| Summary : The remains of Caister Roman Fort, which has also been interpreted as a Roman Saxon Shore Fort, are located in Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk. It was built in the early 3rd century and occupied until around 370-390 AD. The fort was nearly 3.5 hectares in size and roughly square in shape.In 1951-1955 a section of the fort was excavated with the main structures left exposed, including part of the south gate and defences and a main road. The rest of the site, around 90%, is now covered by modern housing. Inside the current visitor entrance and near to what was the south gate is a large defensive ditch, the innermost of a series of ditches around the fort. The south gate was located in the centre of the south fort wall which stood to around 4 or 5 metres high. To the left of the south gate are the remains of a small, rectangular guard chamber. Just to the north of the south wall and on a roughly east-west alignment are the remains of a building range more than 45 metres in length and divided into six rooms of unequal size with a wing extending northwards at the western end. Along the south side is a parallel wall which is interpreted as part of a portico and would have served also to retain the inner face of the earthen bank behind the south wall of the fort. On the north side of the building are the remains of a corridor running along the southern and south eastern sides of a rectangular courtyard beyond. This building was in use during the later third and fourth centuries AD and is said to have served various domestic and industrial functions at different times before being severely damaged by fire in the later fourth century. Within the courtyard area are parts of a sequence of other, possibly earlier, buildings which, together with various structures, include the remains of a corn-drying kiln and a tank.Today (2009) the remains of the fort are opened to the public by English Heritage. |
More information : (Name centred TG 515123) Roman Town (R) (remains of) (1)
(TG 517124) Roman walled settlement, Caistor-on-Sea. The earliest remains revealed by excavations of 1951-3 and 1961-3 were of a revetted palisade (Period I) dated to the first half of the 2nd century and thought to have enclosed a smaller area than the succeeding defences. This was followed by a ditch (Period IIA) datable circa 185-210 AD with no sign of a rampart. Earliest pottery, with a few exceptions, is late Antonine, making it clear that major occupation did not start until this period. In the first half of the 3rd century (Period IIB) a town wall with one, or possibly two ditches, was built, probably associated with the planning of the interior of the town on a more or less regular pattern. Reorganisation of the defences circa AD 310-330 (Period III), with the cleaning out and possible recutting of the inner ditch, may have included the cutting of the outer ditch and additions to the wall structure. The site of the town lies on the north side of an extinct estuary (the predecessor of the medieval Grubbs Haven, since blocked by the northward extension of the Yarmouth sandbank) and the pebbled main street leads through the south gate to a presumed harbour.
Although the continuance of the town into the 4th century as a civil settlement is not in doubt, its earlier status is uncertain. The character of the defences, resembling the early Saxon Shore forts at Reculver and Brancaster (2-6) suggests it may have been the predecessor to Burgh Castle (TG 40 SE 1), and while Wilson and Clarke describe its foundation circa 125 AD as a trading port, Ellison (5) believes the early ditch (Period IIA) to have been military in form and out of place in the development of the defences of a civil settlement. The site of the town was occupied later by a 7th to 8th century Anglian settlement, (TG51SW30).
The only visible remains of the town are the western guard-room of the south gate and a portion of the southern defences. The site of the palisade is marked by a line of concrete, and two concrete circles show the site of post-holes carrying a wooden bridge over the ditch. (For further details of discoveries, see TG51SW19-28). (7-8)
The interior of the fort was probably subdivided by a rectilinear grid of streets, although only two of these have been located by excavation.
Approximately 13 metres to the north of the south wall and on a roughly east-west alignment are the remains of a building range more than 45 metres in length and around 8.5 metres wide. It is divided by internal cross walls into six rooms of unequal size and with a partly excavated wing extending northwards at the western end. The outer wall footings, which are constructed of coursed flint on a core of mortared flint rubble, are between 0.69 metres and 0.76 metres wide on a wider foundation of beach cobbles, and the internal walls are around 0.5 metres wide, standing to a height of up to 0.5 metres. The superstructure of the building was probably of wattle and daub on a timber frame. Along the south side of the range is a parallel wall which is interpreted as part of a portico and would have served also to retain the inner face of the earthen bank behind the south wall of the fort. On the north side of the building are the remains of a corridor around 0.6 metre wide running along the southern and south eastern sides of a rectangular courtyard beyond. This building, below which traces of an earlier, timber structure were found, was in use during the later third and fourth centuries AD and retains evidence of various internal alterations, including a blocked opening and a hypocaust (underfloor heating system) in one room and tiled hearths inserted as secondary features in others. According to the evidence recorded in excavation, it served various domestic and industrial functions at different times and was severely damaged by fire in the later fourth century, after which it is thought to have remained at least partly ruinous. To the north of this complex and within the courtyard area, parts of a sequence of other, possibly earlier buildings of masonry and timber were also found, together with various structures, including the remains of a corn-drying kiln and a tank around 2.4 metres square overall, built of flint and courses of tile with an internal rendering of plaster.
For more detailed information, please see scheduled monument description. (9)
TG51681229. A Roman building near the South gate of the Roman settlement about 1000' West of East Caister Church, was further examined and interpreted as a seaman's lodging house.
Finds included coins of the mid C4th, as well as seven small hoards, wattle and daub, pottery, glass, part of a pewter plate, and grain.
Evidence of a number of small cubicles was found in one of the structures. A hypocaust, near to which had been a
water tank, was later found in one of the wings. The channels of the hypocaust had been filled in and this wing
appears to have been reconstructed. The building was finally destroyed by the Anglian settlers. (10, 11)
The Roman fort at Caister-on-Sea was built in the early 200s AD and occupied until around 370-390 AD. The fort was nearly 3.5 hectares in size and square in shape, with rounded corners.
In 1951-1955 a section of the fort was excavated. This area which remains accessible today while the remainder, around 90%, is now covered by modern housing. The main structures excavated in this area were left exposed, including part of the south gate and defences and a main road.
On the left, inside the current visitor entrance is a large defensive ditch, the innermost of a series of ditches around the fort. Crossing them would have been a road and timber bridge leading to the south gate, which may have been the fort's main entrance. The south gate was located in the centre of the south fort wall which stood to around 4 or 5 metres tall. On the left side of the south gate a small, rectangular guard chamber was uncovered through excavation. This is where traffic entering and leaving the fort would have been monitored by Roman soldiers. Wooden doors would have provided entry via the south gate, flanked by two storey towers with a guard chamber in the bottom of each and linked by a parapet along the top of the wall.
Following the roman occupation, the site remained unoccupied until the Middle and Late Saxon periods, 650-850 and 850-1066 AD when a settlement was established near the centre of the fort. To the south of the fort a large Saxon cemetery has been excavated.
When excavated in the 1950s, the main building near the south gate was interpreted as a hotel or seamen's hostel. It was also assumed that the building north of here was a brothel, however since then both these buildings have been reinterpreted as forming part of the fort.
These sources have further detailed information and illustrations. (12)
The structure, including part of the town defences, is preserved under Guardianship. Published 1:1250 revised on MSD. See illustration card. (13)
This site is listed in the English Heritage Visitor Handbook for 2009/10. It describes the site as a Roman Saxon Shore Fort. (14)
Information on excavations at Caistor-on-Sea by Norfolk archaeologist Charles Green in the 1950s. (15)
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