Excavation

Date 1932

Event ID 1033029

Category Recording

Type Excavation

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1033029

NS77NE 8 76070 77353

(NS 76070 77353) Roman Fort (R) (site of)

OS 1:10000 map (1976)

The Roman fort at Westerwood abutting the Antonine Wall measured internally 280ft E-W by 300ft transversely, covering an area of nearly 2 acres. Excavations were carried out in 1932 by Sir George Macdonald.

The rampart surrounding the other three sides was of turf on a stone foundation about 16ft broad. Nothing could be found about the NE corner as the buildings of Westerwood farm steading overlie the defences. There were two ditches outside the rampart, with a third along the stretch from the W gate northwards. On the S, and the N, the ditches are not interrupted by a passage, although there is a gate in each of these ramparts. The E and W gates lie further N that the centre of the fort. Excavations proved that the wall was completed before the fort.

Of the internal structures, little was found. The majority of the wooden barrack-blocks were to the S of the via principalis. The fragment of a wall close to the W rampart showed that a stone building had run N-S there; and another fragment found against the Antonine Rampart on the N indicated the remains of a bath-house - a drain ran from it under the W rampart.

A kiln was found built into the Antonine Rampart a little to the W of the N gate.

A portion of a loop of the Military Way was uncovered outside the ditches at the SE corner of the fort.

It is possible that the fort overlay the site of an Agricolan fort, although, except for the peculiarity of the ditches, no conclusive evidence has been encountered.

Finds, datable to the 2nd century, include a few pottery sherds and some ballista balls. A coin of Hadrian was found nearby, on the Military Way, a little E of the fort (see NS77NE 11). Gordon and Maitland, in the 18th century, mention inscribed stones having been dug up here and built into the houses, but other than a few tooled stones being observed in the walls around the stackyard, there is no record of these inscribed stones.

Visible on aerial photographs (106G/Scot/UK10: 7094; 58/3544/F44: 0342). G Macdonald 1933; 1934