Location :
North Yorkshire
Richmondshire
County Durham, Darlington
Skeeby, Melsonby, Heighington, Houghton Le Side, Denton, Shildon, Bishop Auckland, Summerhouse, Bolam, Etherley, High Coniscliffe, Manfield, Barton, Moulton, Middleton Tyas, Brompton-on-Swale, Piercebridge, Cliffe, Aldbrough
Non Civil Parish
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More information : Dere Street. RR 8c Roman Road. Catterick Bridge - Binchester.
From the settlement of Cataractonium (Catterick - SE 29 NW 3) the road follows an alignment almost due north for practically the whole distance. It is partly marked by hedges for the first three quarters of a mile fron the river crossing, but then the Great North Road rejoins it at Robin Hood, passing High Street Plantation to Scotch Corner. A road RR 82 branches from here north-westward to Penrith.
The road RR 8c continues straight to crossing of the River Tees at Piercebridge, where the modern road bends away west to the present bridge and the old line can be seen going down to the river by a sunken lane. Beyond the crossing it is clearly marked by a terrace or hollow beside a field wall east of the village and Roman fort ( NZ 21 NW 2). Foundations of the original bridge have been located (NZ 21 NW 6) and the road was excavated fully in the field called The Tofts (NZ 21 NW 41). It was 15 feet wide with stone kerbs and a cambered surface.
The modern road follows it again beyond Piercebridge, dead straight, to the Royal Oak Inn and Brussleton. From here the modrern road leaves it, and the Roman road is marked only by a rough lane which plunges steeply down the hillside but showing traces of the agger.
At the foot of the hill the road reaches Burns House, which is the junction with RR 820 (LINEAR 297). The course of the road is evidently distorted at the crossing of Hummer Beck [River Gaunless], but the alignment is resumed just beyond by a narrow lane which merges into the main street through Bishop Auckland.
At the north end of the town the course is continued by Wear Chair, which plunges steeply down to the River Wear. A direct course to Binchester (NZ 23 SW 16) would have required a double crossing of the river, though this may have not been so earlier.
The Antonine Iter I follows this road and gives the mileage in reasonably good agreement with the actual distance. (1)
See Linear Archive File for further details. (2) |