Colchester - Why Britain's First City?

In AD49, Colchester was the first place in Britain to be given the status of a Roman Colonia.

A 'Colonia' was a planned settlement for retired veteran soldiers, who became citizens of Rome upon discharge (with all the privileges that Roman citizenship afforded!). This meant that Colchester acted as a focal point for “Roman-ness” in the new province of Britannia and a beacon for transmitting Roman civilisation and values throughout the province. And, with this information, it's easy to see why it was a target for destruction during the revolt against Roman rule led by Queen Boudica in AD60.

The status of being a Colonia can be likened to city status now – certainly, the Romans saw Colchester as being in the top category of settlements in Roman Britain. In fact, Colchester was also the first capital of Roman Britain, until after the Boudican revolt when the title passed to London, which serves as the capital city today.

Britain's Oldest Recorded Town or Britain's First City?

As far as we know Colchester’s status as a Colonia - awarded by the Emperor Claudius - was never revoked. However, Colchester was classified as a town until 2022, when it was awarded official city status as part of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Prior to this, Colchester had long been known as Britain's oldest recorded town, based on a reference by the Roman writer, Pliny the Elder. In around AD77 - while describing the island of Anglesey - he wrote that ‘it is about 200 miles from Camulodunum, a town in Britain'. Camulodunum - meaning ‘fortress of the War God Camulos’ - was the Celtic name for Colchester later adopted by the Romans, making this the first known literary reference to any named settlement in this country.

Pliny died in AD79, one of the victims of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeii, but his definition shaped the city for centuries to come. Keep reading for more of Colchester's history!

Colchester Through the Ages

Of course, Colchester’s long history predates both AD77 and AD49; a major settlement was present here during the Iron Age over 2000 years ago. The most powerful Iron Age tribal leader 'Cunobelin' (who you may know as Shakespeare’s 'Cymbeline') was described by the Romans as ‘King of The Britons’, and ruled Britain from Camulodunum. Interestingly, this would make Colchester the capital of the pre-Roman Britain as well that of Roman Britain.

Iron Age and Roman Camulodunum literally laid the foundations for today’s modern Colchester, where the visitor can explore over 2000 years of history, and operated as a key place for Iron Age tribalism, Roman rule, Saxon and Viking invasion, the Norman Conquest, Magna Carta, Peasants Revolt, the Black Death, the cloth trade, the Reformation and the Civil War!

The Modern City of Colchester

Colchester was awarded city status in 2022 as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Reasons put forward in the initial bid included its historical significance, as well as its present day importance as a regional centre. Colchester's significant military history and ongoing links to the military were highlighted as well as its impressive arts and culture offer. Click the links to learn more about our city's museums, galleries and performing arts offerings.