Before The Romans:

• Neolithic & Bronze Age
• Iron Age & Brigantes
• The Roman Conquest

Before The Romans:

The Iron Age and the Brigantes

Who lived around Castleford?
In the Iron Age the Castleford area lay within the territory of a powerful group of British tribes called the Brigantes. They controlled almost the whole of the north of England.

Evidence for people living in the area
Botanical (plant) evidence shows that there was well-established and well-organised farming in the Castleford area during the Iron Age. Aerial photography shows that people lived in small farms scattered around the landscape. Some of these farms close to Castleford have been excavated at Whitwood, Ferrybridge and Ledston.

Burial of an important man
A rare burial of an Iron Age man was found at Ferry Fryston near Ferrybridge during improvements to the A1(M) in 2003. He was buried in about 200 BC in a complete chariot. Archaeologists think that burial in a chariot was reserved for people of very high status in the Iron Age. Chariot burials are usually only found in East Yorkshire, so this man may not have been local.