A Fort at Whickham south of the Tyne

Location

Washingwells Roman Fort was only discovered 50 years ago but has been looked for 170 years. The Stanegate cannot be traced after Corbridge and there had to be a road going east. Although the road has not been found, it is possible that it branched off Dere St south of the Tyne. Washingwells Roman Fort was 1.5 miles south of the Tyne.

This map is per Hadrian’s Wall. The fort was only found from aerial pictures of crop marks in 1970. Although there is no dating evidence, it is likely to be one of the forts arising from the initial invasion in the 70s, like all the other sites shown on the map above. South Shield’s early fort is a total guess, as a location has yet to be found, it’s an ideal location for a port.

The fort is about 15 miles from Corbridge, 8 miles from Ebchester and 8 miles from Chester le Street.

It is not the typical rectangular fort, it was lozenge shaped to a degree.

Turn off the A1 m going north onto the A692 to Whickham, very quickly you turn right to Whickham. It’s the first on the left and signposted Watergate Forest Park after the colliery, which was here before.

From the A1M going south turn off after the metro centre, turning right on to A692.From the car park follow the red route of signposts.

After about a mile you leave the park moving uphill and move out of the woods and into a field, you are at the site of the fort. The path will take you diagonally through the centre of the fort, unfortunately, there is nothing visible.

The fort has a ravine in the west and down a steep hill to the south. It is likely there had been 3 forts on the site. They were timber and wood forts, they would be replaced at 15-year intervals. The forts changed shape and size.

One was 4.5 acres, possibly 150 yds by 125 yds, but not rectangular. The fort was identified from the ditches dug outside the Wall of the fort. Some of the ditches were exceptionally wide over 25ft across. Wishingwells Roman Fort was not there to police the Tyne Valley; it was not visible from the site. Only the Team Valley was visible.

Historical Perspective

Cerialis, Governor of Roman Britain was instructed to invade the territory of the Brigantines tribe, who had been a local ally of Rome for nearly 30 years. But by the late 60s, internal divisions in the tribe started to disturb the peace. Therefore Emperor Vespasian, who had been a legionary commander during The British invasion, decided that the territory should come under direct control.

Wishingwells Roman Fort

may have been involved in one or more of the following events:

• The Roman occupation of the area, being built about 75AD, it does not overlook the Tyne Valley, which you would have expected
• Housing troops after the withdrawal from “Scotland” about 90AD
• The establishing of the Stanegate as the frontier circa 100 to 105AD, the argument is the Stanegate Frontier was extended to Wishingwells Roman Fort, linked from Corbridge by a road south of the Tyne, leaving Dere St at Riding Mill, but no evidence has been found to date.

Wishingwells Roman Fort is thought to have been abandoned when the Wall was built, as it was about than 6 miles from Benwell over the bridge at Newcastle.