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Whitely Castle
Those of you who are fans of Bernard Cornwell will know Whitley castle from his latest book: those of you who know their Roman stuff will know it as Epiacum Fort: and those who really know their stuff will know it’s the most complex set of defences in the Roman world
Crammed between the grass and sky
And what a setting it is: crammed between the grass and the sky, the fortress sits on a high ridge above the Road, imposing itself on the surrounding countryside. The remains of the defences are like green frozen waves rolling out from the walls and the remains of the corner towers are so clear you can practically still see the chilled garrison huddling around the fires, avoiding the chilly winds racing across the bleak beautiful fells.
Lozenge Shape
The location is narrow, and so the fort is less a rectangle and more a lozenge. The overlooking fells were clearly of sufficient worry for the various commanders to keep his lads busy adding to and complicating the banks that run away in rolling damp grassy undulations from the fort, but aside from a few isolated farms and an RAF fighter or 2 we reckoned the builders of this place would easily recognize it today
The only locals in sight were woolly, the only people were us, and the only sound was that of the drone and the wind, and we could have stayed forever. A place we will definitely visit again, and if you haven’t then take my advice. Do.
A complete cast copper-alloy bell, probably of the Medieval period. The body is sub-conical with tapering sides and a flat upper surface. Projecting from the centre of this is a circular-sectioned bar extending into a [...]
A cast copper-alloy Medieval strap fitting or belt mountA corroded Medieval copper-alloy bar mount c. AD 1350-1400. The mount is18.26mm in length and has a convex, hemispherical cross section. At each end is a tapering arm with a [...]
A copper-alloy single-loop buckle of Medieval date, circa AD 1350-1400The buckle is trapezoidal in shape (now crushed inward) and rectangular in cross section. A small knop projects centrally from one of the outer sides of the frame The buckle [...]
Tertiary semi-hard hammer struck flake from a small, multi-platform core. One lateral edge has the remnants of a thermal (frost) fractured surface, notable by its matt surface. The dorsal face is covered with small, overlapping [...]
Tertiary, semi- hard hammer struck flake, of slightly orange/brown patinated dark flint. Sub-triangular in plan, natural and irregular platform, no bulbar scar though the hertzian cone is well pronounced. Both lateral edges are very finely [...]
A small copper alloy ring of uncertain date and function. The object is undecorated, circular, with a sub-rectangular cross-section.Dimensions: Diameter: 11.60 mm; Thickness: 1.3 mm, Weight 0.26g [...]
Possible mount fragment. Straight-sided sheet of copper alloy with incised herringbone decoration. Suggested date: Early Medieval, 700-850Length: 47.1mm, Width: 10.8mm, Thickness: 0.6mm [...]
Cast copper alloy fragment with a bulbous bottom topped with a double grooved strip. No surface treatment but good preservation. Suggested date: Early Medieval, 700-1000Length: 35.6mm, Width: 21.2mm, Thickness: 4.1mm [...]
Cast copper alloy strap end, front surface originally gilt overall but this only survives in recesses of design; no gilding on back. suggested date: Early Medieval, 850-1000Length: 46.4mm, Width: 14.3mm [...]
An incomplete Roman copper-alloy umbonate disc brooch, dating to c. AD 75 - 200. It is of Mackreth (2011) British Plate Type 6.a. Roughly 80% of the brooch remains. The brooch is circular with broken and worn edges from which there [...]
Circular copper alloy linked pin head with a plain cross dividing into 4 sections; each is decorated differently. Three rivet holes have been drilled from the front to attach the pin (now broken). Suggested date: [...]
A worn and heavily corroded copper-alloy Post-Medieval farthing of Charles I (AD 1625-1649), dating to AD 1636-1644. Unclear rose type. Mint of London. Unclear initial mark. North (1991: 165) nos. 2290-2292. The object is mostly obscured by corrosion. [...]
Small medieval sheet copper-alloy mount with an in-situ rivet and rove, also made of copper-alloy. The mount has five edges: two longer and parallel, one short and perpendicular, and two shorter still, oblique and forming a [...]
Cast copper alloy pin head with four holes. Between the holes is a braided cross. Pin appears to have broken off and the head was possibly attached to another pin; the remnant of an attached [...]
An incomplete copper-alloy of unclear function and date.The object is curved and cylindrical with worn breaks terminating both ends. It is formed from rolled copper-alloy sheet divided by three irregularly located copper-alloy knops or collars. Each knop is formed [...]
A worn and heavily corroded copper-alloy Post-Medieval farthing of Charles I (AD 1625-1649), dating to AD 1636-1644. Unclear rose type. Mint of London. Unclear initial mark. North (1991: 165) nos. 2290-2292. The object is mostly obscured by corrosion. [...]
Fragment of heavily gilded cast copper alloy that resembles a crown, curved in profile. The source record is annotated: 'Schleswig Holstein Landesmuseum, Hedeby Boat, 10th-century, Danish'. Suggested date: Early Medieval, 900-1000Length: 16mm, Width: 26.2mm, Thickness: [...]
A worn Roman copper-alloy nummus of the House of Constantine dating to the period AD 335 to 341 (Reece Period 17). GLORIA EXERCITVS reverse type depicting two soldiers and one standard. Mint is not legible. [...]
Almost-complete early-medieval to medieval copper-alloy hooked tag of Read’s (2008) Class B, Type 2. The plate its circular and flat, with a small fragment missing at the edge. There are two circular attachment holes situated [...]
