Prehistory
The Ribble Valley has yielded archaeological evidence of continuous human occupation since the Mesolithic period (middle stone age) 10,000 years ago when hunter- gatherers roamed the land. Farmers settled in the area during the Neolithic (new stone age) and started farming the fertile valley, and there are known sites from then until the Iron Age.
Occupation in or close to Ribchester is known from the Bronze Age because of the discovery of a cremation cemetery on the north side of the village. The well-known timber circle at Bleasdale, 20km northwest of Ribchester, is further evidence of Bronze Age activity in the area. It is also one of the few nearby sites from this period worthy of a visit.
Although there is no firm evidence it is highly probable that settlement in Ribchester continued from this period, through the Iron Age, until Roman occupation centuries later. Excavation of ditches by Time Team in 1993 to the north of the Roman fort, though inconclusive, suggested the presence of an Iron Age enclosure.
Portfield Camp near Whalley was a defended settlement from the Neolithic and remained occupied, though not necessarily continuously, until the Iron Age. Although certain areas of the site have been excavated, there is a lot more to learn about Portfield
