Hardknott Roman Fort
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Hardknott Roman Fort is an archeological site, the remains of the Roman fort ''Mediobogdum'', located on the western side of the
Hardknott Pass Hardknott Pass is a hill pass between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, England. The tarmac-surfaced road, which is the most direct route from the central Lake District to West Cumbria, shares the titl ...
in the
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
county of
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...
. The fort was built between 120 and 138 on a rocky spur, and was initially garrisoned by a detachment of the '' Cohors IV Delmatarum'' from the Dalmatian coast (in modern
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
). It was abandoned around a decade later, then reoccupied circa 200 and remained in use for much of the next two centuries.


Location and name

The fort was built on a rocky spur giving a superb view over the River Esk in both upper and lower Eskdale, and protecting
Hardknott Pass Hardknott Pass is a hill pass between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, England. The tarmac-surfaced road, which is the most direct route from the central Lake District to West Cumbria, shares the titl ...
. At an altitude of 800 feet, it isn't the highest fort in the
Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...
of
Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...
, the highest fort is Epiacum or Whitley Castle, just over the border from Cumbria in Northumberland, at an altitude of 1,050 feet. The ruins have been commonly known in recent times as Hardknott Fort or Hardknott Castle, but are identified from the ''
Ravenna Cosmography The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' ( la, Ravennatis Anonymi Cosmographia,  "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. Textu ...
'' as the ''Mediobogdum'' fort, situated along the road between the forts of ''
Galava Ambleside Roman Fort is the modern name given to the remains of a fort of the Roman province of Britannia. The ruins have been tentatively identified as Galava, mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary. Dating to the 1st or 2nd century AD, its ruins ...
'' (
Ambleside Ambleside is a town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Lakes, in Cumbria, in North West England. Historically in Westmorland, it marks the head (and sits on the east side of the northern headwater) of Windermere, England's larges ...
) and ''
Glannoventa Glannoventa is a Roman fort associated with the Roman naval base at Ravenglass in Cumbria, England. Its name is derived from the Latin place-name ''Clanoventa'' as recorded in the 2nd-century Antonine Itinerary, ''Glannibanta'' in the 4th-centu ...
'' (
Ravenglass Ravenglass is a coastal village in the Copeland District in Cumbria, England. It is between Barrow-in-Furness and Whitehaven. Historically in Cumberland, it is the only coastal village in the Lake District National Park. It is located at the est ...
).


Classical history

Built between about 120 and 138, the fort was abandoned during the Antonine advance into Scotland during the mid-2nd century. The fort was reoccupied around 200 and continued in use until the last years of the 4th century. During this time, an extensive
vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...
developed outside the fort. The initial
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
garrison here was a detachment of 500 infantry of the '' Cohors IV Delmatarum'' from the Dalmatian coast.


Description

The fort is square with rounded corners, 114 metres long externally, or 105 metres internally, the rampart wall being about 1.7 metres thick with ditches adding to the total width of the rampart. The low walls of the fort were "restored" some years ago, a slate course showing the height of the walls before their rebuilding. The outer wall has four gates, at the centre of each side, and lookout towers at each corner. Within the walls are the remaining outlines of several buildings: two side-by-side granaries, the garrison headquarters building and garrison commander's villa, or
Praetorium The Latin term (also and ) originally identified the tent of a general within a Roman castrum (encampment), and derived from the title praetor, which identified a Roman magistrate.Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 2 ed., ...
. In addition to these stone buildings, timber structures would have housed barracks for the mounted auxilia. Outside the square of the fort are the remains of the bath house (which has a rare circular ''
sudatorium In architecture, a sudatorium is a vaulted sweating-room ('' sudor'', "sweat") or steam bath (Latin: ''sudationes'', steam) of the Roman baths or thermae. The Roman architectural writer Vitruvius (v. 2) refers to it as ''concamerata sudatio''. It is ...
''), and the levelled parade ground, which is considered to be the finest surviving example in England. The parade ground is approximately two hundred yards higher up the slope to the east of the fort. A track led up to it from the East Gate of the fort. A plan of the fort by R. G. Collingwood in 1930 shows the parade ground to have been as big as the fort, with embanked edges to ensure a level surface.


Modern site

The fort is on land owned by the
National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
, part of the Trust's Wasdale, Eskdale and Duddon property, and maintained by
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
.


Archaeological activity

Leather objects from Roman occupation have been found at the site. A 1965 excavation found a piece of leather near the granary, thought to be part of soldier's
jerkin A jerkin is a man's short close-fitting jacket, made usually of light-coloured leather, and often without sleeves, worn over the doublet in the 16th and 17th centuries. The term is also applied to a similar sleeveless garment worn by the Briti ...
. Another excavation in 1968 by
Dorothy Charlesworth Dorothy Charlesworth (1927–1981) was a Roman archaeologist and glass specialist who served as Inspector of Ancient Monuments. She worked within Britain and Egypt. Early life and education Born and brought up in Northumberland, the daughter ...
and J. H. Thornton uncovered more leather, including several shoes.


Cultural influence

*Hardknott is the eponymous fort in the
Jack Whyte Jack Whyte (March 15, 1940February 22, 2021) was a Scottish-Canadian novelist of historical fiction. Born and raised in Scotland, he moved to Canada in 1967. He resided in Kelowna, British Columbia. Early life Whyte was born in Scotland on Marc ...
novel, ''
The Fort at River's Bend ''The Fort at River's Bend'' is a 1997 historical novel by Canadian novelist Jack Whyte. Written as part of a single book, ''The Sorcerer'', it was split for publishing purposes. The book encompasses the beginning of Arthur's education at a lon ...
''. *The fort also features in ‘’ Spain 1937’’ by W H Auden; as well as in the 17th
River Duddon The Duddon is a river of north-west England. It rises at a point above sea level near the Three Shire Stone at the highest point of Wrynose Pass (). The river descends to the sea over a course of about before entering the Irish Sea at the Du ...
sonnet by
Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's '' ...
, where it is described as “that lone Camp on Hardknott’s height,/Whose guardians bent the knee to Jove and Mars”.G Lindop, ''A Literary Guide to the Lake District'' (Manchester 1993) p. 262


References


External links


Eskdale and Duddon information at the National TrustHardknott Roman Fort information at English HeritageHardknott Roman Fort
Link to website cambridgemilitaryhistory.com which discusses Hardknott Roman Fort {{authority control Roman sites in Cumbria English Heritage sites in Cumbria History of Cumberland History of Cumbria Military history of Cumbria National Trust properties in the Lake District Roman fortifications in England Tourist attractions in Cumbria Archaeological sites in Cumbria Former populated places in Cumbria Ruins in Cumbria de:Hardknott Roman Fort