| Summary : Lease Rigg Roman Fort is visible as earthworks and cropmarks on air photographs. The fort, with Flavian pottery sherds, was excavated in 1958 to reveal a stone rampart and surrounding ditch constructed in the early 2nd century. Surveyed at 1:2500. The fort is orientated north to south with an outer ditch and evidence of an inner rampart. Excavation of Lease Rigg Roman fort between 1976-80 revealed many internal buildings, some of which are visible as cropmarks and earthworks within the fort. A number of adjoining parallel ditches are visible to the immediate west of the fort, suggestive of an annexe, though elements may have been disturbed or reused by a post medieval field boundary. A number of small ditches may not be associated with the fort. The earthwork elements are extant on the latest 2009 vertical photography. |
More information : [NZ 814 042] Roman Camp [R] (1)
Lease Rigg Camp represented by a few slight traces of ditches and banks preserved near or under existing field walls, was excavated in 1958 by Hayes and Rutter who established the size, date and character of the earthwork. The Camp appeared to consist of a stone rampart and surrounding ditch constructed in the early 2nd century, post-dating Wade's Causeway (RR 81b), which was thought to follow the course of the modern road through the site. The paucity of finds, including a stamped mortarium of Genialis, assigned to c100-140AD, suggested temporary occupation of the camp. Plan. (2)
There are now no intelligible remains of the published detail
(25" survey revised). However the N ditch of the camp proper is
visible as a slight, superficial depression.
(Surveyed at 1:2500). (3)
"Confirmation has recently been obtained that Lease Rigg .....
is a genuine fort, with Agricolan and Trajanic pottery ...." (4)
"The site was identified .... by Hayes and Rutter in ....
"Wade's Causeway" (Authy 2) ... but they did not recognise the
original (Agricolan) southern portion (western part on plan) of
the fort prior to its contraction" (in Trajanic period). Plan
1:500. "The ovens, and pottery recovered from them were
identified in ploughsoil". (5)
Lease Rigg is undoubtebly a Roman military site. The apparent absence of gaps in the ditch, may prove that the ditch was
bridged at the entrance(s). The main earthwork 'A' measured over the front of the rampart, is c2.7 acres and its size and situation could suggest a small auxiliary fort or possibly a depot (possibly for iron working?). Annexe 'B' may be contemporary with,or a later addition to site 'A'. All pottery from the site falls in the period AD 70-120.Plan. (6)
Excavation of Lease Rigg Roman fort between 1976-80 revealed many internal buildings including the probable praetorium and compartment barrack blocks (see plan (10) Location of the north rampart allowed firm calculation of the size of the fort which enclosed 2.6 acres. Finds were sparse but the pottery ranged
from Flavian to a few sherds of black burnished ware and a small group of bronzes which may have been horse trappings. The fort could never have housed a full auxiliary unit; the garrison was
most likely a part of a cohors quigenaria equitata, a unit with 6 centuries (about 60 men each) and 4 turmae of 30 troopers each.
Bronze Age worked flint appeared in all trenches of the excavation particularly a dense concentration at the back of the principia, where a large pit was certainly pre-Roman. Three smaller pits nearby were also likely to be pre-Roman; the upper filling of one of them yielded the rim of a food Vessel. In this area too, the Roman trenches contained calcined (human?) bone, suggesting disturbance of a previous burial or burials. (7-11)
A Roman fort and annexe dating from the Flavian period, there is barely any visible earthworks. Bronze Age cremated bones, pottery and flint implements were disturbed by the Romans.
A Roman fort is visible as earthworks and cropmarks on air photographs, centred at NZ 8147 0420. The fort is orientated north to south with an outer ditch and evidence of an inner rampart. The maximum internal dimensions measure 70m by 170m. There are possible buildings visible as cropmarks and earthworks within the fort. A number of adjoining parallel ditches are visible to the immediate west of the fort, suggestive of an annexe, though elements may have been disturbed or reused by a post medieval field boundary. The annexe measures 37m by 155m. A number of small ditches may not be associated with the fort. The earthwork elements are extant on the latest 2009 vertical photography.
(12-14) |