The Invasion leading to the first Roman Towns
The first Romans to arrive in the Milton Keynes area, shortly after the invasion in AD43, were the men of the 14th Legion, the Legio XIV Gemina, on their way to subdue the tribes of the West Midlands and Wales.
The Roman invasion of AD43
The route followed by the 14th Legion (red arrow) became the Roman road later known as Watling Street.
Where the road crosses the river Ouzel a fort was built. On this site, now just outside Fenny Stratford, a small town called Magiovinium soon developed, close to the Iron Age tribal centre at Danesborough.
Towns and Roads
Magiovinium probably became the local market and administrative centre for the district. By Roman standards it was not a large or important settlement, though it was surrounded by an earth rampart. We know little of its plan or development, though its suburbs, extending along Watling Street, have been at least partly excavated. Watling Street linked the town to Lactodorum (Towcester) to the north, and Durocobrivis (Dunstable) to the south. Magiovinium was also linked to the Roman town at Alchester, (near Bicester, Oxfordshire) by a road that followed the present A421 Bletchley – Buckingham road.
Area of Magnovinium (hatched green) in relation to modern road system.
Area of Magnovinium in relation to modern roads as defined by surrounding bank and ditch still showing as a cropmark in the pale green field.
Evidence was also found at Magiovinium of a more dubious metalworking activity, in the form of a hoard of bronze coin blanks, scrap bronze and a pair of iron coin dies, possibly used to forge coins in the third century AD.
Coin forger’s hoard
Another road ran northwards to the small town at Irchester (Northants), crossing the river Ouse near Olney. At this crossing point, known now as Ashfurlong, there seems to have been a settlement. It is likely that the rivers were also used for transport: possible quays have been found on the Ousel, near Water Eaton, and at Thornborough, where the modern A421 crosses the Ouse.
