Location

Chew Green Roman Site is located on the banks of the River Coquet between its tributaries, Chew Sike on the East flanked by steep banks and the March Sike on the west. It is 1450 ft. above sea level, the highest site Roman site in England. Situated in one of the most remote parts of England on the Scottish border, close to the source to of the Coquet.

From A696 at Otterburn proceeds to Elson, Harbottle and on to Alwinton (NE65 7 BQ) and then west to Chew Green along 14 mile on small road, there is a car park on the left.

Chew Green Roman Site is on Dere St, built from about 79 AD.  Dere St stated at York and went from Corbridge to Newstead and on the Firth of Forth, It was 8 miles north of High Rochester and 10 miles south of Cappuck, which is 20 miles south of Newstead.

Detail

Chew Green Roman Site

6 components have been identified following excavation mainly in the 1930s; all built at different times for what is a very complex site:

• Marching Camp 1 covered 19 acres measuring 895 ft. by 917 ft., to the south of the site (19 acres), probably dates to 79/80AD and Agricola’s first “Scottish” invasion, hosing up to a Legion.
• Marching Camp 2 cover 14 acres measuring 982 ft. by 625 ft. to the north of the site (14 acres) Date unknown possibly more than one period, but after Camp 1.
• Semi-Permanent Fort 3 inside marching camp 1 covering  6.5 acres measuring 587 ft. by 496 ft. Possibly soon after Camp 1. 
• Permanent Fortlet 4 to the south east of marching camp 1, covering about 1 acre and was 215 ft. square, heavily fortified with an annex . Possibly after 160AD
• Permanent Fortlet 5 demolished and not visible in the south east corner of Marching Camp 1, possibly the fortlet used to support Dere St, and control the route to Newstead, through most of the period.
• Permanent Fortlet 6, under Fortlet 5 an earlier fortlet with a different alinement, built probably shortly after Marching Camp 1.

Dere St runs along the east side of the site. There is a lack of dating evidence at each of the above components.

There are a further 2 marching camps about 2 miles to the south and one a mile further north. In fact there are marching camps all the way up Dere St.

History

About 79AD the Roman Empire invaded “Scotland” under the Governor Agricola. It is though that the invasion was in two divisions, one of which started from the original Corbridge Fort and depot up what became Dere St

.It is likely that Marching Camp 1 was built during this invasion, and would have housed up to a legion. It is possible that the Fort 3 was built as the major depot and labour camp to build this section of Dere St. The gateways, help identify the date of the structure, are visible as gaps through the rampart and ditch; the north western gateway displays traces of an internal clavicula, a curved extension of the rampart intended to give added defence. This type of gateway was used on Camp 1 and the semi-permanent fort 3, indicating the date of construction as 1st century.

Marching Camp 2 is not easy to date. The best option was the Antonine Invasion about 140AD. This was the 2^nd invasion of “Scotland”, when it was decided to move the frontier from Hadrian’s Wall to the Clyde Forth isthmus. The gateways on 3 sides, had a gap in the ditch and wall with a ditch and wall in front of the gap, called a titulum. There was no titulum on the Southgate as the remains of fort3 served that purpose. This form of gate was less likely to be 1^st century.

You may wonder why there type of gates was constructed. There were no available trees on site and for a short stay building gate would be time consuming and to cart wood would increase the baggage train. Therefore these gateways could be constructed from the same materials as the walls.

Fortlets 5 /6 were built after the fort was no longer required, as a small patrol post, and fort 5 had the most northerly annex attached. The annexes were probably a wagon park for in transit supplies.

After the withdrawal from the Antonine Wall (Clyde Forth isthmus) around 160AD, the fort at Newstead was maintained for a further 20/30 years. Therefore, Dere St had to be maintained the fortlet at Cappuck which was modified with very heavy fortifications.

Fortlet 4 was also built at this time with very heavy fortifications, visible even today. It has 3 wide ditches on 3 sides merging into a single ditch on the south, with annex, which is also protected by ditches. The fortlet was probably abandoned about this time with the withdrawal from Newstead around 190AD.

The forts along Dere St were all abandoned after about 110AD at the latest. The forts were rebuilt around 140AD, with the exception of Blakehope, but with the addition of Risingham.

 It is almost certainly the case at Chew Green, Fortlet 6 was probably abandoned before 110AD and Fortlet 5 was built around 140AD.

Chew Green Roman Site

As you see it on the ground.