During the Iron Age and Roman Era, the Ordovices tribe lived in what is now south Clwyd and south Gwynedd in North Wales. In addition to parts of Clwyd and Gwynedd, the Ordovices tribes’ territory extended into parts of Hereford, Worcester, and western Shropshire in what is now England. They were great warriors and nearly wiped out an entire Roman regiment. However, even these brave fighters wouldn’t escape Rome’s organized military force by the end. 

The Iron Age for Wales spans from 800 BC to 48 AD. During this time, Celtic tribal societies occupied the island of Britain. No king or chieftain ever organized the tribes under a single ruler. Additionally, they didn’t always get along or work well together—facts that didn’t improve matters when Roman troops first stepped foot on British soil in 43 AD.  

To understand the Ordovices and what life was like at the time, we need to take a step back and look at how different things were in the British Isles when the Romans invaded. The Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, and Wales as we know them today didn’t exist. If you asked a tribesman if he spoke Welsh, he wouldn’t have known what you meant. Members of the Ordovices tribe spoke Brythonic, a branch of the Insular Celtic language. It would one day give us Cymraeg, but not for another 500 years. 

England, on the southeast side of the island, didn’t exist yet, either. The Anglo-Saxon tribes didn’t establish dominance over the land that became England until the 5th and 6th centuries after the Romans left. In fact, England wouldn’t officially become a kingdom until 927 AD. In other words, to conquer Britain, the Romans had to fight their way through screaming, ax-wielding Celts from one end of the island to the other. It wasn’t easy. The Ordovices were one of the tribes who made sure of that.

What is the Meaning of “Ordovices?”

The word “Ordovices” was the Latin name for the Celtic tribe. While we can be sure the Celts didn’t refer to themselves in Latin, various ideas exist about their real name and what it meant. 

The Celtic word “ordo” shares a relationship with the word for “hammer” in modern Welsh, which is “gordd.” “Ordo-wik” in Celtic could mean “hammer fighters” as a tribal name (the literal translation is “hammer fight”).

There is also another meaning of “ordo,” which is a variation of the Common Celtic word “ard,” which means “high.” The Welsh word “gwych” comes from Brythonic and means “brave” or “energetic.” The words together could have formed a Brythonic name, “Ordogwych.” Its meaning could have been “brave highlanders” since the Ordovices lived in the mountains in North Wales. It’s hard to be sure since there were likely different dialects of Brythonic, just as there are different dialects of modern Welsh today.

Another idea comes from the name given to a small village in North Wales: “Dinorag.” The Welsh historian Sir John Edward Lloyd suggested that the proper name of the Ordovices has been retained as the word part “-orwig” or “-orweg” in the name of the hillfort Dinas Dinorwig for which the village is named. It means “Fort of the Ordovices.”

How Do You Pronounce “Ordovices?”

For the Ordovices pronunciation, in English, you say the word “Ordovices” like this: “OR-doe-visses,” with the stress on the first syllable. 

The Ordovices Tribe: Life in Ancient Celtic Britain

The Ordovices lived in and around heavily defended hillforts. Hillforts were well-fortified settlements built on top of hills or other advantageous positions—often on hills or promontories, but not always. They enclosed the hillforts by a high wall. This wall was often stone on the bottom half, wooden on the top, and wide enough for a man to walk on. In addition to needing good visibility, guards needed to be able to move to and fro while keeping watch. While many Iron Age Celts, like the Ordovices tribe, built hillforts, peoples in the earlier Bronze Age sometimes created them as well. We also see hillfort ruins from the Middle Ages.

Within these well-guarded settlements, people lived inside stone or wooden roundhouses with straw or reed-thatched roofs, depending on the environment. They sealed the walls of their homes with waddle and daub, a mixture of mud and sticks. The tribal chieftain and his family lived in the largest house or building within the hillfort. Some tribe members also lived outside the hillfort near their fields or with their herds of animals. However, they were still relatively close by and could seek shelter within the gate if trouble arose.   The Forts of Celtic Britain by Angus Konstam   goes into Celtic settlements in detail.

The Celts were highly skilled metalworkers, and having iron meant better tools and weapons. Strong tools made farming more manageable, and iron weapons meant better defense. In Iron Age villages, it was common for people to work as carpenters, potters, and metalworkers. There was often a large building inside a hillfort (a “factory” of sorts) with one or more forges where craftspeople smelted iron and other metals to make necessary items.  

The Ordovices and the Romans

Of the Celtic tribes that the Roman Empire had to deal with, the Ordovices put up the biggest fight besides the Silures. When Rome invaded, the Ordovices fought back with everything they had. They refused to submit tamely to Roman rule. When Caratacus (Caradog) came to their aid and led the fight, this Celtic tribe only became more unruly. 

Caratacus was a chieftain who had come from the Catuvellauni tribe in what is now Herefordshire, north of the River Thames. He and his warriors had been fighting against Rome for many years. However, after defeat, he was exiled from his lands and went to help the Ordovices and the Silures. Unfortunately, after eight years of fighting the Romans, they defeated him in 50 AD. Although he escaped death that day, Queen Cartimandua betrayed him and gave his whereabouts to the Romans. 

Governor Publius Ostorius Scapula captured Caratacus and sent him to Rome. He was allowed an audience with Emperor Claudius. The great tribal chieftain told the emperor that it was only right that he should fight for his people and lands. He stated his case, not begging, pleading, or bowing, even though he knew Scapula would likely execute him. The emperor was so impressed that he let Caratacus go. The warrior king was now exiled from Britain but was allowed to live out the rest of his life in Rome. 

The Fight Continues

Not about to give up, the Ordovices continued fighting and resisting the Romans for a remarkable twenty-eight years. In 77 AD, just before the Roman Governor Agricola came to power, the Ordovices won a great victory. They nearly wiped out an entire Roman cavalry regiment stationed in their territory. 

Agricola regarded this as a blatant act of war. In 78 AD, he assembled a force of veterans and additional troops and marched into the Ordovices’ land in North Wales. With Agricola’s more organized soldiers and warfare methods, he and his men nearly wiped out the entire tribe. The battle may have occurred at or near Dinas Dinorag, the location of the Ordovices hillfort. 

Following this, Agricola and his troops are said to have gone to Ynys Môn (Isle of Anglesey). One tactic Agricola may have employed is taking Batavian soldiers as his auxiliary troops. These Germanic people who used to live in what is now the Netherlands had particular seafaring skills. They were accustomed to swimming alongside their horses in their armor. It is said that Agricola and his soldiers then invaded Ynys Môn and destroyed the Druid stronghold there.

Where Did the Ordovices Come From?

The Ordovices tribe’s history traces back to European Celts, who migrated to Britain from the continent as early as 1,000 BC and ended their migration as late as 100 BC. By the time the Roman Empire sent troops to the island, the Ordovices had well established themselves in North Wales. 

What Celtic Tribes Were in Wales?

The Ordovices, Silures, Deceangli, Gangani, and Demetae were the five   ancient Celtic tribes   living in Cymru during the Iron Age. The Deceangli tribe is believed to be an offshoot of the Gangani tribe. The Deceangli and Gangani share a connection to the Irish Concani, a seafaring tribe that traveled to Wales by boat.

The Demetae tribe was peaceable and didn’t resist Roman rule like the Ordovices. They were given citizenship status and absorbed into Rome’s administration.

Ordovices Tribes Facts at a Glance

The Ordovices were a Celtic tribe who lived in ancient North Wales and parts of western England. Their lands were bordered by the Silures to the north and the Deceangli to the south. 

How long did the Ordovices fight the Romans? They fought the might of Rome for approximately 30 years, from 48 to 78 AD. (Rome invaded Britain in 43 AD but didn’t reach Wales until 48 AD.) One of the main ways they could hold out so long was through guerrilla warfare.

After Agricola defeated the Ordovices once and for all, he incorporated the tribe into the Roman province of Brittania Major. Their lands became a tribal administrative district. 

Some Celtic tribes, like the Dematae, were more peaceful and didn’t want to go toe to toe in battle with the highly organized Romans. The Orodovices, however, were one of the warlike tribes of Wales. They shared this with the Silures, the Gangani, and the Deceangli.  

It took the Ordovices until the 3rd century AD to recover their numbers after their defeat at Dinas Dinorag by Agricola, if, in fact, that location is where the final battle occurred. 

Cymru will never forget these brave Celts who had true fighting spirit.