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Although Julius Caesar led expeditions into Kent in 55 and 54 BC, it was not until AD 43 that Britain became part of the Roman Empire, conquered by an invading army sent by the Emperor Claudius. Aulus Plautius, the victorious general, became Britain’s first Governor. Kent was split into two halves: the west was governed from Rochester, Medway’s first walled town. The Romans called this settlement Durobrivae, meaning “the stronghold by the bridges.” Most small-scale farmers in Medway probably continued working in the same fashion as they had before the conquest. While Latin became the official language for business, law and government, the native British language remained in use in daily life. People with larger farms or estates began to build new Roman-style houses called villas. A road system was built through Medway, based around Watling Street, the main route from London to Dover now followed by the A2. The new roads, together with improved port facilities, opened up Britain even more to the wider world and supported growing industries such as the Medway potteries. Periods of unrest in the empire during the fourth century AD affected government in Britain. When the legions were finally withdrawn at the start of the fifth century, Britain entered an obscure period of change as Germanic settlers from northern Europe migrated to southern and eastern Britain and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were born. Related pages Resources Durobrivae or Roman Rochester by Edwin Harris, 1909. Traffic and Politics: the Construction and Management of Rochester Bridge, AD43–1993 edited by Nigel Yates and James M.Gibson. The Boydell Press, 1994.
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Prehistoric Medway
350,000 BC – 43AD Roman Medway
43 – 410 Anglo-Saxon Medway
410 – 1066 Medieval Medway
1066 – 1485 Tudor Medway
1485 – 1603 Medway in the 17th century
1603 – 1700 Georgian Medway
1714 – 1830 Victorian Medway
1837 – 1901 Medway in the 20th century
1901 – 2000 Medway in the 21st century
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