Atlas of Battles

battle, major, ancient

Battle of Watling Street

Battle of Watling Street was a battle fought in AD 60 in what is now United Kingdom. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at its recorded location. It was part of the Roman conquest of Britain, which ran from AD 43 to AD 84. The recorded result: Roman victory. Recorded strength: Final battle: 10,000 against 230,000 (Cassius Dio).

See it on the globe Read the article

General route of Watling Street overlaid on an outdated map of the Roman road network in Britain
General route of Watling Street overlaid on an outdated map of the Roman road network in Britain. w:en:User:Neddyseagoon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtAD 60
WhereUnited Kingdom51.276N, 1.081E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeRoman victory
BelligerentsRoman EmpireagainstIceni; Trinovantes; Other Celtic Britons
Part ofRoman conquest of BritainAD 43 to AD 84

Where it sits in the Roman conquest of Britain

Battle of the Medway, AD 43Battle of the Thames, AD 43Battle of the Fens, AD 47Battle of Caer Caradoc, AD 50Battle of Watling Street, AD 60Battle of Londinium, AD 60Battle of Mons Graupius, AD 83Siege of Burnswark, AD 140AD 43AD 140Battle of Watling Street, AD 60
8 placed engagements of the Roman conquest of Britain in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 60 (year precision)
PlaceUnited Kingdom
51.276N, 1.081E
KindBattle, ancient
StrengthFinal battle: 10,000230,000 (Cassius Dio)
Casualties and lossesInitial; Legio IX Hispana destroyed with near-total casualties; Garrisons of Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium all killed; Final battle: 400 killed; 400+ wounded (Cassius Dio)80,000 (Cassius Dio); 70,000–80,000 civilians killed
Commanders
  • Boudica
Battle of Watling StreetBattle of Watling StreetSiege of CanterburyBattle of Graveney MarshBattle of WippedesfleotBattle of DoverSiege of Dover CastleBattle of Graveney MarshBattle of WippedesfleotLilleBrightonPortsmouthCoventryLutonOxfordIpswichCambridge100 km51.276N, 1.081E
Placed at its recorded location; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Conquista romana deis illas britanicas e formacion de la província de Britannia.
Conquista romana deis illas britanicas e formacion de la província de Britannia.. Nicolas Eynaud, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Watling Street
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Watling Street today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 17 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 125 m, 125 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 39% tree cover, 23% grassland, 20% built-up.

tree cover: 39%grassland: 23%built-up: 20%cropland: 18%tree cover 39%grassland 23%built-up 20%cropland 18%
west to east, 10.0 km9 to 85 mnorth to south, 10.0 km9 to 91 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Battle of Watling Street is one of 57 engagements of the 1st century in the atlas and one of 695 in present-day United Kingdom.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q894999, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Defeat of Boudica, revision 1378736090, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.