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PIERCEBRIDGE ROMAN FORT

ALTERNATIVE NAME:

MORBIVM, MORBIUM, MAGIS

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The site of the earthwork and consolidated foundation remains of Piercebridge (?Morbium) Roman fort and the excavated site of its bath house, probably built around 270 AD. It is nearly 11 acres in area. The north-east corner and parts of the central east defences have been excavated and consolidated. The west defences survive as earthworks; the south-west corner is defined by a scarp surviving to a height of 0.6 metres. In the adjacent field to the north the central section of the west defences is now much reduced and stands no more than 0.4 metres high; and finally the north-west corner - which is best preserved - has a maximum height of 2.7 metres. Partly overlying the north-west corner is an angular scarp up to 0.4 metres in height, its function unclear. A hoard of 100 silver coins, deposited circa AD 260, has been found here. The fact that buildings in the vicus area pre-date this fort and finds of Flavian material may indicate an earlier fort on this site, though no trace of it has been found yet.

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Centred NZ 2100 1575 ROMAN FORT (R)
NZ 2100 1568 ROMAN BATH (R) (1)

Piercebridge on the north bank of the Tees is a large fort, nearly 11 acres in size, which has been shown by excavation during the past twenty years to have been built c.300 A.D. It lies about 200 yards west of Dere Street and the intervening space was apparently occupied by an extensive civil settlement (NZ 21 NW 41). Casual finds include material as early as the Flavian period, but the Flavian Fort which may be postulated here has not yet been found. (2-2e)

Piercebridge Roman Fort - `Magis'. (3)

The southern and eastern boundaries of the fort have been located during recent excavations - which also revealed two centrally placed opposing entrances, on the east and west sides. No entrances on the north and south side have yet been located. The rectangular depression outside the north-west angle of the fort is of uncertain purpose, but it may represent a reservoir. Excavations carried out by the Ministry of Works in 1934 unearthed the stone built rampart in the north-east angle. Two building foundations and a conduit were also uncovered. Built into the rampart is a circular Medieval kiln. No traces of the bath house remain, but hypocausts found in the gardens near the south-east angle of the fort [at NZ 2104 1565] tend to denote the site. (4-4a)

Only fragments of the perimeter of the fort are now visible. At the north-west angle the rampart is a prominent earth bank, the upper surface of which has been slightly dug into. The rectangular depression outside this angle is possibly a later addition, and may well have been a reservoir, as suggested by authority 4. The north-east angle has been preserved in its unearthed state since the excavation of 1934. The stone rampart, 3 metres wide stands to a maximum height of 1.5 metres. Bounding it is an outer ditch 3 metres wide and 0.7 metres deep. Within the cover of the rampart and following its curve are the foundations of a building, with entrances 1 metre wide at each extremity. A wall, representing the north-east angle of another building protrudes through a garden wall into the excavated area. These walls vary in height between 0.6 metres and 1 metre and are 0.6 metres wide. The circular kiln referred to by authority 4 is of the same height as the rampart, and has a diameter of 3.2 m. A fragment of the south-west angle is visible, consisting of a spread scarp 0.7 metres high. On the west wide, only traces of the rampart remain, and these are too vague to be surveyed, or even recognised with certainty. Of the east side there is nothing visible. No traces of roadways or building foundations are now visible in Tofts Field which is under pasture. A scatter of stones covers the whole surface area. (5)

Resurveyed at 1/2500. (6)

Excavations in 1974 revealed part of a barrack block just inside the east defences of the fort at NZ 211 157. The centurion's quarters included two rooms with hypocausts and others with painted wall plaster. The latter also occurred in the men's portion of the barrack, mostly on the exterior wall beneath the veranda roof. A drainage culvert, 1 m wide, ran at the back of the building. The excavations also revealed the three corners of three poorly constructed buildings on the north side of Piercebridge Beck at NZ 211 159. These had been roofed with stone tiles and stood on a raised platform revetted by a wall circa 0.6m high. A floodbank, 3 m wide and 2 m high, ran between the platform and the beck and a section through this bank revealed a hoard of about 100 silver coins, thought to have been deposited circa 260. All other dateable finds from this area were of the second half of the 3rd century. (7)

Name `MAGIS', possibly accepted for 4th edition Romano-British Map. Rivet transfers the name `MAGIS' to Burrow Walls Roman fort, Cumbria (NY 03 SW 3) and very tentatively ascribes the name `MORBIUM' to either Piercebridge or Greta Bridge (see NZ 01 SE 2). (8)

NZ 2119 1567. Excavations within the fort that have been in progress for seven years are now to be consolidated with a view to giving access to the public. Remains uncovered include the east walls and defensive ditch; a courtyard building, two contiguous blocks, once thought to be barracks but now in question, and parts of two vicus buildings which impinge of the fort wall. (9)

Work on the berm to the south of the East gate revealed a lilia system consisting of pits c 0.75 m in diameter and c 0.5 m deep. There were two rows of somewhat obliquely places pits and a continuous small ditch cut into the inner lip of the main defensive ditch. The lilia system is a late example certainly not earlier than 270 AD and probably dating to c. 350 AD. (10-13)

Excavation at the East gate showed three phases : (1) c 270 AD a double-portal gate with both carriageways in use; (ii) c 300 AD a small drain was cut diagonally across the road emptying through the south carriageway and the road resurfaced; (iii) c 350 AD the south portal was blocked a large main latrine from the north-east corner was cut through the earlier roads and drain and the road was resurfaced for the last time. Within the SE corner of the fort were found the well preserved remains of the bath building including a cold plunge-bath and a hot room. Further excavation showed that the barrack block of earlier reports (7) had been wrongly identified: it now seems more likely to have been the E. wing of a courtyard building, which occupied most of the SE corner of the fort. To the north of the road outside the East gate a series of post-holes and trenches was discovered. Sufficient survived to suggest a timber granary c. 5 m wide by over 10 m long. The building pre-dated the late fort of c.270 A.D. but whether it was civil or military in character is unknown. The coin evidence now suggests that the fort was built c 270 AD. (14)

In 1982 excavations were carried out in the western part of the late fort, revealing evidence for several Roman buildings separated by cobbled streets. One wall had cut through an earlier clay floor containing coarse-ware sherds of the second century, thus indicating occupation earlier than the late fort. At No. 8 The Green, the SW corner of a building lined up with one recorded in 1940, and suggested a possible stable measuring c. 37.5 x 4m. (15)

NZ 209 157. Piercebridge. Roman fort listed under Roman remains. Sheduled No 28. (16)

Some pagan Anglo-Saxon pottery was recovered from the fort. (17)

The coin hoard found in 1974 consisted of 1 Maximinus I denarius and 130 Philip I to Postumus antoniniani. (18)

NZ 210 158 (1021). Altar 10 x 15 ins, found in 1934 in disturbed soil inside the north-east angle of the fort. Now in Piercebridge Museum. Drawn by RGC, 1936. Richardson Durh. NAAS vii (1936) 255 (without reading), Ioui[.|...]L[.|.]R[.]ONI|S u(otum) s(oluit) l(ibens) m(erito) `To Jupiter . . . willingly and deservedly fulfilled his vow'. (19)

Additional references. (20-23)

Existing survey revised by RCHME during a project on scheduled monuments in County Durham. The archaeological history of Piercebridge Roman fort is summarised in sources 1-16. The north-east corner and parts of the central east defences have been excavated and consolidated. The west defences survive as earthworks; the south-west corner is defined by a scarp surviving to a height of 0.6 m; in the adjacent field to the north the central section of the west defences is now much reduced and stands no more than 0.4 m high; and finally the north-west corner - which is best preserved - has a maximum height of 2.7 m. Partly overlying the north-west corner is an angular scarp up to 0.4 m in height, its function unclear. (24-24a)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

6" 1954

( 2) Royal Archaeological Institute The Archaeological Journal

(E Birley) 111, 1954 Page(s)195

( 2a) Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland

7, 1936 Page(s)235-77

( 2b) Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland

9, 1939 Page(s)43-68

( 2c) Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland

9, 1939 Page(s)127-38

( 2d) Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland

Page(s)285-309

( 2e) General reference

Wooler, 1917. Roman Fort at Piercebridge Page(s)46-50, 114

( 3) General reference

Ordnance Survey Map of Roman Britain, 3rd Edition 1965

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 DAD 24-MAY-54

( 4a) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F2 DAD 24-MAY-57

( 6) Field Investigators Comments

F3 RWE 19-MAR-62

( 7) Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies

6, 1975 Page(s)234

( 8) by A L F Rivet and Colin Smith 1979 The place-names of Roman Britain

Page(s)420

( 9) Field Investigators Comments

F4 RE 23-OCT-81

(10) Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies

(S Frere) 8, 1977 Page(s)381

(11) University of Durham and University of Newcastle upon Tyne archaeological reports

(PR Scott and S Large) 1979 Page(s)11-12

(12) Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies

(R Goldburn) 10, 1979 Page(s)285

(13) Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies

(FO Grew) 11, 1980 Page(s)362

(14) Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies

(NB Rankov) 12, 1982 Page(s)345-6

(15) Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies Britannia : a journal of Romano-British and kindred studies

(S Frere) 14, 1983 Page(s)292-3

(16) General reference

DOE (IAM) Monuments in England 1 1978 Page(s)22

(17) edited by J C Chapman and H C Mytum 1983 Settlement in North Britain 1000 BC - AD 1000 : papers presented to George Jobey, Newcastle upon Tyne, December 1982

British Archaeological Report (BAR) British series1 (1974) - 118 Page(s)214

(18) Royal Numismatic Society 1976 Coin hoards, volume 2

Page(s)70

(19) by the late R G Collingwood and R P Wright 1965 The Roman inscriptions of Britain, 1. Inscriptions on stone

Page(s)340

(20) Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland

(G Keeney) 1, 1968 Page(s)27-44

(21) Society for Promotion of Roman Studies The journal of Roman studies

(G Keeney) 30, 1940 Page(s)165-6

(22) Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland

(MG Jarrett) 1, 1968 Page(s)27-44

(23) University of Durham and University of Newcastle upon Tyne archaeological reports

(PR Scott) 1977 Page(s)16-21

(24) Field Investigators Comments

Peter Topping/05-SEP-1991/RCHME: Durham SAMs Project

(24a) General reference

Scott, P, 1977. Guide to the Visible Remains of Roman Piercebridge (published privately, Durham City)

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