Excavation north of road against east wall.
Publications :
Reference
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne
2/1886/24:196
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Site of Vallum not located in trenches immediately to the east of the fort.
The first archaeological investigation of the fort.
| Auspices |
Cumberland Excavation Committee
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| Director of fieldwork |
F Haverfield
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Publications :
Note
Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society
15/1899/178-9
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Excavation failed to locate the line of the earlier turf wall through the fort.
| Auspices |
Cumberland Excavation Committee
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| Director of fieldwork |
F Haverfield
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Publications :
Note
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne
10/1901/9:81-2
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Note
Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society
2/1902/391-2
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Extensive excavations within the fort.
| Director of fieldwork |
W P Brewis
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| Auspices |
Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle
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| Auspices |
North of England Excavation Committee
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Publications :
Full report
Archaeologia Aeliana : or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity
1/1925/93-120
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Note
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne
2/1925/1:2
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Note
The journal of Roman studies
Society for Promotion of Roman Studies
14/1924/217-9
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Training excavation; trench cut in the south-eastern part of the fort.
| Archive Holder |
Museum of Antiquities of the University and the Society of Antiquaries Newcastle Upon Tyne
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| Director of fieldwork |
T G Newman
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| Auspices |
Newcastle University Excavation Committee
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| Director of fieldwork |
J P Gillam
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| Director of fieldwork |
R M Harrison
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| Auspices |
University of Durham
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Publications :
Interim report
Archaeologia Aeliana : or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity
1/1973/81-85
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Note
Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
4/1973/276
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Note
Council for British Archaeology Group 3 Newsbulletin
4/1973/8
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Observations during the laying of a new stream casing revealed several
large ashlar blocks of the Roman culvert, showing it to have been very
like that at West Denton described and illustrated by Bruce. Recent
bridge-abutments had removed all traces of Hadrian's Wall on the east
side of the B6318.
| Director of fieldwork |
C M Daniels
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| Archive Holder |
C Daniels
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| Auspices |
Department of the Environment
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Publications :
Note
Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
7/1976/308
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Geophysical survey was undertaken within the fort and along
the Vallum to the W. This located parts of the fort wall, some
internal buildings and established the line of the Vallum.
Resistivity survey revealed the position of the fort wall on either
side of the NW angle. This exercise also revealed anomalies in the W
part of the fort to the N of the Military Road suggesting the
presence of buildings, though no plan could be deduced. Resistivity
survey in the SE corner of the fort revealed anomalies suggesting the
presence of buildings aligned E-W.
| Director of fieldwork |
J Gibson
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| Director of fieldwork |
Neil Goulty
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| Auspices |
University of Durham Department of Archaeology
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| Director of fieldwork |
J Moore
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EHGSDB Visit No: 1589. Following the delineation of the Vallum ditch in 1987 (EHGSDB Visit No: 1588) by running
shear-wave seismic refraction lines it was decided to confirm and
extend the results by further survey. Consequently in June 1992 more
seismic refraction lines were run, using both shear waves and
compressional waves, to S and SW of Rudchester fort, thereby locating
the full course of the Vallum at Rudchester. It was found that
compressional waves gave better results than shear waves on this
occasion.
| Archive Holder |
University of Durham Department of Geological Sciences
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| Director of fieldwork |
Neil Goulty
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| Director of fieldwork |
Anne Hudson
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| Auspices |
University of Durham Department of Geological Sciences
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Purpose and objectives
The purpose of the RCHME Hadrian's Wall Project was to revise the
Ordnance Survey Linear File which had been compiled in the mid-1960s
and in some cases even earlier with only minor revisions in the
1970s. A considerable amount of archaeological research had been
undertaken in the intervening period. Revision was felt to be a
matter of some urgency as the Roman Military Zone was to be
designated a World Heritage Site and the National Trail had been
proposed by the Countryside Commission. In addition, several bodies
with responsibility for parts of the monument (e.g. English Heritage,
the National Trust, Northumberland National Park) required accurate,
current, detailed mapping of the archaeology for management purposes.
The complex archaeological history of the Wall adds to the inherent
problems of recording a landscape which consists of a bundle of four
individual linears (Ditch, Wall, Military Way, Vallum) studded with
hundreds of separate individual sites. Hadrian's Wall is unique in
this respect and it was this factor which suggested that the whole
corridor should be the subject of a dedicated database. Eventually,
however, with the development of MONARCH, the Hadrian's Wall database
was abandoned and the records recast to MONARCH format.
Area
The Project took in every map sheet in Cumbria and Northumberland on
which any element of the Hadrian's Wall complex falls. Tyne and Wear
east of easting NZ 2000 was excluded from the field Project.
Nevertheless, some desk-based research into the extreme east end of
the Wall was undertaken.
Method
The Project was undertaken as a map-based ground survey exercise.
Paper copies of the 1:2500 maps (1:1250 in the urban area of Carlisle
and the western suburbs of Newcastle) with plastic overlays, were
taken into the field on specially prepared portable drawing boards;
revisions, additions and deletions were drawn onto the overlays. All
archaeological detail was then inked onto these overlays in the
office. Field officers worked from existing map detail using
graphical survey techniques and it was very rarely necessary for
instrumental survey to be undertaken.
The fieldwork was mainly undertaken between January 1988 and
September 1990. In May 1991 Geophysical Surveys of Bradford were
commissioned to undertake a series of transects across the supposed
line of the Wall and Vallum in the western sector in an attempt to
establish the courses of these features more securely; some success
was achieved.
Sphere of interest
Sites of pre- and post-Roman periods were included in the Project
only when they impinged upon the Roman archaeology. Roman sites away
from the Wall, e.g. Stanegate, were only recorded where they fell in
the same kilometre square as an element of the Hadrian's Wall Linear.
Because the map overlays were regarded as the primary product of the
Project, with the textual information providing an extended caption
to the drawings, information readily available from the overlays
(such as NGRs) was not recorded initially.
Product
The revised linear file consists of 1:2500 and 1:1250 base maps with
film overlays on which the archaeological detail is plotted. There
was a separate text record of annotations on Dbase, backed up by a
select bibliography and list of authorities; this is now being
replaced by entries in the MONARCH database. The level of
information contained in the new records is not necessarily any
higher than that contained in the old Ordnance Survey Linear File;
this is equivalent to RCHME Level 1 or 2.
The 1:2500 maps are in standard double plan format (except in rare
cases where single sheets are available) but the kilometre square was
the basic unit of record for the Project. The film overlays depict
all archaeological detail (except as noted above). A set of Project
drawing conventions was developed to reflect, as well as possible,
varying levels of certainty about the accurate location of sites and
sectors of the linears. Individual sites and discrete sectors of the
linear elements were given unique numbers referring to the text
record on Dbase in place of the labels applied to the OS Linear File
maps. Each km square had its own number sequence. Arrows were
applied to denote the limits of particular sectors of the linear
elements and the location of centurial stones, offsets, etc.
Marginal numbers, falling within the main number sequence, referred
to sites which cannot be accurately located. A site falling on two
adjoining squares was numbered in the square in which the greater
part of it lies and, if necessary, a note of its number was given in
the margin of the adjoining sheet. Sectors of the linear elements,
however, were artificially ended at kilometre square edges. As
stated above, the individual site records have now been converted to
MONARCH records but the original Project numbers have been retained
as Other Monument Identifiers.
The text record on Dbase file consisted of the same information given
on the labels of the OS Linear File maps, laid out in fourteen
fields:
1 Km. Sq.
2 Site No.
3 NAR No. (if any)
4 Site classification
5 Wall Mile No. (for Turrets and Milecastles only)
6 Site name (if any)
7-10 Text
11 Extra text (in Memo File)
12-14 Land classification
The text was kept as short as possible by the use of abbreviations
and codes. The select bibliography was referenced by the Harvard
system. Only major references were included, as in the OS Linear
File. All this information has been transferred to MONARCH and the
Dbase File has been discontinued.
Within each kilometre square records were added, as far as possible,
in the following sequence:
Wall
Offsets, centurial stones (in situ), etc.
Milecastles/Turrets/Forts
Ditch and glacis
Military Way
Vallum
Others, Roman and pre-Roman
Others, post-Roman
Further considerations
Because of its form Hadrian's Wall is subject to a number of
hypotheses developed by 'Wall-scholars' over the years. Some of
these hypotheses have appeared to work so well that they have come to
be as firmly believed as established facts. A prime example of this
is the idea that along the Wall itself there is a milecastle every
Roman mile with turrets in between at 1/3 mile intervals; early
discoveries suggested that the Wall's builders had adhered to this
scheme rigidly, and so a 'Schedule' of deduced sites of milecastles
and turrets was established. These deduced sites, even where there
was no evidence to substantiate them, were included in the OS Record
and are therefore in the NMR. These alleged sites are clearly stated
to exist as 'measured sites only' in the MONARCH record.
In addition, a large number of minimal excavations undertaken along
the line of the Wall over the past hundred years or more have no
adequate records as to the precise location and/or nature of the
evidence found. In these cases the descriptive text clearly flags
the inadequacy of the information.
The Wall complex is partly entered to MONARCH.
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In 1990 the Roman fort and vicus at Rudchester were surveyed at
1:1000 by RCHME Newcastle at the request of Northumberland County
Council, who own part of the site.
Survey control was established by Wild T1000 electronic theodolite
and DI1000 EDM, data being downloaded to GRE3 datalogger and
processed through Mathshop survey package software. Archaeological
detail was added to this framework using a plane table and Wild RK1
self-reducing alidade.
Within the fort the survey revealed the possible position of the SE
corner tower and the minor W gate, and numerous excavation trenches.
The central spina of the main W gate was also re-located. The remains
of the vicus to the SW of the fort were also mapped, including the
site of the Mithraeum.
An archive account was prepared, giving a full description of the
earthworks, and the results were reported in a published article.
Publications :
Full report
Archaeologia Aeliana : or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity
5 ser/19/1991
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Watching brief on pipe trench south of the B6318 through the fort &
possible vicus. Road interpreted as the possible Via Sagularis.
Full report is deposited with the County Archaeological Section.
| Director of fieldwork |
M C Bishop
|
| Auspices |
Newcastle University Archaeological Practice
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| Auspices |
Northumberland County Council
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Publications :
Note
Archaeology in Northumberland: [annual newsletter]
Northumberland County Council
2/1991-1992/7
|
Note
Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
25/1994
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Full report
The Archaeological Practice [assessment & evaluation reports]
Bishop M C/1991/A Watching Brief at Rudchester Fort, Northumberland, 16 - 19.12.91.
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Watching brief in advance of a barn construction; there was no trace of the
supposed vicus in the construction trenches.
| Director of fieldwork |
M C Bishop
|
| Auspices |
Newcastle University Archaeological Practice
|
| Archive Holder |
Newcastle University Archaeological Practice
|
Publications :
Note
Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
25/1994
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Archaeological assessment carried out to inform management.
| Auspices |
Northumberland County Council Archaeology Section
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| Funding Body/Financier |
Northumberland County Council
|
| Archive Holder |
Northumberland County Council Archaeology Section
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Publications :
Full report
Northumberland Archaeology & Building Conservation Service [reports]
Anon/1997/Rudchester Roman Fort: archaeological assessment.
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Excavation and monitoring work followed an earlier desk-based assessment.
See Event 1106874 for watching brief.
| Auspices |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
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| Funding Body/Financier |
Northumberland County Council
|
| Archive Holder |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
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| Archive Holder |
Northumberland County Council Archaeology Section
|
Publications :
Note
Archaeology in Northumberland: [annual newsletter]
Northumberland County Council
1997-98
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Full report
The Archaeological Practice [assessment & evaluation reports]
Anon/1997/Archaeological excavation and monitoring at Rudchester Farm, Northumberland.
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Monitoring of a 38m long trench for an electricity cable through the
northern part of the farm to lines lying between the farm and the south
wall of the fort. In the area nearest the fort pits and linear features
were recorded, though there was no evidence for the fort ditches. There
was no evidence for the proposed vicus in the area of the farmyard.
See also Event 1141584.
| Finds Holder |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
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| Auspices |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
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| Funding Body/Financier |
Northumberland County Council
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| Archive Holder |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
|
Publications :
Note
Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
28/1997
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Full report
The Archaeological Practice [assessment & evaluation reports]
Anon/1997/Archaeological excavation and monitoring at Rudchester Farm, Northumberland.
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Monitoring of groundworks for the Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail to the
east of the fort recorded no significant archaeological features or finds.
| Archive Holder |
National Monuments Record Centre
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| Director of fieldwork |
Peter Redmayne
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| Funding Body/Financier |
Countryside Agency
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| Auspices |
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit
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| Archive Holder |
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit
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Publications :
Full report
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit watching briefs for Hadrian's Wall Path
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit
Redmayne P/1999/Rudchester Roman Fort, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland: archaeological watching brief/Report No 1999-2000/(003).
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Four trenches excavated in advance of the proposed conversion of farm buildings to hiker accommodation, revealing the course of the Vallum ditch, partly reused as a hollow way, and Roman cut features between the Vallum and the Fort. Watching brief also carried out.
| Finds Holder |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
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| Director of fieldwork |
Alan Williams
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| Auspices |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
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| Funding Body/Financier |
Northumberland County Council
|
| Archive Holder |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
|
Publications :
Note
Archaeology in Northumberland: [annual newsletter]
Northumberland County Council
2000-2001
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Full report
The Archaeological Practice [assessment & evaluation reports]
Williams A/2000/Rudchester Farm: archaeological evaluation.
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Full report
The Archaeological Practice [assessment & evaluation reports]
Williams A/2000/Rudchester Farm: archaeological watching brief.
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LUAU Project code: 8574. Monitoring of small-scale groundworks for the Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail in the area of the Roman fort revealed no archaeological deposits.
| Archive Holder |
National Monuments Record Centre
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| Funding Body/Financier |
Countryside Agency
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| Auspices |
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit
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| Director of fieldwork |
Andrea Scott
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| Archive Holder |
Northumberland County Council Archaeology Section
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Publications :
Full report
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit watching briefs for Hadrian's Wall Path
Lancaster University Archaeological Unit
Scott A/2001/Rudchester Roman Fort, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland: archaeological watching brief report/Report No 01-02/100.
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Monitoring of extension groundworks recorded no significant archaeological activity.
| Auspices |
Archaeological Practice: Newcastle University
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| Funding Body/Financier |
Developer
|
| Archive Holder |
Northumberland County Council Archaeology Section
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Publications :
Full report
The Archaeological Practice [assessment & evaluation reports]
Anon/2001/Quarry House, Rudchester, Northumberland: archaeological watching brief/Report No 01/06/654.
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The Hadrian's Wall WHS Mapping Project is part of English Heritage's National Mapping Programme (NMP). The project started in June 2002 and finished in July 2008. The project team was based in English Heritage's York and Swindon offices. The project area covers 69 Ordnance Survey quarter sheets, running from Bowness in the west to Newcastle in the east. The project area runs the entire length of the Wall (with a five kilometre corridor either side of the Wall) and includes the Cumbrian coastal defences. It is expected that the results of the project will assist in the future management of the World Heritage Site.
The project was split into 6 main blocks, some of which were subdivided. The project started on the west coast, with Block 1 running from Bowness to Carlisle. Blocks 2, 4 and 5 (completed by Swindon Staff) cover the central parts of the Wall, with the best-preserved and most well-known parts of the Wall and associated sites. Block 3 covers Newcastle and runs to South Shields on the east caost. Block 6 runs down the west coast, covering the area of the Cumbrian coastal defences.
The aims of the project were to interpret and transcribe, all archaeological features visible on air photographs from the prehistoric period through to the twentieth century. Photographs were rectified using Aerial 5.18 and 5.24, with control derived from Ordnance Survey 1:2,500 LandLine digitial data. The archaeological features were mapped in AutoCAD Map and a textual description was recorded in English Heritage's AMIE database. Selective sites were recorded morphologically in the Aerial Survey Recording Module.
The specification and scope of the project and archaeological results are in the summary report and two further reports describe aspects of the archaeology in Blocks 1 & 5.
| Archive Holder |
Cumbria Sites and Monuments Record
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Publications :
Full report
Centre for Archaeology Report series
Oakey M/2009/Hadrian's Wall WHS: NMP Project: NMP summary report/Report No 73-2009.
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Full report
Centre for Archaeology Report series
Small F/2008/Hadrian's Wall WHS: NMP Project: NMP summary report: Brampton to Birdoswald (Block 5)/Report No 69-2008.
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Interim report
Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site: vegetation and erosion project: aerial survey
English Heritage, York
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Monitoring of groundworks within the vicus of Rudchester Fort recorded medieval and later features. Information from OASIS Online Form.
| Finds Holder |
Great North Museum, Newcastle
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| Director of fieldwork |
S Potten
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| Auspices |
AOC Archaeology Limited
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| Funding Body/Financier |
Developer
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| Archive Holder |
Great North Museum, Newcastle
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Publications :
Full report
AOC Archaeology Ltd [assessment & evaluation reports]
Potten S/2010/Rudchester Manor and Barn, Rudchester, Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland: archaeological watching brief report.
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Full report
AOC Archaeology Ltd [assessment & evaluation reports]
Potten S/2010/Stable Cottage, Rudchester, Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland: archaeological watching brief report.
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Full report
AOC Archaeology Ltd [assessment & evaluation reports]
Watson C/2009/Rudchester Manor House and Barn, Rudchester, Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland: historic building report.
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Historic buildings survey and updated archaeological assessment carried out. Information from OASIS Online Form.
| Auspices |
Mouchel (Heritage)
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| Archive Holder |
Northumberland County Council Archaeology Section
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Publications :
Full report
Mouchel Heritage [assessment reports]
Corbett G & Watson C/2010/Rudchester Farm and Roman Fort: updated archaeological assessment and historic buildings survey.
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