of Time Team in 1994.
[edit] Gallery
 The Ribchester stretch of the River Ribble. |
 A window of Ribchester Primary School. |
 St. Wilfrid's Parish Church. |
 St. Wilfrids' tower. |
 Church Street. |
 The White Bull, patronised by the members of Time Team during their 1993 visit to the village. |
 Ribchester Field Day parade moves down Water Street. |
 The Palm Sunday parade moving from outside the White Bull Pub to Saint Wilfrid's Church. |
[edit] References
- Buxton, K. and Howard-Davis, C. (2000) Bremetenacum: excavations at Roman Ribchester 1980, 1989-1990, Lancaster imprints, no. 9, Lancaster University Archaeological Unit, ISBN 1-86220-083-1
- Haverfield, F. (1915) Roman Britain in 1914, British Academy supplimental papers III, Oxford University Press, (Online Text,Project Gutenburg)
- Smith, T. C. and Shortt, J (1890) The history of the parish of Ribchester, in the county of Lancaster, London: Bemrose & sons, 283p
