Monument Number 1031496 |
| Hob Uid: 1031496 | |
Location :
Cumbria
Carlisle
Kirkandrews
|
| Grid Ref : NY3970061600 |
| Summary : Roman road running from Carlisle to Crawford (English portion only). Following hedgerows, parish boundaries and modern road, where the remains of the road agger survives. The agger and side ditches are also visible on air photographs, in parts, as an earthwork and cropmark. |
More information : RR 7f Roman Road. Carlisle - Crawford (English portion only)
The main road northward into Scotland almost certainly crossed the line of Hadrian's Wall (LINEAR 176) and roads RR 85 - Stanegate (LINEAR 180) and RR 86 - Military Way (LINEAR 179) close to the Roman fort at Stanwix (NY 45 NW 2). The course is probably through the housing estate covering the former Knowefield Nurseries east of the present main road, where a faint hump just before the Gosling Syke is reached may mark it 100 yards from the road. There is no trace otherwise on the ground or from air photographs.
Beyond Gosling Syke, a long alignment of hedgerows followed by a parish boundary, marks it for two miles to Blackford Bridge where it joins the present road. In the parish boundary stretch are the remains of the agger, visible as a low broad mound with large stones along the east side of the copse north of Harker Grange. It is also visible in towards the north end of the next plantation and in the field south of the lane from Harker to Houghton House. North of this lane a dark line seen on air photography may mark one of the roadside ditches.
The course probably continues on the present road from Blackford Bridge for two miles through Westlinton and across the River Lyne.The road must have forked at the northern loop of the Lyne; the main route turning north-west and the branch to Netherby Roman fort- RR 868 (LINEAR 302) continuing north.
The main route crossed the Esk at a ford called the Roost (NY 368 668) and made for a low ridge that runs south-east from the River Sark towards the Esk providing a dry route above the flood level.
Traces of the road agger within the northern edge of the long, narrow Millhill Wood were visible. At the lane from Milhill to Gretna the course made a slight turn to the north and it has been traced as parch marks down to the Sark from air photographs. Here the road enters Scotland. (For further details of route into Scotland consult RCHAM). (1)
The sections of agger in Millhill Wood described above were not visible on available air photographs. A bank was seen as cropmark/parchmarks from the wood to the River Sark. However, this possible section of road is on a slightly different alignment than that marked by the Ordnance Survey although the general direction is the same. (2)
A short 100 metres section of ditch is visible as an earthwork on air photogrphs taken in 1946. Later photography was not available to confirm the survival of these earthworks on more recent photography. The section probably represents the western side ditch of the Roman road south of Blackford bridge (NY 3968 6144 to NY 3969 6134). There was no evidence on air photographs for the agger along the parish boundary east of the copse of Harker Grange as described by authority 1.
(3) |