Nancy Jardine Author: Blennerhasset Roman Fort

Wednesday, 13 April 2022

Blennerhasset Roman Fort

Blennerhasset Roman Fort

Welcome to Day 13 of my April posts to do with the writing of Before Beltane.

Why did I mention this particular fort in Before Beltane? It can be quite a risky venture naming places that are identified in Great Britain as being of Roman origin, the difficulty being that at any time new information may be uncovered at a site which upsets the applecart of evaluations and interpretations. What was identified by aerial photography in 1968, and given a possible date some years later, may now be given a re-dating if newly excavated or investigated.

Blennerhasset- Grampus Heritage

I chose Blennerhasset because it was in the geographical area I wanted to describe, probably in the lands inhabited by the Carvetii tribe (if Ptolemy was correct), and was therefore suitable for the scenes where Lorcan is visiting his Carvetii friend, Cynwrig.

Blennerhasset Roman Fort was identified via Aerial Photography in 1968, but has been relatively recently investigated in 2013 by Grampus Heritage and Training Ltd, commissioned by Aspatria Rural Partnership.

©Nancy Jardine

Using effort provided by many local volunteers, guided by experts, magnetometry revealed evidence of rampart foundations. The identification of five possible gate entrances suggests that the site may have begun as a large marching camp. A subsequent fort was probably built on the site, the interior providing evidence of a possible headquarters building and possible ovens. The evidence being scant for post holes leads to an interpretation that the site was only occupied by Roman troops for a short duration. Four fort gates were identified and a dating of late first century would fit in with the era of Before Beltane (71).

Of interest is a larger trapezoidal enclosure well-outside the perimeter of the Roman fort. This has been tentatively identified as of Iron Age origin. If so, it was not unheard of for the Roman army to occupy land that had some significance, possibly religious or ritual, to the local population.

On the other hand, if the larger enclosure was not of Iron Age origin, I wondered if the larger area was needed because it was an Ala Augusta Gallorum who used it. Horses meant more space was needed in a marching camp, before the proper and more confined barracks were built in a fort.

Blennerhasset is found on the main road between Old Carlisle and Papcastle at the crossing of the River Ellen. There are other possible forts not far off, Caermote and Troutbeck. These locations would fit with the advancing Roman armies during the Britannic Governorship of V. Bolanus (69-71) or Cerialis (71-84), before the more established occupation of Brigantia and Carvetii territory.

You can read about Lorcan visiting Cynwrig where he hears about the Romans beginning to establish a fort at Blennerhasset.