More information : Roman auxiliary fort of 3 1/2 acres discovered by JK St Joseph (APs BQQ 9 and 10) at SE 816454, Hayton parish. (1)
The aerial photographs taken by St Joseph in 1974 show a small fort surrounded by double ditches, distinct on the southeast, north-east and north-west sides, with rounded angles. Further photography in 1975 introduced the possibility that the fort had a single-ditched annexe to the north-east. A small-scale excavation in February 1975 located the eastern angle, parts of the angle-tower and the south-east gateway. In October and November 1975 further excavations took place on the north side of the road and located the line of the ditches on the three remaining sides as well as the north-east gateway, the north angle-tower and remains of two of the interior buildings. The fort was found to be a regular rectangle measuring 148 metres northeast-southwest by 101 metres. There were two defensive ditches in all the areas examined. The outer ditch was V-shaped, 2.2m wide and 1.0m deep. The inner ditch was a shallow U-shape, 3.8m wide and 1.0m deep. There was no surviving trace of the rampart, its position being indicated only by that of the post holes of the gate and corner towers. Finds were prolific, especially of pottery, but also included coins, animal bones, quernstones and a number of small finds. A human skull was found at the bottom of the inner ditch and a complete cow-burial of pre-Roman date was found near the east corner. The finds indicate that the fort was founded around AD 70-71 and was occupied for only a short period. There was also evidence that the site was used as a settlement in Saxon times. (2) |