(NY 832986) Bremenium Roman fort. (1)
Bremenium Roman fort measuring circa 482ft by 445ft across the defensive walls excavated in 1852, 1855 and 1935.
Flavian-Trajanic period. The original Agricolan Fort (AD 78-85) consisted of a single ditch and rampart, later demolished and replaced by a larger rampart and elaborate ditch system.
Antonine period (AD 139-late 2nd century). Fort rebuilt with rubble wall, backed by a clay rampart. In 1935, a 19ft road behind the wall and an L-shaped barrack block were discovered.
Severan period (early 3rd-late 3rd century). Original defences levelled and a new fort wall built. Most of the excavated internal buildings belong to this phase. See Constantinian period (c.306 AD-mid 4th century). Fort rebuilt with strong stone wall, four gateways and angle and interval turrets. The internal layout generally repeated the plan of earlier buildings. Fort destroyed in mid-4th century and never restored. Six ditches of unknown period were found in 1935 on the north side of the fort. On the east and south sides were three larger ditches unrelated to those on the north. (2)
Various inscribed stones have been found within or near the Roman fort at High Rochester. Details given. The stones are held by various museums throughout the country. (3)
The fort has been badly mutilated but the main rampart can still be seen throughout. Stretches of Roman walling are visible in the west side, and gateways still exist on the north and west sides. Remains of an interval turret to the west of the south gate and possible remains of an angle turret within the south east angle of the fort are also visible. Published survey (25 inch) revised. (4)
Name 'BREMENIVM' accepted for 4th edition Roman Britain Map. (5)
No change since reports of 13.9.56 and 6.11.70. (6)
Excavation carried out in 1981 by Beryl Charlton in advance of laying essential services. The service pipes were run along the known Roman roads within the fort and the septic tank sited on the Via Quintana. All finds and excavation report have been deposited with the Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle University (copy in parish file T40). (7)
Roman aqueduct. Fort supplied by covered stone channel through south gate. Supplied a series of tanks. Probably dates around reign of Caracalla. (8)
19th century excavations produced a large number of coins. 130 coins attributed to High Rochester, propose abandonment at 294-317AD. (9)
Sandstone building stone found in 1982 in a garden wall by R Charlton. Measures 0.54m x 0.23m x 0.27m. Inscribed: VEXCOHIIIIGALLET/VEXCOHIINERV/FECERVNT, vex(illato) coh(ortis) (quartae) Gall(orum) et/vex(illato) coh(ortis) (secundae) Nerv(iorum)/fecerunt. Deposited on loan to Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle. (10)
Two pipe-clay figurines of Venus from High Rochester. In Alnwick Castle Museum. (11)
Excavation material from High Rochester in Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle, 1983.15, given by Mr and Mrs Charlton. (See auth 7). (12)
Twenty-five sculptured stones from High Rochester (Bremenium). (13)
First season of survey and excavation carried out by Department of Archaeology, Newcastle University under direction of Jim Crow, in summer 1992.
An outline plan of the fort was prepared at 1:500 scale recording the fort platform and all modern buildings within. The earthworks on the south side of the fort wall were also surveyed at 1:500.
A vernacular building survey was carried out on the Bastle and Rose Cottage.
Structural recording of the west wall of the fort was done through elevation drawings and rectified photography. Also recorded were the north-west angle, the west gate, the collapsed curtain at the south interval tower and two sections of curtain near the south-west angle;
drawings made at 1:20.
Limited excavation to assess the need for consolidation was carried out at the north-west angle.
Two areas were investigated by geophysical survey - the south exterior of the fort and the west side of exterior. (14)
A second season of work was undertaken by the Department of Archaeology, Newcastle University in June 1993.
A plane table survey at 1:500 scale was carried out on the earthworks outside the fort between the site of the east gate and the north-west angle. The agger of Dere Street was noted to the east of the north-east angle, running in a north-westerly direction to a known crossing of the Sills Burn.
Structural recording concentrated on the south curtain, in particular the exposed west interval tower, using rectified photography and elevation drawings. Consolidation is due to be carried out in 1994. Two decorated building stones were noted - a merlon cap stone and a decorated monolithic windowhead.
A limited excavation was carried out at the north-west angle to investigate the area excavated by Richmond in 1935.
The line of the curtain wall in the west farm gate was revealed by vehicle erosion over the winter of 1992/3. Two or three facing blocks were exposed and badly damaged by farm vehicles in the summer of 1993.
Geophysical survey continued in 1993 with two areas investigated, i) the field west of the fort, partly examined in 1992; and ii) part of the fort interior, including a sample area previously excavated in the 19th century, and the site of the headquarters building and the Lambing Garth. (15)
A third season of surveying and recording took place in June 1994 by Newcastle University and GeoQuest Associates. In 1994 attention was focused to the east of the fort. A small excavation investigated the line of a field drain cut across Dere Street; topographical survey continued to the east and north of the fort; and geophysical survey investigated the field immediately to the east, known as the 'Square field', and sampled the south end of the adjacent field to the south called 'the Bogs' (see also NY 89 NW 68). Within the fort the ruined
buildings in the north quarter were recorded.
Dere Street was examined at a point 35m east of the fort and three main road surfaces were recognised with estimated widths of 7.4m, 9m and 6.5m (earliest to latest (after c.AD165?)). The alignment of Dere Street was confirmed by resistivity and magnetometer surveys in the 'Square field' showing the clear line of road-side ditches set 12m apart. Fieldwalking of 'the Bogs' revealed Dere Street as a spread of stones, confirming that the road is being damaged by ploughing. The junctions of two branch roads were also seen in the resistivity survey, one towards Holystone and one running west to the east gate of the fort. (See also NY 89 NW 68 for vicus/settlement).
Geophysical survey of the south east angle of the fort revealed that four ditches existed outside the fort. Two areas of firing - bread ovens, pottery kilns or corn drying kilns - were also identified between the fort defences and Dere Street, none have so far been found within the fort.
The South Interval Tower was consolidated in 1994 after the removal of an ash tree in 1993 and recording of the stonework. Stonework had been further displaced by sheep in winter 1993-94 and stone masons from Arbeia Roman Fort (South Shields) carried out the consolidation. Work was observed by an archaeologist who identified Roman pottery within the blocking stonework. The pottery comprised 3rd century samian, mortaria, and a possible local orange fabric. (16)
Phase four of the project took place in 1995. This comprised geophysical survey which relocated the line of the aqueduct from Petty Knowes towards the south gate of the fort. The line of Dere Street was also investigated along with associated features to the south east of the fort and a rectilinear features south west of the fort which may have been a temple or shrine.
A ground radar survey of selected areas around the fort confirmed the presence of an enclosure partially underlying the fort to the west. This had previously been located by geophysical survey and suggests the fort was built on the site of an earlier defended enclosure. Ground radar also surveyed the fort ditches, the annexe, Dere Street and the vicus.
Excavation was targeted at the results of geophysical survey results from 1994 in the area of the vicus. along Dere Street. Three trenches were opened, the largest demonstrated that significant structural features survive within as little as 0.15m below the present ground surface.
A comprehensive documentary survey of post-Roman occupation was carried out detailing the history of the site from the first documented habitation in 1552. (17)
The 1996 season continued the location and evaluation of features found by geophysical survey. The rampart and ditch of the Flavian annexe in the west field were located. Also found was a stone-lined drain and features associated with later occupation in this area. East of the fort, possible traces of earlier roads and occupation were investigated. A predecessor of Dere Street may have been located to the east of the current alignment and over 0.5m below it. To the south of the fort the area previously tentatively suggested as a bath house or mithraeum was excavated but, apart from field drains, the results were inconclusive.
To the east of the fort, a programme of ground penetrating radar survey has revealed the profile of multiple ditches; they showed a distinctive 'W' profile. Augering in the area of the possible Iron Age enclosure below the west annexe of the fort suggested a manmade feature rather than a geological anomaly as argued by geophysics. (18)
In 1997 attention was focused on testing the results of the 1996 work which showed it was possible to integrate the 19th century plan of the site with the modern survey of the structural remains and topography. This was carried out by means of limited excavations on two areas within the fort: 1) the south east corner of the headquarters building and 2) the south angle tower west of the south gate; and also served to validate results of ground penetrating radar survey at the south east angle of the fort. It was found that it is not possible to apply a uniform correction to integrate the plans and that the maximum divergence was in the region of 1.5m. (19)