More information : (NY 9925 1345) Lavatrae Roman Fort (R) (1)
Bowes, named as the Roman station of Lavatrae by Notitia Imperii and
proved by the 2nd and 5th Antonine Itineraries. It is 143 x 133 yds
and just under 4 acres. It was occupied until Theodosius (379-95) (2)
Lavatrae is on the S side of the Catterick-Carlisle Roman road, on
the bank of the River Greta. The stone core of the vallum is extant
at the SW corner, and there are traces of an opening in the middle
of the S side. The ditch on the W side has partly been made use of
by the bailey of the Norman castle. (3)
The 3rd cent fort, 428 x 429 ft, and occupied from Agricola until
late 4th cent, was revealed by excavations in 1966-7. The original
rampart comprised large river boulders set in clay revetted with
timber at the front and turf at the rear. Evidence of a vicus was
found 400 ft E of the E gate. (4)
Part of the N side of the principia, in the former vicarage garden,
was excavated in 1970 revealing six periods, the first two being
timber, with three, possibly four of stone, the earliest of stone
being Hadrianic. Some 3rd cent buildings and traces of metal
working. (5)
Only the S and part of the W sides of the fort survive, although
slight traces of both N and E sides are visible. The interior of the
fort is very hummocky but no coherent plan of the intramural
buildings is apparent. No trace of the vicus or northern annexe can
be seen above ground.
In St. Giles's cemetery, at NY 9928 1340, are two small uninscribed Roman altars. See photographs.
Published survey (25") of fort and moat revised. (6)
Named LAVATRIS. (7a)
Excavations in 1966-7 suggest that occupation of the fort lasted from
the time of Agricola to the late 4th century; the earliest defences
were revetted with timber later replaced by stone. Further digging
to the N of the fort (at about NY 9827 1385) uncovered a ditch with
an original causeway, considered by the excavators to be the boundary
of an annexe to the fort. (4)
NY 9926 1347. In 1990 RCHME Newcastle completed a survey at 1:500
scale of the fort, castle and environs at Bowes together with a
revision of the current OS 25" map to show the remaining village
earthworks. The plans and full archive are held in the NMR archive.
The fort is situated in the middle of the village to the S of the
main street, which is on the line of the Roman road. The moated
Norman keep, which is recorded separately (see NY 91 SE 77), occupies
the NW quarter, the Church of St Giles with its churchyard is in the
NE, and a cemetery is in the SE quarter. The only part of the fort
interior relatively untouched is in the pasture field in the SW; here
the ground is disturbed and traces of the 1966-7 excavation trenches
can be seen (see RCHME plan). The rampart is best preserved in this
SW sector, surviving as a scarp up to 2.9 m high at the SW angle,
with an outer ditch, up to 1.1 m deep, visible only along the W side.
Elsewhere the rampart, though traceable, is mutilated, and the ditch
is absent. Nothing is visible of the supposed `N annexe' to the fort.
(7)
Re-visited in 1991, nothing further to add. (8)
Excavation in 1983 by E J Judge in the garden of Kirk House, (NZ 993
135), revealed street metalling and part of the east gate, the Porta
Decumana; the remains suggest that the east wall of the fort lies
below the east wall of the churchyard, a few feet west of the
alignment previously suggested. (9)
Fort listed as having early medieval ecclesiastical structures. (10)
NY 992 134. Roman fort (Lavatrae). Scheduled No DU/111. (11)
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