Jay Lane Roman fort

Summary

Roman fort 400m south west of Plough Farm.

Reasons for Designation

Roman forts served as permanent bases for auxiliary units of the Roman Army. In outline they were straight sided rectangular enclosures with rounded corners, defined by a single rampart of turf, puddled clay or earth with one or more outer ditches. Some forts had separately defended, subsidiary enclosures or annexes, allowing additional storage space or for the accommodation of troops and convoys in transit. Although built and used throughout the Roman period, the majority of forts were constructed between the mid-first and mid-second centuries AD. Some were only used for short periods of time but others were occupied for extended periods on a more or less permanent basis. In the earlier forts, timber was used for gateways, towers and breastworks. From the beginning of the second century AD there was a gradual replacement of timber with stone. Roman forts are rare nationally and are extremely rare south of the Severn Trent line. As one of a small group of Roman military monuments, which are important in representing army strategy and therefore government policy, forts are of particular significance to our understanding of the period.

Despite cultivation the Roman fort 400m south west of Plough Farm survives comparatively well and will contain further archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, development, longevity, strategic significance, internal layout, function, domestic arrangements, abandonment and overall landscape context.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 27 May 2015. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a Roman fort with an annexe situated on the summit of a ridge overlooking the valley of the River Clun. Known generally as ‘Jay Lane Roman Fort’ it survives as entirely buried structures, layers and deposits visible as crop and soil marks on aerial photographs. Covering an area of approximately 2ha the fort is playing card shaped with a rectangular annexe at the southern end of the south western side. Excavations from 1962 showed it was constructed between AD 47 and 61 and defended by a turf rampart with two ditches of up to 1.98m wide, 1.06m deep and 1.52m apart with timber gate, corner and internal towers. The fort was dismantled in AD 70-80 and it is believed was replaced by the nearby fort at Buckton (scheduled separately).

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

HE 158

Legacy System:

RSM - OCN

Sources

Other
PastScape 106865, Herefordshire SMR 578

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