My name is Cassivellaunus. More than 2,000 years ago I was the chieftain of the local tribe, the Catuvellauni, and I have been asked to introduce you to the amazing history of Wheathampstead.
There are lots of interesting stories to tell including battles against the Romans, highway robbery, Antarctic explorers and the railway line that passed through Wheathampstead for more than 100 years. The first of these stories is shown below and there's lots more information to be found in the Timeline on the History Society website. There is also a map on this website so you can find out what history there is nearest to your home. Click HERE for the map.
In 54 BCE, Julius Caesar, leader of the Roman army, had recently conquered Gaul (the country we now call France) and decided to launch an expedition into Britain. Cassivellaunus, leader of the Catuvellauni, was chosen to lead five local tribes against Caesar. For many months, he used guerrilla tactics to fight the better organised and better equipped invaders. In the end a traitor told Julius Caesar where Cassivellaunus was hiding in his stronghold and, in a final battle, he was defeated and captured. Nobody knows exactly where this battle was fought but it may have been at Devil's Dyke, just outside Wheathampstead. Rather than kill him, Julius Caesar made Cassivellaunus promise to be loyal to Rome and put him in charge of all the known tribes of Britain. After that Julius Caesar left Britain and sailed back to Italy. The Romans did not return to Britain until 43CE.
Julius Caesar wrote a journal about his adventures and named Cassivellaunus in the journal. This made Cassivellaunus the first Briton recorded in history.
