Archaeology Notes

Event ID 718925

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/718925

NT53NW 2 5210 3608.

NT 5210 3608 The foundations of a Roman building, believed to have been a monument or a tall shrine of the 2nd century AD, were destroyed during gravel quarrying at Easter Langlee, early in July 1965.

At the instigation of Dr Steer (RCAHMS), who surveyed the site, about thirty of the stones were dug out of a pile of gravel on July 10th. They bore the characteristic diamond broaching of Roman legionary workmanship and had been cramped together. Several of the stones bore numbers indicating that they had been dressed in a workshop, probably at the Roman fort at Newstead, for subsequent erection on this site: one of the stones was inscribed 'COH I'; another, 'M III'.

The driver of the bulldozer who destroyed the shrine described it as an apse-ended building about 15 ft long by 9 ft wide, with the apse at the west end. The east end seemed to have had no wall-footings: while a large stone, broached upon its upper surface and centred in the apse wall-footings, indicated a low window or threshold. The north and south walls, each composed of a single line of stones, were broached on their outer faces but the apse was said to have been composed of a number of roughly dressed, interlocked boulders. (Information from Colin Martin, Springwood Cottage, Kelso)

Three stones have been deposited in the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (NMAS): the remainder are at Old Gala House, Galashiels. (Museum label, 19 July 1965)

Information from OS Recorder (SW) 20 July 1965

R P Wright 1966

The two inscribed stones and a third stone are in the NMAS. The stone with the inscription 'M III' is Accession no. 1965 FV 49: the third stone is No. 1965 FV 50: The stone with the inscription 'COH I(?)' is too friable for exhibition and a cast is being prepared. The cast (Accession no. 1965 FV 51) will be put on display and the original stone may be disposed of.

Information from telecommunication from A S Henshall, NMAS, 18 July 1966