By AD80 the Romans were probably using the site as a base but it was not uncommon for the forces of the greatest empire in the world at the time, to take over places long used by local people.

With it’s pleasant site above the River Esk and flat lands that could have been cleared of trees for agriculture, it’s quite possible, perhaps even probable, Netherby Hall sits on ground that had been settled perhaps hundreds of years before Julius Caeser cast his eyes on our “tin islands”.