Chesters Roman Fort, Northumbria
Roman Military Units and Defences along Hadrian’s Wall
May 18, 2009
Built at the time of Hadrian, Chester’s fort remained in use for as long as there was a military presence in Britain. Named Cilurnum by the Romans after a swirling pool that was probably part of the nearby River Tyne, its walls and gateways preserve many clues about how its fortifications were used and who manned it.
The Purpose of Chesters Fort
Chesters was not part of the original plan for Hadrian’s Wall. It was a later addition, overlapping the border between Roman and non Roman territory. The course of Hadrian’s Wall would have run straight through it. The centre of the fort still bears the remains of one of the early wall turrets that was knocked down when the fort was constructed. Excavation shows that the turret was partially built before it was abandoned and the fort built, indicating that Chesters was quite an early addition to the plan of the wall’s fortifications.
Three of Chester’s main gates opened out into non roman territory. This is because Chesters was originally designed to allow Roman military units to be rapidly deployed into enemy territory.
The Roman Military Units at Chesters
Documentary and archaeological evidence show that although Chesters began and ended as a cavalry fort, it was also home to other Roman military units.
An altar in the headquarters dedicated to the emperor Hadrian verify the information in military lists which show that the earliest units in the fort were mounted. This earliest cavalry unit was known as the ‘august’ in recognition of their bravery.
By the reign of Antoninus Pius, inscriptions show that the fort was playing host to legionary work parties. A military discharge certificate dating to 146AD was found on the site granting roman citizenship to British soldiers. This suggests that Chesters personnel was either mixed or had become solely a legionary fortress, made up unusually of native troops.
By the end of the forts life, cavalry were back in place. An inscription commemorating the water supply to the fort in 184AD and one in the headquarters building dating to 221AD refers to an Austurian cavalry unit which the military lists record as the forts main unit from the 3rd century until the end of the fort’s life in the 4th century AD.
The Gateways at Chesters
In common with all Roman forts, there were 4 main entrances to Chesters fort. Their archaeological remains tells us a great deal about the use of the forts defences over its lifetime.
Each gateway was flanked by two turrets with guardrooms. They were composed of two portals formed by round headed arches and separated by a central column. Each portal was secured by a set of oak gates.
In the case of every gateway, at least one of the portals were blocked at some point in their history. The remains of each gateway also preserves very specific features.
- The North Gateway. At the centre of the northern rampart, the porta praetorian was one of the gateways situated in enemy territory. At over 10m tall, the gateway would have dominated the north wall. Little remains of it today beyond some blocks of the central pillars between the portals and the holes for the gate’s iron pivots.
It is clear that one of the north gateway’s portals was blocked soon after its construction. This is indicated by the lack of wear on its threshold. The other portal’s threshold is higher, due to resurfacing because of the wear and tear of traffic.
It is also possible to see one of the capped channels of the forts aqueduct running under the north gateway.
- The West gateway. This gateway also opened out into non roman territory. Threshold evidence indicates it went out of use shortly after the forts construction. Neither portal’s thresholds show evidence of much wear or tear.
This gateway preserves the pivot holes for the gates, with the original iron lining still intact. The west gateway was situated at one of the highest points of the fort and was used as a water distribution point for the rest of the fort. This is evident from the situation of a water distribution in one of the guardrooms.
Between this gateway and the fort’s wall are the remains of an oven. This was probably part of the fort’s bake house which would have been situated far from other buildings to avoid the risk of fire.
- The South Gateway. Leading to the civilian settlement and the Roman road system, the guardroom of this gateway is of particular interest. Four separate layers of occupation have been excavated. One contained the military discharge papers proving the fort once housed British legionaries.
- The East Gateway. One of the best preserved gateways on Hadrian’s Wall, this gateway preserves part of its portal archways. Built across the site of the original wall ditch, it was the least used gateway as it faced the river and was eventually entirely blocked.
Sources:
Chesters Roman Fort, Northumberland, by J S Johnson. English Heritage. London
