The county of Northumberland
Blog Archive
Eboracum, York
Eboracum was the Roman capital of Northern England
Devil’s Arrows
This Bronze Age site comprises of three large standing stones, it is thought originally there were as many as five stones in this alignment. Being Bronze Age little is known about the origin of the Devil’s Arrows, the name reflecting a more recent myth. The monument is strongly linked with an alignment with several others covering a line of over 50 miles and heading north south through North Yorkshire.
Cleave Dyke Defensive System
The Cleave dyke system is several Dykes which combine to create a boundary of between 9 and 18 kilometres running north south to the west of Thirsk.
Catterick Roman Fort
The Fort at Catterick. It has an unusual shape due to multiple fort plans being overlayed on it. Originally it was a Roman fort, but a settlement soon sprang up outside the fort, which soon dominated the fort, and Catterick became one of the most important ‘Small towns’ in the north of Britain.
Catterick Roman Marching Camp
Discovered only recently by air survey and geophysics, this camp lies on the alluvial plain of the River Swale, on the south bank of the river just north east of Catterick racecourse. The camp lies some 350m to the west of Dere Street.
Catterick Henge
Analysis of air photography has revealed the almost complete plan of a feature. Thought to be a henge of similar nature to those elsewhere in the Swale-Ure valley. The bank of the earthwork was composed of river cobble and gravel dump construction. The cropmark remains appear to be the henge bank of some 140m in diameter.
Castle Steads Hill Fort
Castle Steads is a Hill-Side Enclosure seemingly built without worry of threat from the upper slopes of the hill it is built on.
Castle Dykes Roman Villa
This earthwork was partially excavated in 1870, these revealed the foundations for a Roman villa of obvious opulence. It’s final Roman owners were believed to have suffered a grisly death as the villa burnt around them. It is likely that future excavations will reveal that the villa was built over of an earlier tribal centre. Probably replacing the shrine to the “Light Water” with a more Mediterranean alternative.
Troutback Roman Camps
At Troutbeck are three Roman marching camps and a small fort. This could be either a training camp or signs of three campaigns and a later fort.
