Brougham Roman Fort/Brocavum

Brougham Roman Fort

Brougham Roman Fort

ROMAN BROUGHAM-SOUTH-OF-CARLISLE

Location

Brougham Roman Fort is located 2 miles south of Penrith close to A66 going south east to Kirby Thore and Brough, partially on the Roman road, which eventually joins Dere Street north and south of Piercebridge.
The main road south goes on to Ribchester and Manchester.
To the south west there is a road to Ambleside and Ravenglass over High Street higher than any main road in England today.
To the north, there are the Roman forts at Old Penrith and Carlisle along the A6 partially running on the Roman main road north.
It was probably built to cover the river crossing over the Eamont, for the main road north, west of Pennines. Because of the river crossing, the other roads joined the main road at the Brougham location.

BROUGHAM-ROMAN-FORT

BROUGHAM-ROMAN-FORT

The River Lowther joins the Eamont just west of the fort. To the North West is the 13th century castle, where the castle moat was the fort’s northern ditch.

BROUGHAM-ROMAN-FORT-NORTH-DITCH-BY-CASTLEBROUGHAM-ROMAN-FORT-NORTH-DITCH-BY-CASTLE

About the Fort

The fort was 540 ft. by 360 ft. covering over 3.4 acres. There are ditches on all sides and the line of the fort walls can be seen, except in the north, which were destroyed by a 17th-century garden. The positions of the west and east gates are just viable as tracks across the fort. The only stonework visible is in the castle.

The fort was 540 ft. by 360 ft. covering over 3.4 acres. There are ditches on all sides and the line of the fort walls can be seen, except in the north, where were destroyed by 17 th century garden. The positions of the west and east gate are just viable as track across the fort. The only stonework visible is in the castle. There has been very limited excavation, only mounds from the extraction of building materials.BROUGHAM WESTERN WALL

Finds indicated that the fort was occupied from the 2nd to the 4th century and was a stone fort; typical of the Hadrianic forts.It is likely that under the fort was a 1st century turf and timber fort probably before 80 AD.

It defended the river crossing necessary to maintain contact with the fort built at Carlisle built-in 72/73 AD. The site probably developed over time from a matching camp to heavily fortified camp to a full turf and timber fort before 80AD and eventually in 2nd century to a stone fort.

The Garrison

BROUGHAM-ROMAN-FORT-SOUTH WEST-CORNER-LOOKING-NORTH

BROUGHAM-ROMAN-FORT-SOUTH WEST-CORNER-LOOKING-NORTH

The fort was garrisoned by a partially mounted garrison by a cohort of Bracaraugustanorum originally raised in Portugal with a cavalry contingent of 120 troops.

In the 3rd century the fort was probably garrisoned by the Stratonician Cavalry, an irregular force recruited in Asian minor.

There is an updated marching camp on the other side of the A66.

Again in the 3rd century, a significant civilian settlement had developed around the fort.

.See a list of inscriptions