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The Biglands Milefortlet and the Cumberland Coast Defences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2011

Timothy Potter
Timothy Potter
Affiliation:
University of Lancaster
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Extract

The Biglands milefortlet, the first known site of the Cumberland coast defences, lies 5,500 feet beyond the terminal fort at the western end of Hadrian's Wall at Bowness-on-Solway. It survives as a low but prominent grassy mound (FIG. I), situated some 60 m from the edge of the salt marsh and with views which command the Cardurnock peninsula, the Solway estuary and the mountains of Galloway. Its height above the level of the highest tides is 4–5 m, the subsoil consisting of the bedded sands and shingle of a raised beach. The most prominent feature both from the air and on the ground is the silted ditch of the fortlet; it encloses an area which is subrectangular in plan, measuring c. 40 by 50 m. Only the southern end of the fortlet, where there are the farm buildings of Biglands House, lies concealed. There is no obvious sign of a break in the ditch and it was thus assumed that this was a ‘long-axis’ fortlet, orientated north-south, with a rear entrance as at Cardurnock. The air photographs also showed traces of a palisade revetting the rampart which, as was demonstrated by trial-trenching in 1954, was built up of marsh silt; but no structures were recovered in these excavations, and there was only a thin scatter of second-century pottery.

Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 8 , November 1977 , pp. 149 - 183
Copyright
Copyright © Timothy Potter 1977. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

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3 Bellhouse, R. L., CW liv (1954), 35–6Google Scholar. In 1975, G. D. B. Jones cut trial trenches in the field immediately to the east of the Biglands milefortlet and demonstrated the presence of two parallel ditches, aligned with the front and back of the milefortlet. These may have formed part of a linear feature, defining the frontier along the Cardurnock peninsula (Britannia vii (1976), 236–43Google Scholar).

* We would like warmly to acknowledge the co-operation and hospltality of the landowners, Mr and Mrs H. Jefferson and Mr Brian Jefferson, and of many other friends in the area. We would also like to thank Miss Dorothy Charlesworth (Department of the Environment); Mr J. Cansfield and Mr E. Phillips (University of Lancaster); Mr George Richardson, Mr Anthony Ellwood and other members of the Cumberland and Westmorland Archaeological and Antiquarian Society; Mr Tom Clare and the Cumbria County Council Planning Department; and those who contributed specialist reports, Mr Brian Hartley and Miss Brenda Dickinson (Samian), and Mr J. P. Gillam (coarse pottery) and Dr David Shotter (coins). The finds were drawn by Richard Turner and the survey in FIG. I was carried out by Richard Andrews. Finally we would like to thank Mr Richard Bellhouse, the pioneer of research on the Cumberland coast defences, who visited the excavations and profered much helpful advice, and Professor Sheppard Frere, who made many helpful suggestions on the first draft of this report.

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55 The case for a second, late Antonine, reorganisation of the Cumberland coast defences is further strengthened by a recently identified samian stamp from a form 31, excavated by Mr Bellhouse, from Tower 16b. The stamp reads [PRIM]ANI, die Primanus iii 6e. Primanus iii was a Lezoux potter whose stamps occur in deposits from the Brougham Cemetery, Pudding Pan Rock, and the Wroxeter Gutter; this suggests that he was working between c. 150 and 185. I am especially grateful to Mr B. R. Hartley for identifying and dating the stamp and to the curator of the Tullie House Museum, Carlisle, who allowed me to look through the material from the Cumberland coast sites.

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