Summary

Buried remains of a late-Roman fort, over-lying earlier enclosures and linear features, situated on the south side of the River Went, where it was crossed by the Lincoln-Doncaster Roman road.

Source: Historic England

Details

Principal elements: low earthworks and buried remains of a Roman fort, over-lying earlier enclosure and linear features, along with buried archaeological remains outside the area of the fort; all situated in a field approximately 360m north-east of Thorpe Audlin, some 10km south-east of the Roman fort at Castleford (Lagentivm).

The fort is located on the western side of the A639 Doncaster Road, which follows the route of the Roman road built to connect Lincoln (Lindvm) to Catterick (Cataractonivm). Lengths of the north-west and the north-east ramparts are apparent as slight upstanding earthwork features, with the ground falling away to the river to the north. Evidence recovered during the 1987 trial excavation and a geophysical survey undertaken in 2012 indicates that the fort occupies a multi-phased site, with a silted-up ditch beneath a secondary cobbled surface, which was cut by a 10m wide and 2m deep ditch that enclosed the fort. The only securely-dated finds recovered from the base of the main ditch are late-Roman sherds and construction debris, dating to the late-third or early-fourth century AD, suggesting a late date for the construction of the fort. Geophysical anomalies between the fort and the road to the east are suggestive of industrial activity and structural remains.

Area of Scheduling: this includes the full extent of the trapezoidal shaped field containing the fort and associated archaeological deposits, bounded by the River Went to the north, the A639 to the east, a public path to the west, and a hedge-line to the south; approximately 380 x 328m at its widest point. Fence lines defining the boundaries of the field lie immediately outside the scheduled monument. Telegraph poles and their foundations are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath and around their foundations are included.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Thorpe Audlin Roman fort is scheduled for the following principal reasons:
* Period & rarity: as a rare example of an early fourth century timber-built Roman fort providing an insight into the strategy of the late Roman military occupation of the country;
* Diversity: for retaining both the full footprint of the fort alongside remains of possible industrial activity outside the defences as well as evidence of the use of the site before the fort’s construction;
* Documentation: for the addition to our understanding of the site provided by the excavation report and geophysical survey.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Breeze, David J (author), Roman Forts in Britain, (1983)
Margary, I D, Roman Roads in Britain, (1973)
Wilson, Roger (Author), Roman Forts - An Illustrated Introduction to the Garrison Posts of Roman Britain, (1980)
Other
Houlder, E and Hedges, D, J, Thorpe Audlin Excavations (1987) typescript report available from West Yorkshire HER
Land west of Thorpe Audlin, West Yorkshire, Geophysical Survey, Report no.2363, July 2012, West Yorkshire Archaeological Services

Source: Historic England