AT their March meeting members of Thorverton History Society enjoyed a talk by Dr Peter Marsden entitled “Exeter and London, a tale of two capital cities”.

Peter is originally from London but when he retired he moved to Devon. He met with local archaeologists and discovered local history and saw a lot of similarities with the work he had been doing in London.

The Romans invaded in about AD 43 and spread north and south west. They went north as far as Scotland but decided against going to Ireland. Exeter was the last stop of Roman civilisation in the South West although there are forts further west of Exeter and into Cornwall.

Both cities were established on navigable rivers, Exeter (Isca) on the Exe and London on the Thames.

The archaeological dig in the Cathedral Close in the 1970’s and work in Princesshay in 2005/6 were important excavations.

At one point the fort at Exeter housed more than 5,000 troops. Later, these troops were moved to Caerleon in South Wales. Similar decorated roof tiles have been found at both sites.

Roman forts were built to a standard layout so reconstruction of the whole is possible. Exeter’s fort was built between 50 – 65 AD and covered an area of 40 acres.

Caerleon has had greater excavations carried out and gives possible clues as to what Exeter might have looked like.

The amphitheatre remains are to be found in Exeter but the baths found in the Cathedral Close had a hypocaust system for heating and there were cold rooms, hot rooms, steam rooms and a cold water bath.

Roman baths are regarded as the finest heating systems until the 20th century.

London had no previous settlement but merchants from Europe had been trading and erected buildings on high ground north of the Thames.

The Romans started construction in this area and by the Third century their fort was established near Tower Bridge.

The earliest Roman grave was the burial of a man from Athens. Excavations have found writing tablets referring to business and trade.

By about 80 AD both Exeter and London, along with other cities, had self-governing civic status. Provincial tribe leaders met in London and an inscription from a temple of the state records the death of a 19-year-old wife of one of the leaders.

Both cities had public baths, amphitheatres and quays. London had two baths as the emperor was concerned about mixed bathing. Initially, times of access were divided between the sexes but a separate bath was built near the river at Huggin Hill.

London was trading internationally with North Africa and Europe. Pottery Samainware was imported with the potters name stamped on it. Ordinary people could read and write. Precious stones, gold and kitchen pots were all imported. Three seagoing Roman ship wrecks have been found in the Thames.

In about 122 AD Emperor Hadrian visited London and wanted a grander Basilica, Forum, Amphitheatre and a new fort for the Emperor’s guard.

The walls of the city of London were rebuilt about 200 AD but the reason for this is not known – times were peaceful then but there was a decline in the population of both Exeter and London around this time.

Christianity arrives in both cities around the Fourth century with the chi rho sign appearing on pots and pewter. Prior to this there were many marble sculptures to the gods Minerva, Mercury, Bacchus (drink) and Silenius (corn).

By the Fourth century Romano British civilisation began to go downhill. Civic order was lost. The Saxons arrived about 420 AD and gradually made their way westward.

Saxon names still exist and many place names in the South West reflect Saxon settlements.

We have Exwick and London has Aldwych (the name for an old town and about a mile from the City of London).

A gold ring from about 850 AD was found in the Exeter excavations.

Vikings invaded in the Ninth century. King Alfred set up fortified burghs and people moved from the countryside to the burghs for protection.

The Normans invaded in 1066 and both cities fell. Rougemont Castle was built in Exeter in 1068.

Robert Turner