Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.

[Nathan Ross]

still no earliest ref confirmed.

Depends what you're looking for, doesn't it? All the sources you just mentioned have a battle on or near Watling Street. This goes back to Haverfield, who put the battle somewhere on Watling Street, c.1910.

Nicholas Fuentes, in his 1983 paper on Virginia Water, says (p.312) that "most commentators suggest... he defeated the rebels somewhere along Watling Street" - his reference is 'E.g. Frere, Morris, Scullard and Webster; Salway to a lesser extent'.

It does seem that the actual phrase Battle of Watling Street is quite recent, 21st century - perhaps it's taken that long to creep into popular thinking? Although, as I said above, it was used in the late 70s to refer to a stock market panic.

I would still be interested to know whether the panic was named after the supposed battle, or vice versa...