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Brancaster East-West Coastal Roman Road

Margary Number: none

Distance: 10.5 miles

A somewhat speculative Roman road - the Lidar evidence is not overwhelming but the need for just such a road cannot really be denied. Unfortunately there are several what appear to be sea bank defences along this stretch of coast and deciding what is a bank and what is a potential road is fraught with difficulty.

Brancaster (Branodunum) dates from around 230AD so would have been constructed after the the initial Roman road system was established but perhaps a bit earlier than most of the Saxon Shore forts. At first its location looks a puzzle but its position exactly half way between the Roman road to Holme and that to Burnham Overy Marshes cannot be a coincidence. It was surely centrally located to provide equal protection for these two Roman ports. They must not have warranted a fort each so they got one midway between the two. An east-west road would therefore have been essential.

Time Team carried out a dig at Brancaster in 2012 - see link. Their plan of the fort and vicus is right at the end.

 

 

 

Historic Counties: Norfolk

Current Counties: Norfolk

HER: Norfolk

 


mini map


Lidar Image: Holme-Brancaster-Burnham Overy

The location of the fort with respect to the two Roman roads and presumed Roman harbours is clear from this Lidar plot.

Click for larger view

 

full length

Oblique 3D Lidar Image - Brancaster Fort Site

On the east of the fort (left in image) was a vicus along side the road. Protecting the vicus on the seaward side appears to be a bank. This aligns with the north side of the fort so was probably Roman.

Inland of the fort running east-west is another bank or it could be a road?

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3D lidar

Oblique 3D Lidar Image - Possible East-West Road

This to me is the best clue that there was indeed an east-west road running inland of the fort. We are looking east in this view.

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3D lidar

Lidar Image & Route West Map 1

A little subjective is the route depicted - I would regard it of low to medium confidence.

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west map 1

Lidar Image & Route West Map 2

There is certainly a feature here that could be our road but it could also be a sea bank.

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west map2

Branodunum Site

The fort site is protected and under the stewardship of the National Trust.

The fort was garrisoned by the Equites Dalmatae Brandodunenses ("Dalmatian cavalry of Bran[d]odunum"). Perhaps strange it was a cavalry unit but as it was midway between the existing Roman roads and harbours perhaps this was what was required.

Image: National Trust

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branodunum

Lidar Image & Route East Map 1

The road through the vicus is known and the continuation onwards looks logical.

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east map1

Lidar Image & Route East Map 2

This is a puzzle - how did they cross what appears to be an inlet at the Burnhams? There is evidencve visible of a causeway across but does this date to the Roman period? If it did then a bank/agger continues the general alignment on and could be the road.

Click for larger view

east map2

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Last update: January 2020

© David Ratledge