Roman road – Heritage Futures

Roman roads in State Guardianship

The construction of roads transformed the landscape of Britain. Yet only a limited number of fragments have been placed in State Guardianship. One of the most dramatic sections is a stretch that crosses Wheeldale Moor in North Yorkshire.

A stretch of Dere Street near Soutra in Scotland has been preserved. This passed through Corbridge and Newstead.

IMG_2747-Edit — Dere Street near Soutra Aisle © David Gill

Further south Dere Street crossed the river Tees at Piercebridge and remains of the bridge have been found.

Piercebridge4 — Piercebridge © David Gill

A Roman milestone on the Stanegate near the fort of Vindolanda was placed in Guardianship.

IMG_2366-Edit — Vindolanda, Roman milestone © David Gill

Margam Stones Museum: guidebook

The guidebook presents the collection of a Roman milestone, early Christian inscriptions, and later monastic material that were moved into the old School House at Margam in 1932.

The guidebook by C.A. Ralegh Radford starts with a history of the area that allows the material in the museum to be placed in context: The Silures and Glamorgan in the Roman period; the restoration of native rile and the introduction of Christianity; the early Christian memorial stones; the formation of Glamorgan; the Celtic monastery at Margam; the pre-Romanesque crosses; the later history of the kingdom of Morgannwg; the Norman conquest of Glamorgan; the Cistercian abbey of Margam.

The second half includes a description of the pieces, starting with the early 4th century Roman milestone from Port Talbot (RIB 2254).

The guidebook includes a plan of the museum showing how the stone were displayed.

Vindolanda: Roman milestone

The Roman milestone on the Stanegate near Vindolanda was placed in State Guardianship (‘Chesterholm Roman Milestone’). The fort was place in State Guardianship in 1939 and also had Ministry signs.

A second milestone lies one Roman mile to the west. It originally carried the inscription, bon[o] reipublic[ae] nato (RIB 2308).

The 1959 Regional Guide notes: ‘The earliest occupation dates from the time of Agricola whose road, the Stanegate, runs past the north gate of the fort and retains, near the burn, a Roman milestone; the base of another (not in the Ministry’s guardianship) stands a Roman mile to the west.’

Vindolanda, Roman milestone © David Gill

I have a photograph of the milestone from the late 1970s with some of the bushes encroaching on its space and obscuring the line of the road.

Vindolanda_MS-Edit — Vindolanda, Roman milestone © David Gill

Signs of Dere Street

Dere Street ran north from York to the Firth of Forth, passing through Aldborough, Piercebridge, Corbridge and Newstead. A section of the Roman road can be followed to the south-west of Soutra Aisle as it cuts across the Lammermuir Hills before it drops down to the Forth.

The road continued in use into the Medieval period.

This section of the road is in the case of Historic Scotland.

Dere Street near Soutra Aisle © David Gill

Dere Street at Soutra Aisle © David Gill

Roman milestone from Tintagel

A Roman milestone made of slate is displayed in the parish church of St Materiana at Tintagel (RIB 2231). It was first noted in 1889 on the east side of the churchyard.

The inscription, on the upper part of the column, records the emperor Caesar Galerius Valerius Licinianus Licinius, and should therefore be dated by Collingwood to 308-24.

A second milestone was discovered to the east of Tintagel in 1919 (RIB 2230). It records the names of Gallus and Volusian, and should therefore be dated to 251-53.

It has been suggested that the Roman settlement of Durnocornovium, recorded in the Ravenna list, was located on the north Cornish coast, and that the road on which these stones were markers, served it.

Roman Sites and English Heritage

IMG_4354_Walltown — Walltown Crags, Hadrian’s Wall © David Gill

Hadrian’s Wall and Stanegate

Benwell Vallum Crossing
Benwell Roman Temple
Denton Hall Turret (7b)
Heddon on the Wall
Planetrees Roman Wall
Brunton Turret (26b)
Chesters Bridge Abutment
Chesters Roman Fort
Black Carts Turret (29a)
Carrawburgh, Temple of Mithras
Sewingshields Wall (35)
Housesteads Roman Fort (36b)
Winshields Wall
Cawfields (42)
Walltown Crags (45a)
Poltross Burn Milecastle (48)
Willowford Wall, Turrets and Bridge (48a, b)
Harrows Scar Milecastle and Wall (49)
Birdoswald Roman Fort
Leahill Turret and Piper Sike Turret (51a, b)
Pike Hill Signal Station
Banks East Turret (52a)
Hare Hill

Stanegate

Corbridge

Roman Forts

Saxon Shore Forts

Roman Towns

Aldborough Roman Town
Cirencester Amphitheatre
Leicester, Jewry Wall
London Wall
Old Sarum
St Albans (Verulamium)
Silchester Roman City Walls and Amphitheatre
Wall Roman Site
Wroxeter

Roman Villas

Roman Temples

Jordan Hill Roman Temple
Maiden Castle (Roman Temple)

Other features

Roman Road Signs

The Roman road over Wheeldale Moor in North Yorkshire is well signposted. It is now in the care of English Heritage.

Near Goathland there is a choice of routes. The reverse of the ‘route for motors’ sign is blank.

Piercebridge Roman Bridge

The Roman road, Dere Street, from York (Eboracum) to Corbridge crossed the river Tees at Piercebridge. Remains of the Roman bridge are in the care of English Heritage (full details here including plan and bibliography). This bridge appears to date to the early 3rd century AD.

A short entry on on the bridge (with reconstruction) appears in the English Heritage guidebook to Aldborough Roman Town.

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