In the 4th century, Britain experienced an increasing number of attacks from external enemies – the Saxons from the east and the Irish from the west. Even before this, in about AD 280, the construction of 10 forts – collectively known as Litus Saxonicum, or the Saxon Shore – was begun to defend the eastern and south-eastern coasts. However, these proved to be inadequate when, in 367, a general assault of Picts, Saxons, Irish and Attacotti ('cannibals', probably an island tribe), combined with a general revolt of the garrison on Hadrian's Wall, left Roman Britain badly damaged.
The usurper Magnus Maximus attempted to repeat the success of Constantine (who had been proclaimed emperor in York in 306) by raising the standard of revolt in Segontium (near present-day Caernarfon) in 383 and crossing the Channel, taking troops with him. His rebellion ended with his death in 388, but this time not all of the troops were returned to Britain. The Roman empire was now scrabbling to find sufficient manpower to defend all of its borders.
The archaeological records of the final decades of Roman rule show undeniable signs of decay. When, in 407, Constantine III was proclaimed emperor by the Roman troops in Britain and crossed the Channel with all of the remaining units of the British garrison, Roman Britain effectively ended. The inhabitants were forced to be responsible for their own defence and government – which is what the emperor Flavius Augustus Honorius told them, more or less, in a message in 410.
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 Roman Britain
www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Roman-
Britain
Looks at the invasion of the Romans and the decline of Roman rule. Links within the text cover the subject in more depth.
Roman departure from Britain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_
withdrawal_from_Britain
Extract from the Wikipedia, including an account of the departure by Geoffrey of Monmouth that 'cannot be trusted'.
Uh-oh ... here Come the Barbarians: Why did the soldiers leave?
http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/reticulum/LEGAC
Y/HereComeTheBarbs.htm
Children's website created by the Museum of Antiquities (part owned by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne). A surprisingly large amount of information, including a timeline, the text of an Anglo-Saxon poem and a quote from the ancient historian Gildas.
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The Decline and Fall of Roman Britain by Neil Faulkner (Tempus, 2004)
Looks at the decline of Roman rule, which reached a climax in the great military crisis of the late 4th century. The Roman imperial army withdrew its troops from Britain to defend the imperial heartlands, and the Romano-British élite succumbed to a combination of warlord power, barbarian attack and popular revolt.
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