Defence & Warfare

So massive were the old Roman defences that, even after five centuries of decay, they must have been a formidable barrier. In Alfred’s reign only about half the length of the Roman circuit seems to have been manned, but later in the Saxon period the entire circuit was defended against invading Viking armies (as in 997 and 1003) and later against the Norman army of William I.

An exciting discovery of recent years has been the identification by Exeter Archaeology of late Saxon stonework in the city wall near the castle.