Lanchester Roman Fort and Town with the Roman name of Longovicium
A fort dating from the Hadrianic period, which developed into a small town and industrial complex south west of the modern town.
Lanchester Roman Fort and Town
The Fort
.Lanchester is located on Dere St 7 miles south East of Ebchester and 12 miles north west of Binchester(along Dere St) on a plateau south west of the modern town. It is a rectangular fort of 5.5 acres with 4 gateway and interval towers. The site today can be seen as a rectangular mound representing the core of the Walls, over 6ft high in places 540ft by 460ft. The dressed facing stone has been removed, with a fairly flat interior, with a double ditch to the south and west.
Lanchester-Roman Fort NW-corner
The fort was developed in 3 phases:
- Hadrianic (117AD to 138AD) mothballed and reopened with the retreat from “Scotland” and destroyed or partially destroyed at the end of the 2nd century, there is no explanation
- Restored 238/244 in the reign of Gordian by the 1st Cohort of Lingones, having fallen into disrepair according to an inscription.
- Restored again in the early 4th century and in use to the end of the century.
Lanchester-Raman-Fort
Lanchester-Roman Fort south wall
Read the historical background
It is suggested that the garrison was 1000 strong, a military infantry cohort like Housesteads, if so why? Certainly, after 240AD it is difficult to see why, unless for smelting and smithing, for arms manufacture.
Lanchester-Roman-Fort-Eastern-wall
Fleet Diploma at Longovicum
Lanchester sailors-diploma
The name is interesting, longo is Celtic for ship, vicium is Latin for street settlement, this mystery is added to by the sailor’s diploma. So is there a connection with Lanchester and the sea, which is about 20 odd miles away to the East?
Found in 2016 by metal detectorist Mark Houston near Lanchester, Co. Durham, this is the first complete Fleet Diploma to be discovered in the country and reveals the identity of one of Britain’s first named sailors. The diploma is made of a copper alloy and is now broken into 8 fragments, although it would have originally consisted of 2 rectangular bronze plates that were attached together with metal wires.
Roman Military Diplomas were the physical proof of rights granted to non-citizen soldiers to mark their honourable discharge on retirement after 26 years of service. This diploma was issued in the reign of the emperor Antoninus Pius to Tigernos, a native of Lanchester, Co. Durham, in around AD 150. The diploma granted him and his descendant’s Roman citizenship and the legal right of marriage. To earn the diploma he had served in the Classis Germanica -the Roman fleet in Germany, most likely for 26 years, before being honourably discharged on his retirement.
Aqueducts and Reservoirs
The fort is also interesting in having a larger supply of water, from two aqueducts, one of which was fed from a source to the west. The dam is said to harness the water of 21 springs and was 20 ft. high and 110 yards in length, being stone faced and clay lined on the inside. Despite not being on the scale of those supplying cities, the aqueduct was nevertheless a significant feat of engineering, is considered one of the best preserved aqueducts in Britain. There are also 2 receiving reservoirs near the fort itself.
The other aqueduct in the north is described HERE at Great Chester.
The Vicus
LANCHESTER-ROMAN FORT AND TOWN
This was the civil settlement, which appears to almost surround the fort; it appears larger than similar settlements close to the Wall forts, possibly a small town.
Lanchester Roman Fort-East-down-Dere-St
The Lanchester Partnership (with the support of the county Durham Council and lottery funds) has commissioned over the last 10 /12 years extensive geophysical surveys, which identify a ribbon development along Dere St on both sides of A6296, which passes north of the fort.
The Aqueducts and reservoir appear to provide far more water than was needed for the fort and settlement, suggesting iron smelting and manufacture, with coal readily available in the area and lead smelting could also be a possibility. Iron and lead ore would be available not far from the site. In the Archaeological Journal of 1895, it was reported that 1,000 carts of dross were removed from 2 spoil heaps on site for road making.
Evidence of pottery manufacturing have also been found.
Lanchester-Roman-Fort–looking up-DereSt-to-the-North
In the northern part of the settlement, there appears to be a structure, which could be a temple.
South east of the fort was a large Bathhouse, with visible remains until 1850s.