Border - Crawford - Inveresk (?)

NT15NE 43 1546 5500 to 1999 5993 RR 1.

Formerly RR 7g.

The course attributed to the Roman road across this plan is no doubt approximately correct, but the visible remains of roads between Waterloo (NT 152 547) and Carlops (NT 160 559) lack any specifically Roman characteristics and could all be of medieval or later date. (ROMAN ROAD (R) published on OS 6-inch map, 1962 at NT 1572 5527 follows St Joseph's statement that this small part of road was of Roman date.) Like later roads, the Roman road, leaving Carlops, presumably crossed the River North Esk near the modern bridge (NT 1615 5618) but the site of the crossing has not been precisely determined. From there, the course is probably largely overlain by the A 702 (to NT 1628 5630) and the old turnpike road. At Spittal (NT 171 572) the results of trial excavations suggest that Roman temporary camp NT15NE 30 pre-dates the road. About 1.5km NE of this camp the line of the road is visible along the ridge to the E of the Pillar Knowe, accompanied on its N side by quarry-pits 5m to 6m in diameter and 0.25m in depth (NT 1836 5868 to NT 1905 5918). Thereafter its course to sheet edge coincides with the turnpike road.

J K St Joseph 1952; I D Margary 1957; RCAHMS 1967.

NT 1546 5500 - NT 1562 5516 No trace. (JLD)

NT 1562 5516 - NT 1569 5523 Terrace 3m wide. (JLD)

NT 1569 5523 - NT 1582 5544 Grassed-over metalled road. (JLD)

NT 1582 5544 - NT 1588 5553 Agger c.5m broad and 0.2m high with hollow-way on N side. (JLD)

NT 1588 5553 - NT 1598 5563 Broad track in marshy ground. (WDJ)

NT 1598 5563 - NT 1628 5630 No trace. (WDJ)

NT 1628 5630 - NT 1631 5636 Flat-bottomed cutting 8m wide. (WDJ)

NT 1631 5636 - NT 1645 5655 Disused metalled road 7-8m wide terrace; eroded in places. (WDJ)

NT 1645 5655 - NT 1671 5677 Farm-road terrace 8-10m wide. (WDJ)

NT 1671 5677 - NT 1702 5703 No trace. (WDJ)

NT 1702 5703 - NT 1774 5771 Modern road on probable source of Roman road. (WDJ)

NT 1774 5771 - NT 1791 5800 Slight flat-topped mound 5m wide, 0.3m high. Traces of ditch on N side. (WDJ)

NT 1791 5800 - NT 1851 5877 No trace on ground. Course visible as cropmark on RAF air photograph F.42/58/RAF/3544/0167.

Surveyed at 1:2500. (WDJ)

NT 1851 5877 - NT 1892 5909 Extant. Surveyed at 1:2500. (WDJ)

NT 1892 5909 - NT 1924 5927 No trace. (WDJ)

NT 1924 5927 - NT 1999 5993 Old road on probable course of Roman road. Abutments of bridge over Eight Mile Burn

at NT 1926 5929. (WDJ)

Visited by OS (JLD) 1959; (WDJ) February 1970.

Trial trenching and watching briefs were undertaken along the route of a waterpipe development at the two points where it crossed the presumed route of the Roman road, at Stonypath, West linton (NT 145 535) and to the W of Carlops (NT157 557).

The course of the Roman road is visible in places between West Linton and Carlops as a raised causeway and/or as parallel lines of quarry pits on aerial photographic coverage. Although no traces of the Roman road were visible in either of the proposed development areas, extrapolation from the known lengths suggested that remains might be identified at these locations.

Extensive trenches were placed across the presumed Roman line in both areas, but no traces of metalling, ditches or quarry pits were found. Consequent watching briefs in the area also failed to locate the Roman line.

The supposed line of the Roman road W of Carlops appears to result from an extrapolation from known road sections without consideration of local topography. A more practical route is provided by contouring round the scarps here and crossing the burn at a spot further S, closer to the A702 road.

Sponsors: Borders regional Concil, Water and Drainage Services.

CFA 1993.

A possible section of the road running from NT 1928 5929 to NT 1971 5972 has been removed by the construction of a trench for a pipeline which has followed the course of the road.

Visited by RCAHMS (DE) 18 September 1994.