More information : [SE 08451745] Roman Fort [GS] (Site of) (1)
The Roman name Camulodunum is applied to Slack as a 'doubtful attribution' on the OS map of Roman Britain. The literary references, up to the latest in 1958 (2), record a long controversy as to the application of the two names Camvlodvnvm or Cambodvnvm which occur in this area.
Excavations have established that the first fort at Slack was a temporary wooden structure of Agricolan date 79-80 AD. This was rebuilt c.104 AD, again between 117-122 AD but this last rebuilding was never completed and the fort abandoned between 122-125 AD, having been supplanted by the fort at Greetland.
The internal buildings of the fort followed the normal pattern of an orthodox military fort and detailed descriptions of them are given in the excavation reports.
The remains of a large annexe were found on the north side and comprised an irregular area paved with stone slabs and tile and demarcated by ditches with traces of palisade-banks. Scheduled. (2-3)
The rampart of the fort is well preserved at the NE angle where, although spread by cultivation, it is 1.3m high. In the SW it is represented by a bank averaging 8m in width, and 0.4m in height. The rampart is obliterated in the NW by modern farm building, but was identified, at SE 0837 1748, during the 1960 excavations by the Tolson Memorial Museum.
To the SE it is virtually ploughed out, but is still discernable as a well spread ridge. The limits of the annexe area, as delineated by plan (see plan), cannot be identified on the ground, except for the possible remains, at SE 0849 1762, of the ditch annotated 'B'. Within the area, the western edge of the occupation road leading to the NW gate, is visiblefrom SE 0834 1759 to SE 0838 1753 as a slight depression. This was also proved in the 1960 excavation.
The interior of the fort is largely under pasture. All the material from the various excavations is now at the Tolson Memorial Museum, Huddersfield, in a "Slack Collection"; it includes re-constructed Samian bowls, cooking pots, and a large, bulbous-type amphora.
A 25" survey of the fort has been made. (4)
Condition correct and survey of 5.1.61. unchanged. (5)
An excavation at Slack Roman fort was carred out in 1963 by the Tolson Memorial Museum and Heath Grammar School, Halifax. Name 'Camulodunum'? accepted for 4th edition R B Map. (6)
In 1970 a section of the defences at the NW angle showed the lip of a ditch at least 1.5m deep, a turf rampart c.8.5m wide and the intervallum-street. There was no sign of additions or alterations to the actual rampart and ditch, but two successive small ovens were found set into the rear of the rampart. The area round the later oven was roughly paved and a secondary foundation trench on the west side might well belong to a covered cookhouse. In the interior the known granary was relocated. Rough stone walls to the west of this may have supported a tank 1.2m wide. Two foundation slots belonging to timber buildings of the original fort were identified between the later features. (7)
The name Camulodunum is probably to be identified with the Roman fort at Slack. It is presumed that the name was transferred from a native hillfort, either Almondbury (SE 11 SE 1) which though large is 5 miles away, or the smaller but much nearer earthwork on Old Lindley Moor (SE 01 NE 3). [See also SE 01 NE 12 & 13] (8)
Summary of defences in corpus. (9)
Scheduled. (10) |